A play for the future

Just for a moment, let us pause, breathe

EDITOR’S LIST

KSB LEAVES THE STAGE With the announcement of

The month in cricket No.1

PHOTO BY SAJJAD HUSSAIN IPL final, Ahmedabad May

The phoney war with added feeling

The build-up to the Ashes has involved the usual hype and banter between the two sides, but this time there is more at stake than who wins or loses, writes Andrew Miller

Team of the Month

Jo Harman picks a side of the best performers from the last month including stars of the IPL and the cream of the county game

How to survive the heat of Ashes battle

Mark Ramprakash reflects on the singular nature of contests between England and Australia and the psychological pressures they can bring

Foakes the odd one out as England stick to their guns

The axing of Ben Foakes may have appeared the orthodox move, but it represents a significant gamble ahead of England’s biggest test yet in the Bazball era, writes Ben Gardner

Quick Singles

The month’s news in brief

The Big Three becomes The Big One

The ICC’s proposed revenue-distribution model leaves the game in peril, with India’s increased slice of the pie having serious ramifications for the less wealthy nations and cricket at large, writes Lawrence Booth

NEWS CYCLE

Stuart Broad is not phoning it in, writes Ben Gardner

THE FOUR KNIGHTS

PROUD ANTIGUANS, CRICKET ROYALTY, HEAVY HITTERS

RE:VIEW

Three writers make their Ashes predictions

The Game’s GONE

#3 REST AND ROTATION

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.

THE COUNTY FILES

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

Came shows the way

Derbyshire NEXT MATCHES: Notts, T20 (H), June 9;

Raine relishing brave new world

Durham NEXT MATCHES: Notts, T20 (A), June

Das boost

Essex NEXT MATCHES: Glam, T20 (A), June 9;

Aussies sparkle to keep Glam in promotion mix

Michael Neser’s county form has put him in

Walkers and Talkers

Gloucestershire NEXT MATCHES: Somerset, T20 (H), June 9;

Hants keep Surrey in their sights

Hampshire NEXT MATCHES: Kent, T20 (A), June 9;

Bhuiyan’s emergence a feather in the cap for SACA

NEXT MATCHES: Hants, T20 (H), June 9, Surrey,

Parkinson in need of pep

Lancashire NEXT MATCHES: Hants, CC (H), June 11-14;

Patel breaks through

Leicestershire NEXT MATCHES: Durham, T20 (H), June 9;

Roland-Jones calls for batters to find their identity

Middlesex NEXT MATCHES: Sussex, T20 (H), June 8;

Cobb “shocked and disappointed” at sacking

Northamptonshire NEXT MATCHES: Birmingham, T20 (A), June 9;

Hutton’s return pays off

Nottinghamshire NEXT MATCHES: Durham, T20 (H), June 8;

Gregory retakes the reins

Somerset NEXT MATCHES: Gloucs, T20 (A), June 9;

Abbott hits different

Surrey NEXT MATCHES: Sussex, T20 (A), June 9;

Red-hot Coles takes inspiration from Smith

Sussex NEXT MATCHES: Middx, T20 (A), June 8;

Larsen: ‘There are some fine players on the county coalface’

Warwickshire NEXT MATCHES: Northants, T20 (H), June 9;

Josh’s talent sets tongues wagging

Worcestershire NEXT MATCHES: Yorks, T20 (A), June 9;

Yorkshire’s winless run continues

Jordan Thompson hits the deck in Yorkshire’s defeat

Regional Round-Up

Jo Harman picks out the big stories from the opening month of the women’s regional season including an unexpected early pacesetter

THE ASH ES 2023

Two tantalising series, a dozen matches spread across

‘Just another game.’ ‘Seriously?’ ‘It’s just a human, bowling a little round leather thing to another human.’ ‘Right.’ ‘And I’ve got to hit it with a bit of wood.’

‘You know that the Ashes is unlike any other cricket that we play?’

ASHES 2023 THE BIG QUESTIONS

In a series overflowing with intrigue, Phil Walker sifts through some of the questions that will need resolving

WELL, ANY IDEAS?

Probably 2- or 3-1 England, pretty much in

Pastures Green

What does the Australian Test team represent today? For so long a towering symbol of a thrumming culture, does the baggy green retain the same lustre and meaning as it once did? Or does it merely risk being swept up in the latest disfiguring culture wars?

THE 20 GREAT (AND NOT SO GREAT) ASHES CAMEOS

It’s not always about the headliners in Test cricket’s most celebrated jamboree. Here we pick out a selection of the bit parts and support acts who have made their presence felt, in one way or another, on Ashes series

CHASING THE INVINCIBLES

HEATHER KNIGHT

AUSTRALIA’S BIG FIVE

A quintet of standout performers from Australia’s champion team

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

Matt Roller spent the last month in India watching the unstoppable juggernaut that is the IPL. Where it will take the game, and what it will leave steamrolled in its wake, has become the most urgent question of the age

PROCREATION

Next in our series on the origin stories of elite cricketers, Jo Harman tells the story of a father and son who followed in the footsteps of genius

LOST TALENTS

Better to burn out than to fade away? In part nine of our series we look at those who lit up the stage all too briefly

STEPHEN FLEMING

A CRICKET LIFE

HOTBEDS

No.5 GREATER BRISTOL

Vice Captain’s Log

THE NUMBERS GAME

Negating swing and seam

The WCM coaching team is here to help you improve your cricket. Email us at editorial@wisden.com and one of our experts could be tackling your question in a future issue

Blades, grades & custom-mades: inside the world of batmaking

Phil Walker delves through the briar and bramble of an industry swaying into its third century

Breaking down barriers

Surrey County Cricket Club have launched an innovative new sixth-form programme which aims to stretch the game’s boundaries and unearth local talent

Time Warp

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 July 3, 2023.

Reviews

Books of the Month

The Net That Changed My Life

FIDEL EDWARDS