As England dispel the perennial gloom with a third straight series win in Karachi the renaissance under Duncan Fletcher and Nasser Hussain is examined by Mark Nicholas, Vic Marks, Ian Salisbury and Mark Baldwin, while Ted Dexter celebrates Ashley Giles' meteoric rise among the spin fraternity. "I was impressed more than anything by the fact that Giles fully rotates his shoulders in the delivery when so many of the modern spinners simply whirl the arm." Ted Dexter

As Geoff Lawson watches West Indies sink deeper into the mire Down Under, Tony Cozier calls on the players to accept personal responsibility rather than blaming the past. Peter Roebuck compares a careworn Brian Lara to a devil-take-the-hindmost Colin Miller, and we feature the blue-rinse novice. "Australians weaned on the mean, superfit West Indies teams of the '80s were appalled at their slackness and could not understand Lara's preferential treatment." Tony Cozier

As match-fixing allegations proliferate like mobile phones, we dig up the George Ulyett scandal that preceded the infamous Ashes obituary. We report on the influence South African betting inquiry on umpiring technology, and Dickie Bird bemoans the invasion of the third umpire's 'box of tricks'. "The paying public will not be best pleased if the game is held up time after time. And a debatable decision provides a talking point. It will all be cut and dried." Dickie Bird

In the latest issue of The Cricketer, we also explore the trials and tribulations of those who have been dismissed for 99 in a Test match, and we attempt to grasp the technicalities of why left-handed players tend to be more successful, given their minority status, than their right-handed counterparts. "The left-hander's brain tends to concern itself with practical skills, like the fine control of both hands and the ability to make fast reactions and construct 3-D pictures."

As England rise to fourth – their highest position for almost four years - in The Cricketer's Test Ratings, the first and best of the Test ranking systems, we look forward to their testing tour of Sri Lanka. The England women's captain, Clare Connor, picks through the bones of her team's failure in the World Cup. And we ask if floodlit day/night cricket in England really has been a revolutionary success story.

LIFE LINES: Most embarrassing moment. "Messing up the 1988 Benson and Hedges Cup quarter-final draw live on radio" Tim Lamb

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Andrew Tong
Deputy Editor

© The Cricketer Magazine