Cricinfo - The Home of
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The self styled “home of cricket on the internet” is one of the top 500 most popular web sites, with news, columns, blogs, a great statistics section, and ball-by-ball coverage of all major cricket matches. It’s integrated with Cricinfo sites in all of the test playing countries and many ICC Associate nations.
The web site was opened in 1993 by cricket enthusiasts. They ran the site as volunteers until the end of the decade, by which time it had become so successful that full staffing was needed. Its success continued, and after a short period of ownership by Wisden, it was acquired by the entertainment giant ESPN in 2007. Its web site has just been relaunched as ESPN Cricinfo.
One of its strongest suits is its ball by ball coverage of all major cricket matches in the world. Just attempting to supply up to the minute cricket information is a major undertaking, but the site achieves it solely from its Indian office, using the available live TV coverage. The live scores are also accompanied by a report on the state of play, as well as a whole raft of desktop and mobile scorecard options.
Expert Editors
Its editors are among the most authoritative cricket journalists in the world. The Editor is Sambit Bal, one time leg spin bowler and crime reporter for his evening paper. He took to cricket journalism when he realized it provided the perfect excuse to watch cricket in the office. His width and depth of knowledge of cricket is formidable, as are his irrefutable logic and incisive views on the cricketing issues of the day. When he isn’t working, he spends as much time as possible watching cricket.
His editorial team includes Steven Lynch, whose knowledge of cricket facts is second to none. He won the Wisden Cricket Monthly Christmas Quiz three years running before the then-editor said "I can't let you win it again, but would you like a job?”. After the merger then de-merger with Wisden, Steven continued with Cricinfo, and now contributes the popular weekly "Ask Steven" question-and-answer column, and edits the Cricinfo Guide to International Cricket.
World beating statistics and blogs
The statistics section is second to none. It includes an easily searchable database of over 55,000 players, officials, grounds and tournaments, with feeds from all of them. The Statsguru is a great tool for finding facts about any of these things, so whether you need to settle a debate between cricket fans, or simply to check on form, then this is the place to look.
The Blogging page is uses blogging technology to experiment with different forms of blog. They use this as a publishing tool for filter blogs like The Surfer, which is intended to show all that’s worth reading about cricket on the web, for group discussions on Wicket to Wicket, and for writer-driven blogs like Ashes Buzz and Pak Spin. Want to contribute your view to the best cricket blog in the world? This is the place to do it.
New web site and online store
A new departure from their traditional web presence is Cricshop, said to be the UK’s biggest online cricket store. It specializes in all things cricket including official replica clothing, DVDs, books, memorabilia, leisurewear, gifts and a big section on cricket equipment.
The re-launched web site has divided some of its traditional viewers, but I’m one of the converts to its new look and feel. The editors welcome all constructive comments on the new style, and Sambit Bal’s responses in his blog “The life and times at Cricinfo” are well worth a read in their own right.
The bottom line? Cricinfo doesn't yet have a coaching or junior section, but if you need in-depth cricket information of any other kind, this web site is a great place to look.
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