The sport of cricket is one that those that love it simply adore it, whilst those that don’t think it’s boring. It is certainly easy to understand how some people might think that a sport that can last for five days and still end in a draw isn’t one of the most exciting out there, but that is because they have missed the intricacies of the game.

Test matches present you with a chance to see two countries going up against one another, whilst the numerous different variations of the sport add more fun and flavour. Whether you like cricket or not, there are numerous documentaries you can watch.

The obvious question to ask is which are the best ones?

Fire in Babylon

• Format: Documentary film
• First Released: 2010
• Length: 83–87 minutes, depending on the version
• UK Age Rating: 12; the cinema version was rated 12A
• Watch in the UK: No UK streaming, rental or digital purchase option. DVD copies can be bought new or second-hand.
• Content Notes: Moderate bad language and discriminatory terms.

Ask cricket fans for their take on the best ever documentary about the sport and it won’t take long before one of them will mention Fire in Babylon. It tells the story of the rise of the West Indian cricket team in the 1970s and 1980s, which is the period of time when they became arguably the most dominant force in the sport.

Having previously been known for its ‘Calypso’ approach, which entertained but struggled to see Test matches won, the 1970s saw a new generation of players emerge, such as Michael Holding and Viv Richards, revolutionising the sport in the country.

The documentary boasts a wealth of archival footage that presents interviews with some of the key players in the sport at the time. It not only gives you an insight into the journey that the team took towards bringing success to the country, it also tries to highlight how the team’s pursuit of victory won it fans all around the world.

There is also an exploration of the impact on both the social and political climate in the country at the time, when the Windies used their cricketing dominance to challenge the racism that was prevalent during the period. It is a sensational documentary that most will enjoy.

Crossing the Line

• Format: Documentary film
• First Released: 2018
• Length: 50 minutes on YouTube; some listings give a 56-minute running time for the broadcast version
• Watch in the UK: Free on YouTube through the official SuperSport channel.

There is a sense in cricket that fairness and being a ‘gentleman’ is key. That is definitely not always the case, however. Perhaps one of the most infamous examples of the sport’s ‘fairness’ being pushed to its limits came in 2018, when South Africa and Australia were going head-to-head in a Test series.

That was when the infamous ‘Sandpaper Gate’ controversy took place, which this documentary delves into in detail. Crossing the Line is all about the numerous moments of controversy that occurred throughout the series, proving that cricket isn’t always nicey-nicey.

There were tensions between the two teams throughout the Test series, but the truth of the matter is that the bad blood started well before that. Numerous figures who were prominent in the sport are spoken to, offering a genuinely fascinating insight into what happened and the events that eventually led to the ball-tampering incident that became international news.

Perhaps the only criticism of Crossing the Line is that it isn’t long enough, coming in at just 56 minutes and leaving the majority of watchers desperate for more. Even so, it is thought-provoking and fascinating in equal measure.

Cricket’s Match-Fixers: The Munawar Files

• Format: Investigative documentary film
• First Released: 2018
• Length: 51 minutes
• Watch in the UK: Free on YouTube through the official Al Jazeera English channel.

Whilst Sandpaper Gate might be one of the best-known controversies in cricket, it is far from the worst thing that has happened. Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit discovered evidence of match-fixing in international cricket that can be dated back to 2010 at least, which is all laid out in Cricket’s Match-Fixers: The Munawar Files.

If you have ever been suspicious that there might be some dodgy goings-on in international sport, this is not a documentary that is going to put your mind at ease. Instead, it is one of the most interesting and infuriating things that you could ever hope to watch about sport.

The Munawar Files, which is what the documentary is based around, reveal that a match-fixer who had already been investigated by Al Jazeera was part of a powerful criminal syndicate, spending time and money fixing cricket matches. Not only that, but it was revealed that the International Cricket Council, the governing body of the sport, knew about Munawar but didn’t do anything about it.

