Andrew Strauss shows true leadership qualities writes Jeremy Loadman.

If you’ve ever been in the unfortunate situation of having to read, or even pick up, a management magazine, you’ll no doubt know that they contain no end of ponderous crap on how we can all shape ourselves into successful leaders. ‘Implement a strategic vision that will both motivate and empower other people’. Sounds alright, doesn’t it?

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above: cricket can mean the world – in this case to Freddie and Brett Lee

By Jeremy Loadman

Talk of corrupt behaviour in cricket seems to go hand-in-hand these days with a term that is almost a part of the cricketing lexicon: meaningless games.

Depending on your philosophical bent, maybe every game of cricket is meaningless. But even for the hardcore nihilist, the ‘05 Edgbaston test meant something.

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South Africa 2010 offers the ICC a lesson: let crowds be themselves

The vuvuzelas of the 2010 Football World Cup might have drove us all mad at times, but as Jeremy Loadman explains they gave the tournament an identity, something that the 2007 Cricket World Cup sadly lacked.

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Nature vs Nurture: How Are International Cricket Stars Born?

Jeremy Loadman presents the unique case of how talent is nurtured in cricket. Unlike football and other sporting behemoths, international cricket rules the roost when it comes to building talent.

The maxim goes: to be the best, you must learn from the best. In most professions, the possibility of this occurring largely lies with the determination of the individual. Want to learn from the best rocket scientists in the world, you’d have your sights set on NASA; if reading classics is your thing, then it’s Cambridge or Oxford. If you want to play with the best footballers in the world you’d have your eyes set on Barcelona, or maybe Manchester United or Real Madrid. But if you want to learn from the best cricketers in the world, it’s not so straight forward.

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