ONE HELL OF A LIFE

46 reasons to be cheerful

WISDEN CRICKET MONTHLY

EDITOR’ S LIST

PATREON: IT ’S HERE!

THE Top Six

The month in cricket No.1

England’s World Cup exit exposes uncomfortable truths

While the ECB are understandably keen to trumpet the growth of the women’s game in this country, the national team is struggling to keep pace after disappointing once again in a global tournament, writes Andrew Miller

Team of the Month

Jo Harman selects a team of standout performers featuring three Kiwis after an outstanding month for New Zealand cricket

Root and Brook: the sultans of Multan

Following Joe Root and Harry Brook’s gargantuan partnership in the first Test of England’s series in Pakistan, Mark Ramprakash reflects on the contrasting brilliance of two exceptional talents

Shakib’s messy exit opens the door for Bangladesh to build again

Shakib Al Hasan’s hopes of playing a farewell Test at Dhaka last month were dashed by the prospect of him being arrested for murder. It’s an absurd but oddly apt way for this notorious cricketer to finish his Test career, writes Tawhid Qureshi

Mind the gap! Foreign money coming through

With a Delhi-based multinational buying ‘demutualised’ Hampshire last month, Lawrence Booth reflects on a pivotal moment for the English game and considers what might come next

NEWS CYCLE

The charity sector ’s loss is Pakistan cricket’s gain, writes Ben Gardner

DAVID LLOYD

BROADCASTER, RACONTEUR, LOYALIST, LANCASTRIAN

RE: VIEW

Three Wisden writers share their thoughts on a Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE which threw up more than its fair share of surprises

Greener Futures

NO.4 HAMPSHIRE TURN TO SOLAR

Mailbox

In association with Chapel Down, the letter of the month receives a bottle of awardwinning English sparkling wine – Chapel Down Brut. Based in Kent, Chapel Down is England’s leading wine producer and the official sparkling wine of the ECB

Becoming BAZ

With Brendon McCullum appointed England’s men’s head coach across all formats after two-and-a-half hell-raising years in charge of the Test team, Jo Harman examines how the New Zealander ’s experiences as a player are now shaping English cricket

Style and Substance

2024 COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW

GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE

After co-authoring Brian Lara’s autobiography earlier this year, Phil Walker got to experience what it means to be a ‘ghostwriter ’, one of the most essential, mysterious, roles in the book-writing industry. Here he writes about the peculiar joys and challenges of documenting someone else’s life

Mining for Gold

No. 8 Test cricket’s most spectacular starts

PHIL DEFREITAS

The former England all-rounder on finding his place, playing with his heroes and giving back to the game he loves

Pennine conditions

How two troubled northern institutions swapped places

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP XI OF 2024

A panel of Wisden writers select a team of the standout red-ball performers this season

Alleyne brings good times back to Bristol

Sam Dalling reports on Gloucestershire’s rousing Blast campaign, orchestrated by a returning club legend who’s galvanised the team in the face of adversity

Worcestershire: excavating triumph from tragedy

Overwhelming favourites for the drop, the Pears survived and thrived in a summer overshadowed by tragedy, writes Phil Walker

Banton’s cruel break prolongs Somerset purgatory

Correlation is not always causation, but in the

Simpson steers Sussex back to top tier

After years of underachievement which led to unrest behind the scenes and among supporters, Sussex have secured Championship promotion. Katya Witney speaks to John Simpson, their inspirational captain who has brought a new sense of positivity to Hove

LAND OF THE LEFT HANDER

This season, Kent ’s batting coach, Toby Radford, kept watching their predominantly right-handed line-up get dismantled by right-arm seamers. He set out to find out why

Positive Spin

Twirlers excelled in 2024; a trend that needs to continue

Divisions of labour

This season marked a quarter of a century since the County Championship split into two divisions. John Stern speaks to four figures who have straddled both eras for their take on its overall efficacy and the current state of play

Rip it up and start again

Women’s restructure

Breaking the glass ceiling

Earlier this year, we featured the story of Ramsbottom CC becoming the first club to enter an all-women’s side in the fabled Lancashire League. Jo Harman catches up on a historic season which featured a landmark win in the team’s first outing

Yes in my Backyard

Will Kirkup takes guard in the back garden of a pair of internet sensations

Pirates capture DPL title

Sam Dalling reports on the final of the Disability Premier League at Sophia Gardens, a showpiece event televised live on Sky Sports which demonstrated the rapidly increasing profile of disability cricket

Recipes for success

From Adil Rashid’s Moroccan tagine to Mark Wood’s roast turkey, the new Taste of Cricket cookbook is celebrating diversity in the game through food

Number 87 - Stuart Wilkinson

Scott Oliver profiles a quick bowler from north-west Durham who earned the respect of Colin Cowdrey, Doug Walters, Derek Randall and many others

Time Warp

The Quiz

ON THE SOCS

This month we branch Bathwards to preview the West of England Cricket Society

THE STORY OF CRICKET IN 50 BOOKS

David Woodhouse looks at how the public-school cricketing ethos was developed comically by PG Wodehouse, controversially by Evelyn Waugh’s older brother Alec, and with dark ambivalence by EW Hornung

Collector ’s Corner

In each issue of WCM, we turn the spotlight on a single item from Christopher Saunders’ collection. Chris has been buying and selling cricket books and memorabilia for more than 40 years and possesses the largest collection of cricket fiction in the world

The Picture That Changed My Life

Close of Play

WISDEN CRICKET MOTHLY

RATHBONES

20% OFF FOR PAGES AND PAGES

thenightwatchman.net/news/xmas24

FULLTRACK AI

www.fulltrack.ai

FANE

FANE.CO.UK

WISDEN

www.patreon.com/WisdenCricket

Mckenzie-cricket

www.mckenzie-cricket.co.uk

fairfield books

Christopher Saunders - -Cricket Books & Memorabilia

www.cricket-books.com

Inspired Minds

WHITE NOT

THE Blizzard

theblizzard.co.uk

WISDEN

wisden.com/shop/product-category/art

SIMON LISTER