Back among the balls

THE GATES TO FREEDOM

WISDEN CRICKET  MONTHLY

The month in cricket No.1

PHOTO BY HARRY TRUMP Gloucestershire’s batsmen stand firm

Football’s quashed revolution takes a leaf from cricket’s playbook

After being met with widespread uproar, plans for football’s European Super League were quickly shelved. For cricket fans, however, the self-serving proposal bore some familiar hallmarks, writes Andrew Miller

The Blast warms up for its short set on centre stage

As Covid restrictions are relaxed in the UK, the T20 Blast has a golden opportunity to reassert its value, writes Elizabeth Ammon. But challenges lie ahead

The fight for independence

There is cause for optimism when it comes to coverage of the game, writes Isabelle Westbury, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of journalistic independence

Silverwood’s new role too big for one man

In a guest column, Mark Butcher says the ECB’s decision to abolish the role of national selector and pass responsibility to head coach Chris Silverwood is fraught with danger

Sophie Ecclestone

The world according to

NEWS CYCLE

Test cricket is doomed unless England, Australia and India play among themselves forevermore, writes Ben Gardner

Carlos Brathwaite

The hero of the 2016 World T20 final will be playing for Birmingham Bears in this season’s T20 Blast. He speaks to John Stern about the “curse” of that extraordinary cameo at Eden Gardens, his breakthrough summer as a commentator, and taking inspiration from Ian Bishop

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 pick their bowling attack for England’s first Test squad of the summer ahead of their encounter with New Zealand at Lord’s, beginning on June 2

Mailbox

An alternative prize will be provided if the winner is aged under 18, or if requested

GOLDEN DAYS

Thirty years on from Graham Gooch’s masterful 154* against West Indies at Headingley, a knock widely regarded to be one of the greatest in Test history, we asked 10 of England’s most accomplished run-scorers, beginning with Gooch himself, to recall the innings when it all just clicked into place

MICHAEL ATHERTON 185*

FACTFILE CAREER: 1987-2001 TEST: 115 matches, 7,728 runs at

CHARLOTTE EDWARDS 137*

FACTFILE CAREER: 1996-2016 TEST: 23 matches, 1,676 runs

MARK RAMPRAKASH 152

FACTFILE CAREER: 1987-2012 TEST: 52 matches, 2,350 runs

ALLAN LAMB 157

FACTFILE CAREER: 1972-95 TEST: 79 matches, 4,656 runs

DENNIS AMISS 262*

FACTFILE CAREER: 1960-87 TEST: 50 matches, 3,612 runs

DAVID GOWER 154*

FACTFILE CAREER: 1975-93 TEST: 117 matches, 8,231 runs

ROBIN SMITH 101

150 balls, 207 minutes, 16 fours England v

HEATHER KNIGHT 97

62 balls, 57 minutes, 13 fours, 5 sixes

KEVIN PIETERSEN 149

THE MATCH South Africa 419 (Petersen 182) &

The O’Brien Effect The innings that changed Irish cricket

Ten years on from Kevin O’Brien’s stunning century which inspired a famous World Cup victory over England, Calum Trenaman considers the impact that innings had, and continues to have, on the game in Ireland

Kevin O’Brien 113 (from 63 balls)

Ireland v England, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore World

My Favourite Spell

Looking back on a rare feat while humming

The Greatest XI

Dennis Amiss, Warwickshire’s all-time leading run-scorer, picks a team of his club’s greatest players

Shane BOND

The former New Zealand tearaway on his glittering but all-too-brief playing career and his second life as a nomadic coach

Stemming the talent drain

BACK TO CRICKET

Number 49 Carl Rogers

Scott Oliver profiles a prolific run-getter from Norfolk who helped deliver unprecedented success for his county

The secrets of wrist-spin with Mason Crane

The Hampshire leggie on the “unlimited possibilities” of his craft

HITTING AGAINST THE SPIN: HOW CRICKET REALLY WORKS

Book of the Month

Time Warp

The winner of this month’s quiz will receive a kitbag of softs worth £450+ from Buffalo Cricket, one of the boldest new brands on the market, offering quality gear at affordable prices for cricketers of all abilities*  Send in your answers via email ( editorial@wisden.com ) or via post (Time Warp, Wisden Cricket Monthly, Fourth Floor, Bedser Stand, Kia Oval, Kennington, London, SE11 5SS). Entries must be received by June 9, 2021

1975

My Golden Summer The award-winning author remembers receiving

The Line-up

What a wonderful World

Chaos Theory

India v Pakistan World T20 Final, Johannesburg, 2007

36 Andy Zaltzman’s Number Palace!

Ravindra Jadeja pummelled an IPL-recordequalling 36 runs in