John Stern
Spun out
A popular theory about Shane Warne is that he popularised spin bowling. Yet the circumstantial evidence would suggest that this is a myth. He made spin bowling cool, for sure, and indeed made cricket cool, but there isn't a huge amount of evidence to suggest that he has left a legspin legacy any more
John Stern
Two into three won't go
English cricket is a world leader in compromise. The latest ideas for revamping the domestic game, according the Daily Telegraph last week, would seem to be the descendants of a long tradition of half-baked theories
John Stern
From hit and giggle to do or die
Why the increased focus on Twenty20 cricket just may be good for English cricket and its overburdened schedule
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How good is Sidebottom?
England's Roger Daltrey-lookalike seamer is in contention for the crown of the world's top fast bowler... more
Better longer
Let's have fewer series but make the best ones last... more
Greed of the hour
England players earn big money and are set to make even more, but do they need to talk so shamelessly about the means by which they think they can earn those figures?... more
What spirit of cricket?
Does it matter anymore? Does it even exist?... more
Elvis v Mozart
In England, the IPL is viewed as the monster that'll kill Test cricket. But maybe it won't be so bad after all... more
The other Schofield
John Stern feels Ken Schofield's appointment to review one whitewash won't produce another whitewash... more
Arriving late for the Ashes party
John Stern says that the scoreline being what it is, England can't be thinking about outcomes. It's time for a performance... more
Enjoy cricket-style entertainment at The Rose Bowl
More and more venues around England aspire to acquire Test status... more
The defining time
John Stern on Ian Bell - blessed by exceptional talent, cursed by the burden of expectation... more
More power, not less
John Stern on Duncan Fletcher - England's back-seat driver... more
Hindsight TV
There's a newish sports TV channel around specialising in nostalgia of the highest order. I won't reveal its name in case I'm accused of shameless plugging but I believe it may advertise its wares elsewhere on this website. It should be called Hindsight T... more
Does anybody really care?
The question is: are England lousy at one-day cricket because they're indifferent to it or are they indifferent to it because they're lousy at it?... more
A whiff of scandal whets the appetite
The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about, said Oscar Wilde. If cricket in England was feeling a bit faint after last summer then the past few days have provided a full-on oxygen mask of publicity... more
A dose of shock treatment
Read does not have to score many runs to better Jones's recent record but he will have to keep very well... more
Don't let history repeat itself
Headingley '81 is no longer a milestone
John Stern rewinds to the 1981 Ashes series - Ian Botham's Ashes - and last year's classic, with the hope that it doesn't take a decade to get over 2005... more
Freddie is the man to inspire England
John Stern ponders who will be asked to step into Michael Vaughan's shoes and lead England this summer ... and then into the Ashes... more
England need another Edgbaston boost
Another step on the road to Brisbane
England know that all roads lead to Brisbane but they don't know which route will take them there or exactly who will be driving the car, says John Stern... more
The bigger picture
English cricket, a generation on, is unrecognisable from the short-termist, revolving door mentality that bedevilled teams through the '80s and '90s, says John Stern... more
Cricket's apocalyptic vision
Trescothick is a case in point
Trescothick's situation - however it may have been presented to the public - highlights cricket's apocalyptic vision.... more
More questions than answers
England's post-India selection dilemmas
England's miracle in Mumbai might have seemed like a glorious end to a testing Asian winter but in truth it asked more questions than it answered... more
When Tendulkar made Udal's day
India v England, 3rd Test, Mumbai, 5th day
For one man immortality, for another the ultimate sign of mortality. Shaun Udal will dine out on this moment for the rest of his life. Sachin Tendulkar will prefer never to speak of it again... more
The chasing pack
Three teams strive to reach Australia
John Stern says the three-way battle to try and be No. 2 behind Australia is turning into a fight worth watching... more
Opportunity knocks
John Stern on how one man's heartache is another man's Test debut... more
Caught in the spin cycle
England's attitude to slow bowling
John Stern on England's stopgap approach to finding their next spinner... more
Recapturing Troy
The pioneers go back to basics
John Stern on how the Australians learnt to be a bit more English in their approach... more
An opportunity squandered
The question of the summer, "Do you have any Ashes tickets?", has given way to autumn's inquiry, "Do you know England's tour schedule in India?"... more
D is for Denial
The Super Series and what it means
You can't have it both ways. Either the Super Series one-dayers have been the most sodden of damp squibs or the ultimate symbol of Australia's supremacy... more
Are Australia still the best?
So are Australia still the best Test side in the world? If they win the Super Series, you can bet that Ricky Ponting will not be backward in coming forward to reaffirm his team's pre-eminent status... more
A great chance to tap a gold mine
If Andrew Flintoff is to emerge properly from the shadow of Ian Botham then he will have to remain on Planet Edgbaston, or somewhere in its proximity, for the best part of the next five years... more
The new Botham v the old Flintoff
If Andrew Flintoff is to emerge properly from the shadow of Ian Botham then he will have to remain on Planet Edgbaston, or somewhere in its proximity, for the best part of the next five years... more
A tricky place to understand
John Stern on England's aversion to Lord's... more
The PlayStation generation grows up
England's maturing cricket team
John Stern on the growing maturity of England's cricketers... more
No laughing matter
Australia's suspicion of Twenty20 cricket
Ricky Ponting made history this week as the first Australian cricket captain to 'laugh off' a 100-run defeat by England.... more
The tap which opened the floodgates
The tapping up controversy in English cricket... more
Botham's beef is beside the point
John Stern on the astonishing influence of Ian Botham... more
The life of Brian
Is Lara past his sell-by date?
Is Brian Lara the messiah Trinidad thinks he is, or has the time come for West Indies to do without him?... more
Eyes on the ball, and the prizes will follow
The futility of player-board disputes
No-one denies the right of professional cricketers to earn decent money or indeed indecent money in a free market, but when the playing of the game becomes secondary to the pursuit of cash, the plot has been lost... more
It's up to county cricket to fill the Ashes void
The start of the English season
Moaning about the intrusive expansion of sporting seasons is up there with policemen getting younger and exams getting easier as one of Middle England¹s favourite hobbyhorses... more
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