From Robin Smith to Colin Milburn – 10 unfortunate England careers
"Players whose time in the limelight was shorter and less happy than it should have been"
"Players whose time in the limelight was shorter and less happy than it should have been"
"We had a pretty similar approach, me and Tuffers"
"Players who laughed in the face of disability and proclaimed: 'Tis nothing but a scratch, sir!'”
"Formidable characters and questionable umpiring meant the series was more fractious than most"
"The months that followed the series saw huge changes in the perception of cricket in England"
" A stalwart umpire of the Hampshire cricketing circuit"
"It was a long, hard, fun day’s cricket, the right kind"
"The game’s constantly evolving and you need to stay on top of it or you’re going to get left behind"
"When Jacques Kallis edged his first ball to first slip I thought it might be one of my days"
"People who called us cheaters, they should come out and say ‘Sorry guys, we messed up’”
The latest issue of Wisden Cricket Monthly, guest-edited by Isa Guha, out May 5:
The 160th edition of the most famous sports book in the world – published every year since 1864 – contains some of the world’s finest sports writing. It reflects on the extraordinary life of Shane Warne, who died far too early in 2022, and looks back at another legendary bowler, S.F. Barnes, on the 150th anniversary of his birth. Wisden also reports on England’s triumph at the T20 World Cup, to go alongside their 2019 ODI success, and on their Test team’s thrilling rejuvenation under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
Writers include Lawrence Booth, Gideon Haigh, James Holland, Jonathan Liew, Emma John, David Frith, Simon Wilde, Jon Hotten, Robert Winder, Tanya Aldred and Neil Harvey, the last survivor from Australia’s famous 1948 Ashes tour of England. As usual, Wisden includes the eagerly awaited Notes by The Editor, the Cricketers of The Year awards, and the obituaries. And, as ever, there are reports and scorecards for every Test, together with forthright opinion, compelling features and comprehensive records.
Cricket’s past is steeped in a tradition of great writing and Wisden is making sure its future will be too. The Nightwatchman is a quarterly collection of essays and long-form articles which debuted in March 2013 and is available in book and e-book formats.
Every issue features an array of authors from around the world, writing beautifully and at length about the game and its myriad offshoots.