Why critics were astounded when Ray Illingworth excelled as England captain – Almanack
"A quiet thoughtful man, with a dry, somewhat sardonic, sense of humour"
"A quiet thoughtful man, with a dry, somewhat sardonic, sense of humour"
"I believe firmly in the basic principles of the game"
Bill Voce formed half of one of England’s greatest pace duos. His Wisden obituary in 1985 recalled a long…
Tyson was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1956
Replacing Mike Brearley as Middlesex captain was a tough call, but Mike Gatting rose to the challenge in 1983…
"Very tall, 6ft 3in, broad shouldered, but unusually lean and sinewy and carrying very little weight"
"Stokes felt at times more rock star than cricketer"
"There was a sprinkling of combustible moments, invoking the historic enmity that defines this fixture"
"A natural forcing player, he constantly faced the job of trying to redeem lost causes"
"Few cricketers were so obviously destined for the game’s aristocracy"
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.