5-75 Dale Steyn

CHOOSING THE RED PILL

There’s nothing quite like the collapse of English

EDITOR’S LIST

So Jason Holder has been moved on as West Indies Test

The month in cricket No.1

Rishabh Pant finds the boundary on his way to a brilliant

England’s white-ball champions have earned the right to take centre-stage

Following criticism of their rest and rotation policy during the 3-1 Test series defeat in India, Andrew Miller asks if it’s really so unreasonable for England to focus their energies on the formats in which they are strongest

County Championship begins its latest chapter after push from the pandemic

Returning columnist Elizabeth Ammon writes that the County Championship’s new conference-based system could prove to be more than a stopgap

The art of withdrawing in order to make a better jump

England’s successful recent tour of New Zealand demonstrated the impact that structural changes to the women’s game are having in deepening the pool of players who are ready for international cricket

Unravelling the internal politics at Lord’s

Emma John, herself an MCC member, argues that the world’s most renowned cricket club is becoming a progressive force in the game, even if those changes aren’t universally well-received among its membership

Quick Singles

The month’s news in brief

The world according to… Rashid Khan

Afghanistan’s spin-bowling sensation on his fairytale journey to superstardom, enhancing his country’s reputation on the world stage, and being the first pick in the inaugural draft for The Hundred

NEWS CYCLE

Pitches get column inches, writes Ben Gardner

Ian Watmore

The new ECB chairman speaks to Jo Harman about learning lessons in leadership from Tony Blair, experiencing open warfare at the Football Association, and trying to find the centre ground in English cri cket

WATMORE ON…

“I’ve always said that if you want to be popular, don’t

CRICKIPEDIA

The alternative compendium of cricket

RE:VIEW

A selection of Wisden writers predict who’ll win the LV= County Championship this season, and we’re expecting an open race…

Mailbox

Letter of the month receives a bottle of Declaration Gin, an unmistakably British artisan gin from a brand created by Michael Vaughan. For more information visit www.declarationdrinks.com.

A sense of being

Why we need county cricket more than ever

County Championship

We analyse how each of the 18 counties is shaping up ahead of the revamped firstclass competition, which begins on April 8

Season’s Wishes

Wisden’s stable of writers offer their hopes and dreams for the summer

This year’s models

WCM scours the circuit to select its picks for the season

The new professionals

Domestic women’s cricket has undergone a dramatic transformation ahead of the new season, with life-changing consequences for those awarded fulltime contracts. Raf Nicholson reports on the beginning of a new chapter

Inside The Hundred

Phil Walker talks to some of those on the frontline tasked with turning ‘Oval Invincibles’ from a marketing concept into something real

‘The Stars have aligned’

After years of mismanagement, the USA’s rejuvenated cricket administration have set out ambitious plans to become an ICC full member by 2030. Charlie Kitcat reports on the latest attempt to infiltrate a tantalising and untapped market

Tracing the hat-trick

James Wallace walks the hills of Sheffield in search of the origins of the ‘hat-trick’

The Greatest XI

Alan Butcher, the former Surrey batsman and coach, selects his county’s all-star line-up

John WRIGHT

The celebrated coach and former New Zealand opener on his remarkable journey in the game

Pitch battles: finding a place to play

Scott Oliver reports on the dearth of public pitches and the quest to find enough grounds to service the game’s playing force

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Number 47 Steve Foster

Scott Oliver meets a colossus of South Yorkshire cricket who has held Shoaib Akhtar at bay and dispatched Zimbabwe’s kingpins

Getting back to bowling with Steve Kirby

Somerset’s bowling coach on how to make sure you’re hitting your straps come the new season

Books of the Month

BY DENNIS AMISS

Time Warp

The winner of this month’s quiz will receive a BatSense training aid from SmartCricket.com (RRP £99)

My Golden Summer

England’s World Cup-winning captain looks back on the day that everything changed

The Line-up

Richard Whitehead looks back on the final victory of a momentous summer for England

Chaos Theory

A single moment can have huge consequences. Sam Stow reimagines key moments from the game’s past

Number Palace!

In the recent Test series, India’s spinners took 67