From Ashes battles to World Cup woes, the cricketing year in review

Outsiders often marvel at cricket’s ability to conjure a draw from matches that last five days at a time, but 2023 took the concept to extremes as two separate Ashes contests stretched across nearly seven weeks concluded with honours even.

And, as if to prove that the magic lies in the journey rather than the destination, it was by a distance the most gripping Ashes summer in a generation.

In the men’s series, two wonderfully matched teams scrapped tooth and only denied a famous victory from two down by a 48-hour deluge in Manchester.