Ashes
I sledged Steve Smith for England
In this summer of sporting dramas, every patriotic sports fan likes to think he’s done his bit to help. I…
If you thought Lord’s was rowdy, get ready for Leeds
Shouldn’t we all just calm down a bit after Lord’s? Once prime ministers decide to intervene, you know things have…
Why we all need an Ollie Robinson
It’s a long way from Edgbaston to Karachi, but that’s where my thoughts were turning after Australia’s last-gasp victory in…
Why England lost the Ashes
England’s wretched performance in the Ashes – which saw the side lose three tests and so the series to Australia…
So farewell, Alastair Cook: a wonderful cricketer and exemplary sportsman
I first became aware of Alastair Cook in the Ashes summer of 2005 when he was named the Young Cricketer…
Alastair Cook's victory for character, calm – and cunning
The roar of the Premier League is beginning to drown out everything else in sport (there’s even Friday night football…
Why nothing in sport beats thrashing the Aussies at cricket
Why nothing in sport beats thrashing the Aussies at cricket
Tom Holland's diary: Alex Salmond is the Scottish referendum's answer to Shane Warne
I feel a bit about the Scottish referendum as I did about the 2005 Ashes series. In both cases, those of…
In defence of the BBC’s Sochi commentators
You can trust the BBC to behave like a leaf blown by any breeze, but even that spineless leviathan (if…
It’s not just Kevin Pietersen. England needs a whole team of new heroes
Englishmen used to be deported to Australia as a punishment. Now they get sent back to England as an act…
Five reasons to be cheerful about British sport (yes, even the cricket)
James Cook’s third voyage as an English captain ended in disaster, stabbed to death and disembowelled by a pack of…
As England's cricketers wobble, the rugby team are finally getting it together
My friend Miles was bowling in a festival of wandering cricket clubs in Oxford the other day. First wicket down…
Sport: Nigel Lawson on the Ashes
Those of us who watched the last day of the final Ashes Test of the present series enjoyed a rare…
Suddenly, the future of British golf looks bright
Were you still up, as they used to say about Portillo in the 1997 election, for Hedwall? It was well…
Can anyone save Aussie cricket?
Insomniacs, invalids and cricket obsessives (step forward yours truly) were probably the only people who stumbled on it, but BBC4…
Sir Ian Botham is a hero – and a fool
Mark Mason 28 November 2015 9:00 am
In 1981, when I was ten and Ian Botham was 26, I thought he was God. Now, the week after…