Formats
Test, one-day and Twenty20, and what actually differs between them beyond the number of overs.
The Big Bash League explained, and why it uses a draft
Eight city franchises, a draft rather than an auction, and a competition that runs while Australia's best players are busy playing Tests.
The Hundred explained, and why England invented another format
A hundred balls a side, sets of five, and ends changing every ten. What actually differs from a Twenty20 match, and the reason a new format was built at all.
The Sheffield Shield, and why it still picks the Test side
Six states, four-day cricket on pitches that behave like Test pitches, and the only reliable evidence Australian selectors have ever trusted.
The T20 World Cup format, and why it keeps changing
Super 8, Super 10, Super 12 and back again. The structure has changed almost every edition, and small groups are why it is the most winnable global trophy.
The pink ball, and what day-night Tests actually changed
A red ball is invisible under lights and a white one falls apart. The pink ball is the compromise, and it swings longer and makes twilight the hardest hour in cricket.
The World Test Championship points system, explained
Sides play very different numbers of Tests in a cycle, so the table ranks by percentage of points available rather than by points won. That one choice explains the rest.
Test, ODI and T20: what actually differs beyond the overs
The three formats are not the same game at different lengths. The ball, the fields, the value of a wicket and the point of an innings all change.
Twenty20 cricket explained, and why it took over
Twenty overs a side, invented by English counties to sell tickets, now the format that funds the sport. What actually changes when an innings is 120 balls long.
The IPL explained, and how it rearranged world cricket
Ten franchises, an auction, and a two-month window every board now schedules around. What the IPL actually is, and what it changed that was not the salaries.
Test cricket explained for someone watching their first day
Five days, two innings each, and a result that can be a draw. What is actually happening on day two when nobody appears to be trying to win.
One-day international cricket explained, and its identity problem
Fifty overs a side, the format that invented the World Cup and now sits awkwardly between the two everybody argues about. What it does that neither of the others can.