Plain-language explainers on how football and cricket actually work, the formats, rules and rankings behind the scores. Written and maintained by our editors, updated when the rules change.
The league phase, the ranking table, playoffs and the road to the final, explained in plain language.
FootballWho votes, what the criteria actually say, and why the award so often tracks the Champions League.
FootballWhat offside actually means, what interfering with play covers, and how semi-automated offside calls work.
FootballHow clubs move between divisions, what the playoffs are, and why the system creates football's most dramatic days.
FootballThe Elo-based formula behind the rankings, what moves a team up or down, and what the ranking is used for.
FootballWindows, fees, contracts, loans and free transfers, the machinery behind the deadline day theatre.
How the three international formats differ, what each one rewards, and why the same players can rank differently in each.
CricketWhy rain-affected cricket needs a formula, how Duckworth-Lewis-Stern actually thinks, and why targets sometimes look strange.
CricketInnings, declarations, the follow-on and how a five-day match can end in a draw, the rhythms of the long game explained.
CricketThe auction, the playoffs and why a domestic Indian league became the financial centre of world cricket.
CricketTeam rankings, player rankings and the World Test Championship, how cricket measures who is best.
CricketSlips, gully, fine leg and why it is called silly point, a working map of the fielding names commentators never explain.
