The Line-up

BILLION-STRONG UNDERDOGS ELEVATE THE GAME

Sport has an addiction to unlocking the impossible

The month in cricket No.1

PHOTO COURTESY OF SRI LANKA CRICKET SRI LANKA

Remote reporting no substitute for the raw experience

The month in cricket No.2

Unreal finale highlights all-too-real problems for Paine’s tenure

The month in cricket  No.3

Sparse schedule exposes empty promises on women’s cricket

The month in cricket No.4

English cricket mourns the loss of Surrey legends

The month in cricket No.5

Quick Singles

The month’s news in brief

The world according to... Herschelle Gibbs

46, SOUTH AFRICAN BATSMAN TURNED COACH

NEWS CYCLE

Think twice, speak once, and for goodness sake check if your mic is switched on, writes Ben Gardner

Jos Buttler

As he embarks on a year in which he hopes to imprint himself on Test cricket as he has the shorter formats, Jos Buttler speaks to Taha Hashim about his slow and at times painful evolution against the red ball

CRICKIPEDIA

The alternative compendium of cricket

RE:VIEW

Following Dan Lawrence’s composed debut and Jonny Bairstow’s impressive return in the first Test at Galle, three Wisden writers pick their top seven for the first match of England’s series in India

Mailbox

Letter of the month receives a bottle of

THE DIS UPTORS

The 21 people who have shaped English cricket in the 21st century

Paradise Lost

Forty years on, John Stern looks back  on England’s remarkable 1981 tour of the Caribbean, when events on the field were overshadowed by the drama off it

Support Acts

Historically the game has not exactly thrown its arms around cricket’s partners. But in the era of player power, attitudes may be changing, writes Phil Walker

Waugh Stories

Steve Waugh’s drive for self-improvement has continued in his retirement and has found expression through photography. The former Australian captain spoke to Wisden Almanack editor Lawrence Booth about his midlife odyssey to India to capture what he views as the true spirit of cricket

My Favourite Spell

WCM’s editor-in-chief recalls a spell which left Steve Harmison on top of the world, even if he didn’t feel like it

The Greatest XI

The former England opener, and current first-class umpire, selects his team of Notts all-timers

Mithali RAJ

The heartbeat of Indian women’s cricket looks back on her extraordinary decades-spanning career

How can we help young twirlers spin their own web?

Good spinners remain an invaluable commodity in club cricket at all levels. But with county cricket struggling to cultivate topclass slow bowlers, what can the club game do to provide a fertile breeding ground? Scott Oliver reports

Number 44 David Bonner

The Wisden Club Cricket Hall of Fame

Gareth Batty

Mastering off-spin with

Books of the Month

Don Bradman leaves the field at Headingley in

Time Warp

The winner of this month’s quiz will receive

GOLDEN SUMMERS

Tales & treasures from cricket’s glorious past

Chaos Theory

Australia v England Second Test, Adelaide, December 2006

Number Palace!

Andy Zaltzman’s