The skill and chance of captaincy

AIMING HIGH, SHOOTING STRAIGHT

“No single issue is binary, Key says. Individual

THE Top Six

The month in cricket No.1

Pakistani injection of excellence gives county cricket a golden glow

The all-star cast of Pakistanis playing in England this summer has revived memories of county cricket’s glory years, writes Andrew Miller

Robinson, Grace and the collapse of nuance

Lawrence Booth reflects on the reception to the latest edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which found itself swept up in the culture wars after a couple of opinion-dividing editorial decisions

When Isa met Anya

In April, Anya Shrubsole announced her retirement from international cricket. She sat down with former teammate Isa Guha to discuss her career and what comes next

Quick Singles

The month’s news in brief

The smile is back

Ben Jones on the spectacular feats of Jos Buttler, one of the IPL’s true hall-of-famers

NEWS CYCLE

Hold the front page: Virat Kohli has done literally anything, writes Ben Gardner

Chris Gayle

The T20 all-time-great and former West Indies captain sits down with James Wallace for a surreal and wide-ranging conversation

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 top seven for England's first Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord’s, beginning on June 2

Mailbox

In association with Botham Wines, letter of the month receives a bottle of Botham 80 Series Cabernet Sauvignon – an extra special wine presented in a hand-embossed wooden case

THE KING OF ENGLAND

It’s a new era in English cricket, with a new crowned head to reign over the men’s Test team. Phil Walker considers what the next instalment in the Ben Stokes epic will look like, and the scale of the task he faces

MATTERS OF STATE

Yas Rana looks at the most pertinent issues on Stokes’ plate

KEY DECISIONS

As Rob Key settles into the MD’s chair, John Stern considers what the job means and what the newcomer can expect to deal with

THE NEXT FAB FOUR

Who, if anyone, can follow in the footsteps of Kohli, Root, Smith and Williamson? Jo Harman introduces a special feature in which we pick out four pretenders to the throne

MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE

Phil Walker tracks down the NQ1 Test batter in the world

RISHABH PANT

Ben Jones on the Indian whirligig who’s rewriting the rules as he goes

BABAR AZAM

Taha Hashim on an unmissable strokemaker who has the world at his feet

DEVON CONWAY

Andrew Alderson, sports reporter for the NZ Herald p rofiles an effortlessly slick run-getter who’s quickly making up for lost time

GREATS IN WAITING

Jo Harman picks out an emerging batter from each of the majorTest nations with the potential to break into the top bracket

ROCK BOTTOM

With English cricket in crisis and New Zealand soon to arrive on these shores, Jo Harman brings a little perspective by revisiting England’s infamously awful summer of 1999 when defeat to the Kiwis made Nasser Hussain’s side officially the worst Test outfit in the world

ICONOGRAPHY of cricket

In the next part of our series looking at images from the game’s history, we revisit the rambunctious Eighties

Mark WAUGH

The stylist’s stylist on life in county cricket, the rise of a legendary Australian team and the future of the Test game

Club Rivalries

Wanstead and Snaresbrook v Brentwood

Vice Captain’s Log

IT’S A TOSS-UP

Simon Myles

Scott Oliver profiles a globetrotting all-rounder now settled in Berkshire, with a string of List-A fifties to his name

Reviews

ABOVE: Ireland line up for their inaugural Test

Time Warp

This month's winner will receive a handmade chocolate cricket set including white and dark Belgian chocolate available to buy from Wisden.com/shop

i WAS THERE

Devon’s nine-for

DYNASTIES

Next in our series celebrating the game’s great family lineages, John Flatley explores a trailblazing dynasty which takes us from Panama to Stourbridge

The Line-up

South Africa’s rampant return

Chaos Theory

England v Pakistan, World Cup group match, Cape Town, 2003

79 Andy Zaltzman’s Number Palace!

Ben Stokes had played 79 Tests before being