10,000 REASONS TO BE THANKFUL

England v New Zealand | First Test, Lord’s

New Zealand 132 (de Grandhomme 42; Potts 4-13,

Strauss goes off track in his appointment of cycling supremo

Andrew Miller questions whether Sir Dave Brailsford was a prudent choice to join the ECB’s high-performance review

What’s in a number?

Mark Ramprakash examines the significance of batting positions, and says the England Test team are yet to find a sustainable solution to a longstanding conundrum

McCullum’s non-Englishness could be his greatest asset

As Brendon McCullum settles into his new role as England’s Test coach, Lawrence Booth says the New Zealander ’s outsider status can help him revive the team’s fortunes

Andrew Symonds: all-rounder in excelsis

Geoff Lemon looks back on the career of the extraordinarily talented and often misunderstood Andrew Symonds, who died last month at the age of 46

Quick Singles

The month’s news in brief

FairBreak: the future of women’s cricket?

Across the first two weeks of May, a quiet revolution took place in women’s cricket. Will the Fairbreak Invitational become a staple of the women’s game? And what threat might it pose to the status quo?

NEWS CYCLE

What even is time, asks Ben Gardner

Jeremy Coney

The former Kiwi captain and broadcasting cult hero regales James Wallace with his thoughts on captaincy, commentary and earning the right to have fun

THE COUNTY FILES

Covering each of the 18 first-class counties every month, including news, interviews and stats, as well as the oddities which make county cricket what it is

CRICKIPEDIA

The alternative compendium of cricket

RE:VIEW

Three writers give their view on who should be appointed the ECB’s next full-time chief executive following Tom Harrison’s resignation in May

Mailbox

We reserve the right to edit letters for

THE ART & JOY OF BOWLING

Having feared that his Test career could be over, England’s greatest ever bowler made a triumphant return at Lord’s. He spoke candidly to Felix White before and after that match about a challenging few months, the unadulterated pleasure he still gets from bowling, and a fresh start under new leadership

MATT PARKINSON The long road to a Test debut

Having become England’s first ever concussion substitute in the win at Lord’s, the Lancashire leg-spinner talks to Yas Rana about his manic first day as a Test cricketer, which started with him preparing for a trip to the Lake District and ended with him padding up to face Boult and Southee

Harry Brook and the heritage of Yorkshire batting

With four Yorkshire-born batters in England’s first Test squad of the summer, including an uncapped 23-year-old who has built his reputation in the shorter format, Jo Harman explores the county’s proud tradition of run-making

Matt Potts and the Durham pace production line

As Durham continue to furnish England with fast-bowling talent, Taha Hashim examines why the North-East is such fertile land for thoroughbred quicks

Jos Buttler and Charles Tyrwhitt: a formidable partnership

This summer the iconic menswear brand has teamed up with the greatest T20 cricketer England has ever produced

FOLLOWING THE MONEY

In this so-called age of social mobility, Phil Walker investigates whether cricket is becoming even more elitist

COMING OUT SWINGING

On the 30th anniversary of Pakistan’s famously fractious 1992 tour of England, Daniel Brigham revisits the wizardry of Wasim and Waqar and examines the legacy the duo left in their wake

ICONOGRAPHY of cricket

PART 10: 1990-99

Angus FRASER

The Middlesex and England seamer opens up on the varied life that the game has given him

Club Rivalries

Bath v Frocester

Vice Captain’s Log

SQUEAKY-BUMTIME

Nick Gaywood

The Wisden Club Cricket Hall of Fame

Time Warp

The winner of this month’s quiz will receive a copy of The Legend of Sparkhill, by Moeen Ali and Tanya Aldred

Reviews

Moeen Ali’s first children’s book is reflective of

I WAS THERE: Mikey’s Magical 14

Tales & treasures from cricket’s glorious past

THE HADLEES

Next in our series celebrating the game’s great family lineages, David Woodhouse profiles Kiwi cricketing royalty

The Line-up

Strauss makes cautious captaincy debut

Andy Zaltzman’s Number Palace!

England’s Joe Root-inspired victory at Lord’s emerged from