Simon Barnes's Blog

Eleven things the series has brought to light about Cook and Co

Far too many people - Australians mostly - have had and still have reservations about him

They have stumbled upon an attacking and youthful brand of cricket, which we should savour while it lasts

How much truth is there in the notion that it rests with the team fresh off a victory?

There's currency in the idea that a captain's failure with the bat dulls his decision-making powers and creates a destructive atmosphere in the dressing room

To be a great winner, you need to have lost greatly first. Australia have shown how to respond to defeat; can crushed England follow suit?

There's almost a moral dimension to the Cardiff victory: it feels as if England have left a great pile of stinking bad things behind them

England cricket has become a subplot in the Kevin Pietersen Story and even Andrew Strauss' firm decision on his future may not change things

The World Cup showed us that the format doesn't have to be dreary. That bowling sides can be as innovative and aggressive as batting sides

Why the Czech tennis player can be a lesson to AB de Villiers and his boys