{"id":429282,"date":"2026-01-22T05:25:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T05:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/429282\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T05:25:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T05:25:18","slug":"outside-edges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/429282\/","title":{"rendered":"Outside edges"},"content":{"rendered":"


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When the form is the function <\/p>\n


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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDeepti Unni\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0January 22, 2026 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n


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\"Lights,<\/p>\n


\nLights, camera, inaction: a moment of stillness for Athapaththu and Bezuidenhout
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\nWhat makes silhouettes so evocative? Perhaps it’s that the primary function of photographs is to show – a moment, an expression, a perspective, arrested motion. Silhouettes take that away, leaving the viewer to read the photograph from the interplay of light and shadow alone. On the cricket field, it strips away logos, sponsors, advertisements, even identity, leaving just the shape of stillness – Chamari Athapaththu and Bernadine Bezuidenhout between balls in the photo above – or motion, like Shadab Khan in his delivery stride in the nets, below.\n<\/p>\n


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\"Who<\/p>\n


\nWho bowls there: Shadab Khan navigates the dark net
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\n\tJewel Samad \/ \t\u00a9 AFP\/Getty Images
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\nIn some cases, the silhouette is the tell: think the outline of Jasprit Bumrah in the moment before he delivers the ball. But what about when they’re not moving? Can you tell from the shape of the player pont-ering? It can be t-ricky.\n<\/p>\n


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\"Bet<\/p>\n


\nBet you can’t tell who this is. Go on, take a punt
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\nA good silhouette, like good fielding, is all about placement, placement, placement. Ireland’s Ben Calitz positions himself perfectly to catch the sun.\n<\/p>\n


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\"Total<\/p>\n


\nTotal eclipse of the art: what they mean when they say there’s a star inside everyone
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\n\t\t\u00a9 Sportsfile via Getty Images
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\nOne of sports photographers’ favourite angles is the bug’s-eye view, capturing the hidden secrets of group huddles, getting a chin-first view of group dynamics. The photo below captures young cricketers – former child soldiers in Sri Lanka – learning to stretch at a cricket camp.\n<\/p>\n


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\"Shape<\/p>\n


\nShape of youth: it’s not a stretch to say cricket is child’s play
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\n\t Lakruwan Wanniarachchi \/ \t\u00a9 AFP\/Getty Images
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\nYou can feel the mood of the photo below before you even get a good look at it – when the day’s play is done and you have to pack up your kit and trudge home, where homework and the real world await. But tomorrow is another day to fight over who gets to bat first.\n<\/p>\n


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\"Don't<\/p>\n


\nDon’t let the sun go down on me: children lug their bags home along Mumbai’s Marine Drive after a long day of cricket
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\nWon’t someone think of the men who work in the shadows to bring you light? You’d better have a head for heights if you’re going to be a lights technician. Breathtaking sunsets are the bonus.\n<\/p>\n


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\t\t\"Orange<\/p>\n

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\nOrange you glad it’s not you: techs set up the lighting rig for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games at the MCG in 2006
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\n\t\t\t\t\u00a9 Getty Images
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\nIf you’re a gig worker in the subcontinent, a death wish is a necessary life skill. Below, workers get the Mahinda Rajapaksa stadium in Hambantota ready for the 2011 ODI World Cup. Safety? What’s that?\n<\/p>\n


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\"Scaffolders<\/p>\n


\nScaffolders climb the corporeal ladder
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\nAt Australia’s many grounds, the drama on the field often has to compete with the drama in the sky – sample this sunset at Adelaide Oval<\/a>. Can you blame photographers for getting distracted when the evening looks like this?\n<\/p>\n


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\"Skyfall:<\/p>\n


\nSkyfall: it’s a clouded house at the BBL in Cairns
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\nBrave photographers take photos like these so you don’t have to look directly at the sun. You can look at your phone instead.\n<\/p>\n


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\"In<\/p>\n


\nIn the circle of light, it’s the reel of fortune
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\n\t\t\u00a9 ICC\/Getty Images
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\nThe weathervane at Chelmsford has a few lessons for batters: watch your shape, protect your outside edge, shadow-bat in the after hours, keep changing ends.\n<\/p>\n


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\"Vane<\/p>\n


\nVane the wind blows, play against it
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\n\tAlex Davidson \/ \t\u00a9 Getty Images
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Deepti Unni is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 ESPN Sports Media Ltd.<\/p>\n


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Looking on the bright side of cricket<\/p>\n


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Where there’s cricket, there’s fire<\/p>\n


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If it’s the cricket summer, the rain wants a season pass<\/p>\n


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