Professional journalists are sometimes a little envious of the unconditional freedom enjoyed by self-published literary crusaders on the Internet, but the truth is, only the good and credible get read. One of the wonderful things about wandering online is discovering new writers and new ideas: original, startling, delightful, provocative, and sometimes all of those together.

Different Strokes is a modest attempt at finding some of these voices and bringing them to you. None of the contributors here are professional cricket writers. And it is an advantage. They carry none of the cynicism that familiarity can breed, nor are they inured to the foibles of the game. Distance can bring wonder, as it can bring perspective. We don’t expect their views to always match ours, but we do expect their voices to enhance our offering to you.

A couple of our contributors are teachers, one is an amateur cricketer, and another is a database consultant. More are expected to join them soon. We’d like to regard them as enlightened lovers of the game we all cherish.

Sambit Bal is Editor, Cricinfo