THENIGHTWATCHMAN

Cluttered agendas

I went to a do at The

The month in cricket No.1

PHOTO BY GARETH COPLEY FEATURE TITLE Men’s World

Talent pooling leaves minnows floundering

With a number of talented young players departing the counties that reared them to join “Hundred-affiliated superclubs”, the 18-county model feels more at threat than ever, writes Andrew Miller

Team of the Month

Jo Harman selects a team of the month’s best performers including four members of Australia’s triumphant World Cup side

Lanning retirement alters the landscape of the women’s game

England skipper Heather Knight, writing exclusively for WCM, considers the great Meg Lanning ’s impact on the women’s game, and what her sudden retirement means for its future

Trans women are not a threat to the integrity of international cricket

In late November the ICC Board met to discuss several issues in international cricket. Among the decisions made was approving new gender eligibility regulations for the international game, which effectively ban trans women from playing international women’s cricket. Katya Witney considers the decision

Australia’s dashing everyman completes the set

When the great fast bowler Patrick Cummins was appointed Australia captain, opinions were at best mixed. When he chose to bowl first in the World Cup final, most pundits thought he’d lost his mind. But Cummins, writes Lawrence Booth (through gritted teeth), is always one step ahead

NEWS CYCLE

Sri Lanka are at least world champions in one thing, writes Ben Gardner

AB DE VILLIERS

MR 360, ENIGMA, INNOVATOR, GENIUS

RE:VIEW

After a tournament which received mixed reviews, three Wisden writers consider possible improvements to the Men’s World Cup

The Game’s GONE

James Wallace (and his alter-ego) pick over cricket ’s increasingly crazy schedule

Mailbox

In association with Chapel Down, the letter of

Middlesex in the mire

After a dismal season on the field, Middlesex ’s precarious financial situation and ongoing dispute with their former CEO is providing further cause for concern. John Stern examines what ’s gone wrong at a proud club which has lost its way

In other news...

Sussex Hampshire have snapped up Ali Orr, the

That was the world that was

Kicking off our 20-page special of the 2023 Men’s World Cup, Matt Roller, who covered the whole tournament on the ground, considers how India’s carefully orchestrated celebration of itself came up against one of the last truly immovable forces: cricket ’s essential mischievousness

Float like a  butterfly

Following the death of Bishan Singh Bedi, the great Indian finger spinner, Jo Harman examines the evolution of the skill he turned into an art form and considers its place in the modern game

THE HORROR ASHES  2013/14

Ten years on from England’s decimation at the hands of Mitchell Johnson, Taha Hashim looks back on an Ashes tour which emphatically spelt the end for a once-great side

I’m a West Indian, man. I’m a West Indian. To the bone

THE MANY LIVES OF WES HALL

PROCREATION

Next in our series on the origin stories of elite cricketers, Jo Harman meets an England opener whose family name has been both a “blessing and a curse”

THE GREAT... No.14

STONEWALLERS

ANYA SHRUBSOLE

The star of the 2017 World Cup final on her career-defining spells, the pressures of professionalism, and what the future holds following her recent retirement

HOTBEDS

No.10 EAST LANCASHIRE

Number 78 Peter  Bagley

The Wisden Club Cricket Hall of Fame

Time Warp

The winner of this month’s quiz will receive a copy of Balls to Fly by Ricky Ellcock, the new release from Fairfield, available to buy at thenightwatchman.net

Reviews

Stokes and McCullum have revitalised England’s Test side

Chaos Theory

Australia v England Second Test, Perth, December 13-17, 1974

The Scholarship That Changed My Life

The England and Surrey fast bowler recalls leaving Barbados and heading to London to follow his dreams, with the help of an ex-England international

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