Cricket

TMS interview 10 September 21

In September 2021 I fulfilled a lifelong dream when I was invited on as the teatime guest on Test Match Special.

Memories of Ted Dexter 27 August 21

It was a privilege to know and work with Ted Dexter for many years. Here are some personal memories.

The joys of 'dad' cricket 4 May 21

Razor Lindwall and other untold stories 1 September 19

Five personal cricket anecdotes that might qualify as 'Quite Interesting' to a few cricket fans.

The pressures of being ranked 21 August 19

We are all intrigued by tables that rank people in order. But how does it feel to be the one being ranked?

A Googly Cricket Quiz 6 June 19

To mark the publication of the new edition of What Is A Googly?, here is a short multiple choice quiz.

World Cup? What World Cup? 24 May 19

It's 14 years since cricket disappeared from free-to-air TV in the UK, so I thought I'd ask some 14 year olds to name some famous cricketers. The results should alarm anyone who cares about the sport.

Test Match tickets for children should be FREE 13 May 19

A day at the Test match can be a wonderful experience for children. What a shame that cricket has almost given up trying to bring them in.

Alastair Cook and The Freaky Coincidence 7 September 18

As Alastair Cook retires from international cricket, here's a story of a freaky coincidence involving him, my sister and Radio 4's More or Less

Tony Greig and Edvard Grieg 21 May 18

What's the connection between the former cricketer Tony Greig and the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg?

The Decline of the Draw 17 August 17

One of cricket's most charming - or to Americans, baffling - features is that after five days play the match can end in a draw. But draws are becoming an endangered species.

Maths, Teamwork and Googlies 23 March 17

My Zeeman lecture at the Royal Society connected maths and cricket.

The paradox of the unexpected bouncer 20 December 16

Is it possible for a bowler in cricket to bowl an 'unexpected' bouncer?

Umpire's Call 16 July 15

Across the world, statisticians search for a way to improve on cricket's controversial Duckworth Lewis method. Maybe they are looking at it the wrong way.

Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Square Roots. 1 June 15

Ben Stokes is being tipped as England's next great all-rounder. But how do you measure all-round performance?

How the World Cricket Rankings were born 31 January 15

When you hear in the headlines 'Stuart Broad is ranked number one bowler in the world', ever wondered who works it out and where this all came from?

England could have won 5-0 6 January 14

The post mortems into England's 5-0 thrashing have begun. Yet it could have been very different.