On the eve of Uzbekistan’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup, I spoke with The Copa Club, a website for South American football, about what fans of Colombia can expect from their opponents in Group K. Both teams will also play against Portugal and DR Congo at this year’s tournament. My quotes are a … More Uzbekistan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup – A chat with The Copa Club
Some of my photographs from Central Asia can be purchased through my store on Picfair. The collection is called Life in Central Asia.
The 25 scenes – from cities and rural locations in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan – are available both as high-quality art prints, and as digital downloads for websites and businesses. … More Life in Central Asia: Photographs from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
Supporters of Uzbek sport have had a lot to celebrate this year. The national football team currently sits at the top of its qualifying group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while eight of the country’s athletes took gold at this summer’s Paris Olympics.
But next year Uzbekistan wants to enter the world stage in a more surprising sport: cricket.
The Central Asian country joined the game’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), in 2022. As an “Associate” ICC member there are hopes that the Uzbek squad will play its first international matches in 2025, in the Twenty20 (T20) version of the game. T20 games are much shorter than traditional five-day Test matches. … More Uzbekistan’s Cricket Team: We’re Ready For International Matches — The Times of Central Asia
The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2023 includes a piece that I wrote for its Cricket Round The World section, about the growth of the game in the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan.
Having played and followed cricket all my life, I’m very proud that my article has a place alongside writing by my favourite journalists. Following the Notes by the Editor Lawrence Booth, the 2023 Wisden features essays by writers including Mike Atherton, Gideon Haigh, Tanya Aldred, Tim de Lisle and Emma John. … More Cricket in Uzbekistan: Some writing in the 2023 Wisden Almanack
For the April 2022 issue of Visit Uzbekistan magazine I spoke with its editor, the writer and travel journalist Megan Eaves, about Uzbekistan’s wine and spirits culture, which I used to research as part of a job in the Central Asian alcohol industry. Our chat begins on page 29 of Visit Uzbekistan issue 32, which can be read and downloaded here. We talk about what makes Uzbek wine special, what plans the country’s vineyards have for the future, Uzbekistan’s spirits industry, and much more besides. … More The story of Uzbek wine – an interview with Visit Uzbekistan magazine
It was lunchtime at Chorsu Bazaar, and the wooden benches of the choykhona were filling up with hungry families. The room was dark from the smoke of cigarettes and shashlyk. I took a space opposite an older middle-aged couple, sitting with a boy of about six. … More A miracle in Tashkent
LIFE IN CENTRAL ASIA 