David Frith's Blog

Even as those around him struggled, Hutton batted on as if on the flattest pitch in the world

In the late 1800s, one man was synonymous with cricket, and enchanted all who came to see him bat. Truly was he nearly as big as the game

Perhaps cricket's first pin-up, Miller's game was marked by flair, devil-may-care insouciance, and awareness always that it was all just a game

Solitary and often moody, Hammond was England's giant in the age of Bradman, and his figures bear testament to a career of mammoth achievements

A long-time friend remembers the demon bowler off the field

The Test match-watching experience has changed over the years - the players' faces are obscured, the grounds are more coldly impersonal - but the buzz of a big game remains

A play-for-your-life XI who'll do you proud when it's a choice between not losing and heading to the gas chamber

There was outrage over England's tactics in the 1932-33 Ashes, but in the years that followed bouncers shocked no one

Alec Bedser was an impressive figure of a man, and his feats with the ball were befittingly large

A one-time school-mate remembers John Howard, the nominee for the ICC's top post, and a genteel disagreement they had over a certain urn