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Geoff Lawson

Geoff Lawson

Geoff Lawson is a cricket columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Australia didn’t make it past the group stage of the Twenty20 World Cup.

The man who should lead Australia out of T20 hole has just been sacked

The selectors blundered at the World Cup, and Australia’s all-format coach is stretched too thin. It’s time for a new T20 mentor, and the perfect fit has become available.

  • Geoff Lawson

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Get him now: Steve Smith is the form batsman of spin bowling in the world, but is not part of Australia’s Twenty 20 World Cup squad in the subcontinent.

Australia must bring in Steve Smith or risk a T20 World Cup spinout

Australia’s T20 World Cup preparations could echo England’s Ashes disaster unless selectors admit they have got it wrong and send an SOS to Steve Smith.

  • Geoff Lawson
Star Melbourne Renegades batter Jake Fraser-McGurk.

For all its flaws, the Big Bash has been a game changer for emerging talent

Since the Big Bash’s evolution, the value of the competition has been assessed mainly in terms of financial advancement, but it has also added another layer to player development.

  • Geoff Lawson
Alyssa Healy after scoring a century against Bangladesh at the world cup in October last year.

To stand out among the standouts takes someone special. Alyssa Healy is just that

From primary school to the national team, the Australia skipper has blazed a trail. In 100 years of official women’s cricket in NSW, few have achieved more.

  • Geoff Lawson
Cameron Green slides on the ground as he unsuccessfully tries to avoid being run out in the first innings.

The next Ashes series is only 18 months away. Here’s what Australia must do to win again

As this current team celebrates, the next generation of contenders is impressing in the Sheffield Shield ahead of the 2027 Ashes.

  • Geoff Lawson
The Australian team ahead of the 2026 SCG “pink” Test.

Other sports have dead rubbers. Cricket has Test matches

The Sydney Cricket Ground rarely plays host to a “live” Test. But the result of any series has always been irrelevant to attendance, while there’s plenty at stake for the players, too.

  • Geoff Lawson
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Cameron Green celebrates a wicket at the MCG.

Why Australia will stick with Cameron Green … for now

Australia’s selectors would like to build the next generation around the genuine all-round abilities of Cameron Green and Alex Carey.

  • Geoff Lawson
Alex Carey admitted after stumps that he had hit the ball.

DRS may be flawed, but perfect machines will not make cricket a better game

Even amid DRS dramas, cricket remains a truly organic game of leather, willow, earth, wind, sun and weather. Unpredictability is what makes it great.

  • Geoff Lawson
The mock obituary published in the Sporting Times in 1882 that led to the birth of the Ashes.

Since 1882, winning the Ashes has never been about entertainment

Douglas Jardine famously grasped the necessity of victory over all else, but Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have placed the emphasis on stress-free cricket. Is it too late for them to change tack?

  • Geoff Lawson
Without Mitchell Starc Australia would be in deep trouble in this Ashes series.

Australia has produced some terrific left-armers. Starc is the best of the best

Once a wayward weapon with the ball, Mitchell Starc has become better with age and become Australia’s greatest left-arm paceman.

  • Geoff Lawson