Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne are usually cited as the key figures in Australia’s now ended era of Test dominance but in their own way Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting were equally as significant.

There are only a few who have played the game as only they can play, Sir Don Bradman, The great Gary Sobers, King Viv Richards, Prince Brian Lara and The sheik of Tweak Shane Warne.

After six weeks of Test cricket where neither side gained the upper hand for too long, the Ashes is over. Here is Cricket Web’s look back at the series.

It doesn’t matter who you support, England or Australia, it’s a safe bet that supporters from both sides will agree the standard of umpiring this 2009 Ashes series has been nothing short of abysmal.

Sri Lanka all-rounder Chaminda Vaas announced his retirement from Test cricket late last month bringing an end to his 15-year test career.

The purpose of this article is to have a look at Laker’s approach in order to see just how accurate or otherwise his predictions were and then for the writer to try and project the game forward again, this time, less ambitiously, to 21 years hence.

After the Ashes, England’s Test side will enter a new era, one where Andrew Flintoff in particular will need to be replaced. How should England balance their team without Flintoff, and who are the likely contenders to join the England squad in the future?

Is Test cricket becoming less of a contest between bat and ball? Are flat pitches ruining the longer form of the game? Swaranjeet wonders if Test cricket is becoming so batsman-friendly it verges on boring.