'It shows that Lara and Tendulkar are more alike than people may think'

Reader: Cautiously_optimistic

Fascinating insight from Gooch. Obviously, Warne was a superb bowler but he was so adept at getting under the skin of players that he simply 'psyched out' some of his opponents. Being a good player of spin was not usually enough against Warne, you had to be mentally tough too. I also think that facing him near the beginning of his career (like Gooch did) would have been particularly challenging as there can't have been much footage of his flipper and other variations. To witness his 'ball of the century' to Gatting from the other end must have been amazing and a bit scary too!

Reader: Nirmalya on

Rahul Bhattacharya, take a bow. This is such a gorgeous, brilliant essay. Even by the remarkably high standards of The Cricket Monthly, this one is an absolute belter. What I liked most was how Bhattacharya had eschewed the traditional narrative style of the genre and adopted a completely different style altogether. A delightful, light-footed style which sprang surprises kept me hooked till the very end - much like a Lara innings then!

The content was equally startling -Lara made it look so easy that one thought it just flowed naturally from him - that he could and would simply go out there and start batting. That cricket's prodigal son was actually one of the keenest and most calculating cricketing brains comes as a genuine surprise.

It also shows that Lara and Tendulkar are more alike than people may think. We've read about the remarkable sharpness of Tendulkar's cricketing brain, it is interesting to note that Lara had a mind very much of the same mould.

Reader: MRHAMILTON

Botham rarely gets a fair appraisal and is usually overshadowed by Imran Khan especially and Hadlee and Dev are rated as better bowlers. Even Kallis now is called the statistically best allrounder. Consensus though is Sobers. Let me say all those cricketers are legends and great men who did incredible things and were icons and leaders for their countries and were committed and prepared. Botham was never a leader... he was overweight most his career, usually stayed up drinking until 5am before and during a game... was finished after Jan 1987... but at his absolute peak (1977-82) he was the best of them all. No doubt. A purer match-winner with bat and ball than any of them. Staggering statistics in those first five years. Great fielder. He never had any bowling support after 82 as Willis aged. If Botham had had Kallis' professionalism he would have ended with a batting average of 56 with 30 centuries and a bowling average of 22 and 550 Test wickets.

Reader: harshthakor

I applaud the selection of Mushtaq Muhammad who captured eight wickets and scored 121 and 56 in the fourth Test in Trinidad in 1977. Above all he single-handedly won a Test for his country against arguably the best team in the world. It was the best ever all-round performance against a great West Indian team and the best by an overseas allrounder on Carribean soil. The likes of Imran or Botham have not equaled such an effort against the mighty West Indies. In a losing or non-winning cause, I place Alan Border's 98 and 100 at Trinidad in 1984, Imran Khan's 121 runs and eight wickets at Leeds in 1982 and Sunil Gavaskar's 96 at Bangalore in 1987 close to the top. Lara's scintillating strokeplay posessed the skill of a surgeon blended with the artistry of a painter and aggression of a tiger single-handedly turning games like no great batsmen. Botham radiated energy on a cricket field like no one else at his best, creating the impact of a hurricane.

Reader: TRIPPLE-DIGITS

Great article, and I am extremely pleased first, at the attendances at the women's games and second that television coverage might be extended for future competitions. I suppose it is human nature to compare the men to the women, especially with regards to power (ie. hitting sixes, etc) Cricket is played for love and enjoyment and some players excel more than others, as with anything in life. An expectancy of woman looking like men is formed when a female dare take up sports which is mostly associated with men. I am just so chuffed that WBBL is so successful. It paves the way for all other sports as the American football team did it for soccer. I just hope that they don't change the clothing range to suite the female modelling type, and make it a spectacle giving awards for most attractive player or most feminine player... Let's stick to best batter and best bowler and POM instead of MOM... Great stuff by Cricket Australia, by investing in cricket which includes everyone.

Reader: sunschao

He would've been a great asset to any team he joined with his spin and his attacking ability in the middle order. He would've gained a lot of experience from the IPL tournament as well to become a much better T20 player as he's naturally an attacking player. However, it's a good decision to keep him from playing the tournament as 17 Tests, along with that some ODIs and T20s. He needs to be managed well and not pick up an injury in his young career. He can always join IPL next year or whenever because that's where the real money is at anyways. Great selfless decision by Moeen though, because he's putting his country before IPL (money).