Elsewhere, a year out from the 2027 World Cup, Daniel Gallan looks ahead to Africa's long-overdue opportunity to host an ICC men's tournament, while Matt Roller considers how England are shaping up following a disappointing tri-series in Pakistan and Jo Harman-McGowan highlights the significance of the competition for the yet-to-qualify West Indies.

We also have an exclusive interview with Marcus North, England men's national selector, who explains the rationale behind the recent raft of contracts, George Lovatt considers the sustainability of Sky's investment in English cricket, Badrul Hassan examines the game's uneven response to allegations of sexual harassment, and Jeff Thomas highlights the curious case of George Hill, Yorkshire's brilliant all-rounder who can't get a look-in at international level.

There's plenty of reaction to South Africa's humdinger of a Test series against Australia, with Simon Harmer talking us through his match-winning exploits and Damien Fleming outlining how the Aussies can get back on track, while Lawrence Booth shares his thoughts on James Anderson's unceremonious departure from Lancashire and Andrew Miller considers the blockage in the pipeline of English coaches.

We also have Phil Walker on Ricky Ponting's singular Ashes story, Toby Roland-Jones on the rollercoaster ride of his brief England career, and four professional umpires reveal the realities of their increasingly complex job.

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"If his occasional lapses in the moment – a rash drive here, an uppish hook there – get exhibited, boringly, as proof that he needs to be moulded into a different kind of shape, it’s only because the bar he has to clear is so absurdly high."
Phil Walker on Harry Brook, the people's choice as the best male batter on the planet

"We can see through data, and we can see through our own eye, that certain players are going to be better at handling the kinds of deliveries that they're going to get in international cricket."
Marcus North, England men's national selector, explains the process behind picking players he believes can prosper at the top level

"Whatever happens, come next season he’ll be the same George, desperate to win every game for Yorkshire, will probably take 50 wickets, average 40 with the bat, and take a heap of catches. If that’s not good enough for England, we’ll certainly take it."
Ben Coad can't understand why England keep overlooking George Hill, his Yorkshire teammate

"I'm a fierce competitor and I need to take myself to a dark place to get the best out of myself. And it was like that for three-and-a-half weeks Simon Harmer on South Africa's Test series win over Australia."
Simon Harmer, South Africa's matchwinner against Australia at Newlands, reflects on an unmissable Test series

"It looked to me as though they had got behind the game and stopped believing. And if you're batting in a line-up where nobody seems entirely certain who should be playing, why wouldn't that uncertainty spread?"
"Come for the cricket and stay for the culture. Just by hosting it here it will feel African, don’t worry about that."
Hamilton Masakadza, Zimbabwe’s tournament director and former national captain, looks ahead to the 2027 World Cup

"The simple truth is that ever since they won the World Cup for the first time in 2019, England have been a middling ODI team who have lost more games than they have won."
Matt Roller considers England's prospects a year out from the World Cup

"We repeatedly lodged complaints with our manager regarding the behavior of our then-coach. His actions went far beyond inappropriate physical contact. He subjected us to severe, ongoing mental torture. We reported it multiple times, but we never received a fruitful result."
Bangladesh international Rumana Ahmed speaks to Badrul Hassan about allegations against her former national coach

"I gave a decision a few years back and I went on social media and got down a rabbit hole and I'll never do it again. You’ve got to stay away from it. I think that's all you can do."
Mike Burns on the reality of being a pro umpire

"Step back from the outrage, remove the romanticism, and weren’t Lancashire simply behaving as any sporting organisation would, taking a decision which they believe will benefit both the club’s short-term plans of returning to Division One, and the longer-term goal of winning a first Championship since 2011?"
Lawrence Booth on James Anderson's departure from Lancashire

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