We all love to pretend that sport at the highest level is played in the fairest way possible, but this is a documentary that shatters that belief and proves the naivety of many of us at home.

Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians

• Format: Documentary series
• First Released: 2019
• Length: 33–44 minutes per episode
• Episodes: 8 episodes across 1 season
• UK Age Rating: 15
• Watch in the UK: Netflix subscription. It is not available through Netflix’s advert-supported plan.
• Accessibility: English audio description and English subtitles are available.

The Indian Premier League is not just one of cricket’s most-watched events, it is also one of the most-watched in all of sport. With that in mind, seeing behind-the-scenes of the workings of one of the franchises that plays in the IPL promises a thrilling insight into both the IPL and sport itself.

Mumbai Indians are the most successful team in the history of the competition, so being able to see how their 2018 season played out as it happened is a great chance to see how a major cricketing team copes with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune during the course of a year.

The entire season is covered by Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians, meaning that you get to see the struggles that the team faced to make the play-offs, in spite of the fact that they enjoyed a strong start to the campaign and had high expectations placed upon them.

You can see both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows that a cricket team has to face up to during a season, promising a unique insight into how cricket teams work. The fact that the Mumbai Indians are so successful means that you are likely to learn a thing or two about how to tackle cricket at every level.

Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes

• Format: Documentary film
• First Released: 2022
• Length: 1 hour 44 minutes
• UK Age Rating: 15
• Watch in the UK: Amazon Prime Video subscription, including Prime Video with adverts.
• Accessibility: English subtitles and 5.1 audio are available.
• Content Notes: Strong language and footage of real violence. The documentary also discusses bereavement, cancer, anxiety and panic attacks. Prime Flashing lights and strobing patterns.

When it comes to English cricketers, Ben Stokes is one of the best that there has been. The irony is, of course, that he was born in New Zealand, which is something that we see play out in Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes, seeing him leave the country to head to England and become one of the sport’s most thrilling players.

It is possibly not a documentary that Australian cricket fans are going to want to watch, given the fact that it focuses on the role that he played in 2019. Not only did he help England win the Cricket World Cup, he also put in a match-winning performance in the Ashes.

This is a great opportunity to learn about the inner workings of a top-level cricketer, given the fact that it has interviews with the man himself, as well as members of his family. Top-level cricketers also give some insight into how Stokes became the player he did.

It doesn’t shy away from controversies, looking at his personal life and explaining how he got to the point of being arrested outside a nightclub in Bristol in 2017. Whether you like Stokes or not, seeing how someone can grow up to become such an influential figure in the sport is an opportunity not to be missed.

Shane

• Format: Documentary film
• First Released: 2022
• Length: 1 hour 36 minutes
• UK Age Rating: 15
• Watch in the UK: Amazon Prime Video subscription, including Prime Video with adverts. It can also be rented or bought digitally through Amazon, Apple TV and Rakuten TV. DVD and Blu-ray copies are available.
• Accessibility: English closed captions are available.
• Content Notes: Strong language, flashing lights and strobing patterns.

Even if you have never watched a moment of cricket in your life, the chances are high that you will have seen clips of what Shane Warne was able to do with a cricket ball. The spin-bowler was an absolute genius, producing some of the most incredible moments in the history of the sport.

The Australian also wasn’t shy of some controversial moments of his own, such as failing a drug test that resulted in him being banned from the sport for a time. He was also briefly engaged to Elizabeth Hurley, which caused no small amount of uproar when that became public knowledge.

The documentary Shane is all about the life and career of the man known as ‘Warney’, seeing his rise to fame on the grass as well as his scandals off it. His friends, former teammates and family are all interviewed, whilst some of the best performances that he was able to produce on a wicket are also seen in archival footage.

The man himself was spoken to too, reflecting on both his success as well as his failures. He ponders over what it was that drove him to become one of the best bowlers ever to pick up a cricket ball, going on to become one of the sport’s most iconic bowlers.