In the new issue of Wisden Cricket Monthly, out May 2, a selection of the best players and coaches in the game reveal their trade secrets. Our 10-page special feature includes a batting masterclass with England’s Test No.3, Ollie Pope, and lessons in leadership from Heather Knight, while Adil Rashid unravels the mystery of leg-spin and Jack Russell explains how to sharpen up your glovework.

We welcome the new county season with news on all 18 first-class sides, plus a candid interview with Essex’s Dean Elgar, the former South Africa skipper telling Mel Farrell that he was “shot in the foot and left in the cold” by his national board. And columnist Lawrence Booth argues there is merit in trialling the Kookaburra ball despite the glut of early-season draws.

Elsewhere, Jo Harman investigates what it’s like to be a neurodiverse cricketer, Mark Ramprakash considers the attributes that make a Test player, Rob Smyth trawls the CricViz archive to examine how Don Bradman could have been muzzled, and Vic Marks talks John Stern through the defining moments of his time as a player and broadcaster.

We also have Andrew Miller on Andrew Flintoff’s second coming, Katya Witney on England women’s tour of New Zealand, and Ben Bloom speaks to competitors at the inaugural Over-40s World Cup in South Africa, including a couple of famous faces.