2010

“No, I was just trying to smell it, how it is feeling.”

Shahid Afridi’s initial response when asked why he had bitten into a cricket ball during an ODI in Perth

“It should be the Empire XI. They got any Poms in their side?”

The variety of nationalities in the England team did not miss Allan Border’s scrutiny

“When you can watch Inter Milan v Barcelona, why on earth would you want to watch Chennai Chunderers v Delhi Dipsticks?”

David Lloyd’s hot take on the IPL certainly aged well

2011

“Everyone did well, other than Sreesanth.”

Virender Sehwag’s honesty after India’s 2011 World Cup opening game was as brutal as his century in the match

“While fielding, I saw Tendulkar’s legs shivering while facing [Shoaib Akhtar’s] bowling.”

Shahid Afridi backed up his former fast bowler team-mate’s claim that Sachin Tendulkar was uncomfortable batting against him

“We know you can lose wickets in clusters, and we seem to have lost ten there in a cluster.”

Alastair Cook knew exactly what went wrong for England in an ODI in Kolkata that saw them whitewashed 5-0

“If his batting was as good as Don Bradman’s, he couldn’t score enough runs to make up for what he costs them with his keeping.”

Ian Chappell’s pithy description of Kamran Akmal’s glovework after the Pakistan wicketkeeper dropped two sitters in a World Cup match

“You were out first ball, run out in the next innings, and now you have been shot! What a terrible, terrible first tour!”

In his MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, Kumar Sangakkara spoke about Tharanga Paranavitana’s debut series, in Pakistan in 2009, when the Sri Lankan team were targeted by terrorists

2012

“It’s tough being me.”

Kevin Pietersen on his struggle to balance his love for Test cricket with what he described as England’s team politics

“I had always asked him to have his hair cut, but he never listened to me. Then how was he ready to do such a big thing [at my behest]?”

Salman Butt said he wasn’t behind Mohammad Amir’s spot-fixing

“On the 1996 tour of England, I went to the gym only once - to see it, not to use it.”

Sourav Ganguly provided insight into the Indian team’s attitude to fitness training in his early days

“It hasn’t yet sunk in yet but I’ve definitely lost around 50 kilos.”

Sachin Tendulkar admitted a weight was off his shoulders after he finally got his 100th international century

2013

“I’m jealous of my parents. I’ll never have a kid as cool as theirs.”

Chris Gayle hoped his folks knew what a gift they had been given

“I gave the chewing gum such a workout, I am disappointed that no one approached me for advertising. I did the chewing gum a world of good, it was like my little brother.”

Viv Richards fondly remembered his batting partner

“They’d win the first four Tests and we’d try to nick one at the end when they were all drunk.”

Former England captain Nasser Hussain remembered just how competitive the Ashes were during his playing days

“He would go [for the matches]... he was enthusiastic.”

Then BCCI president and Chennai Super Kings owner N Srinivasan tried to deny his son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, who was later arrested for betting on IPL games and having links with bookies, was in any way officially connected with the franchise

2014

“I even learned English by the end of that series. You know how much the Australians like to talk on the field.”

Harbhajan Singh recalled the 2001 series in which he snapped up 32 Australian wickets

“I have seen fewer hookers in Soho on a Saturday night.”

Bob Willis was appalled after several English batsmen perished to a certain shot in their loss to India at Lord’s

2015

“Gym. Like dancing, holding hands, queueing. Overrated.”

After coaches, Shane Warne went after gyms

“He seemed to have used copious amounts more red wine.”

Jos Buttler reflected on how modern preparation for a Test match differed from what Ian Botham did

“Personally I feel I use a bit too much of my brain in this format.”

Said MS Dhoni, the smartest cricketing brain Kieron Pollard knows

“Holy f*****g s**tballs this is the best day of my life.”

New Zealand allrounder Jimmy Neesham wasn’t disappointed about being dropped from the side for the World Cup after his replacement, Grant Elliott, took the team to their maiden final

2016

“I would probably end up in the crowd, but I’m not sure.”

Imran Tahir on how far his celebratory run might extend were he to take a hat-trick - which he finally got in 2018

“Rain, rain, go away! We have 10% of our 2016 matches to play today!”

Netherlands captain Peter Borren used a delay during the World T20 to make a point on Twitter about the Associates’ place in the pecking order

“I think we have had enough of winning the hearts of cricket fans, so this time we won the match.”

Mohammad Nabi on Afghanistan’s win over West Indies in the World T20

2017

“A previous CEO of the ICC once said to me: you cannot call yourself the CEO of the ICC until you have at some stage been burnt in effigy.”

Former ICC CEO Dave Richardson about what sets a real top-level administrator apart

“I don’t know Jonny Bairstow, but he says hello to people very differently to most others.”

Cameron Bancroft described the headbutt he received from Jonny Bairstow during a social gathering of players

“He reminds me of a newly born giraffe.”

Commentator Matthew Hayden after watching Ishant Sharma repeatedly slip during his run-up

“I don’t think even ICC understands the D-L method.”

Dhoni said what many suspect

“A coach is a mentor to a team. He is a friend and an elder buddy.”

A BCCI press release explained the duties of new India coach Ravi Shastri

2018

“I literally stayed up until 1.30 in the morning to watch him cry live on TV. What a pleasure that was.”

Former England keeper Matt Prior is not a fan of David Warner, as he revealed while talking about Warner’s Sandpapergate press conference

“The Aussie way is to look a bloke in the eye, look your sister or your mum in the eyes, and tell them the truth and be happy to get some truth back, so that’s elite honesty.”

Justin Langer explained a made-up concept too subtle for the rest of us to grasp

“I know the dimensions of his arse from seeing it in close range, wicketkeeping behind him for hour after hour after hour.”

Adam Gilchrist spoke about his familiarity with a certain part of Sachin Tendulkar’s anatomy

2019

“I think one six went 122 metres. You don’t go that far on your holidays.”

Mark Butcher watching Chris Gayle’s sixes clear the stands in Bridgetown

“That was the best kiss I’ve ever had”

Ben Stokes was entirely approving of his batting partner Jack Leach’s post-match PDA after their spectacular Ashes performance in the third Test

“Just ordered a new set of 3D glasses to watch the World Cup.”

India batsman Ambati Rayudu reacted to being ignored for selection in India’s World Cup squad after chief selector MSK Prasad said they instead chose a “three-dimensional” Vijay Shankar. —Cricinfo