CONTENTS
by the Editor
by Simon Wilde
by Lawrence Booth
by Daniel Brettig
by Ali Martin
by Andrew Alderson
by Patrick Collins
by Scyld Berry
by Nagraj Gollapudi
by Andrew Miller
by Robert Winder
by John Crace
by Philip Barker
by Simon Briggs
by Jared Savage
by Mike Atherton
by Paul Farbrace
by Andy Bull
by John Woodcock
by Gideon Haigh
by John Woodcock
by Duncan Hamilton
by Philip Collins
by Brian Carpenter
by Nishant Joshi
by Charles Barr
by Fraser Stewart
by Marcus Williams
by Tim Wigmore
by Ali Martin
by Steve James
by Tony Cozier
by Adam Collins
by Greg Baum
by Tunku Varadarajan
by George Dobell
by Lawrence Booth
by Dean Wilson
by Mike Selvey
by Chris Stocks
by Paul Newman
by Gideon Brooks
by Simon Wilde
by Steven Lynch
by James Coyne
by Jonathan Liew
by Hugh Chevallier
by Geoff Lemon
by Stephen Brenkley
by Lawrence Booth
by Mike Atherton
by John Etheridge
by Richard Hobson
by Osman Samiuddin
by Lawrence Booth
by Stephen Brenkley
by Telford Vice
by Simon Wilde
by Phil Walker
by Neil Manthorp
by Alan Gardner
by Neville Scott
by Vithushan Ehantharajah
The counties in 2015
by Mark Eklid
by Tim Wellock
by Paul Hiscock
by Edward Bevan
by Andy Stockhausen
by Pat Symes
by Mark Pennell
by Paul Edwards
by Paul Jones
by Kevin Hand
by Andrew Radd
by Jon Culley
by Richard Latham
by Richard Spiller
by Bruce Talbot
by Paul Bolton
by John Curtis
by David Warner
European cricket in 2015
by Tim Wigmore
by Ian Callender
by William Dick
by David Hardy
by Simon Wilde
by Daniel Brettig
by Gideon Haigh
by Steven Lynch
by Daniel Brettig
by Utpal Shuvro
by Dileep Premachandran
by Andrew Alderson
by Osman Samiuddin
by Colin Bryden
by Saadi Thawfeeq
by Tony Cozier
by Mehluli Sibanda
by Shahid Hashmi
by Alvin Sallay
by Tim Wigmore
by Paul Radley
by Ujjwal Acharya
by Paul Bird
by Melinda Farrell
by Raf Nicholson
by Raf Nicholson
by Rod Lyall
As recently as 2003, Wisden would pull up the drawbridge at the end of the English summer. Anything that happened after the county champions were crowned in September did not appear in print until 18 months later, which gave England fans enough time to come to terms with their teams latest overseas disaster, before they finally got to read about it.
Now, though, the Almanack is about as up to date as an annual can be, this years edition more than ever: it includes reports on 55 England games, played on 112 days, right up to February 21, when England lost the second Twenty20 at Johannesburg. The cricketers looked exhausted by the end of it all; our editorial staff can empathise.
Some old friends are no longer with us. Richie Benaud wrote regularly for Wisden , including the profile of his fellow 1962 Cricketer of the Year Alan Davidson, and four of the five profiles in 1973, when John Snow was the only non-Australian to make the cut. Benauds old mate Jack Bannister was our Warwickshire correspondent for 18 years until 2001. And Ghulam Mustafa Khan, the kind of conscientious statistician who keeps our cogs oiled, contributed to every Almanack since 1959. The obituaries of Bannister and Khan will appear in Wisden 2017 .
My thanks go, as ever, to a tireless team, not least Hugh Chevallier, the co-editor. Both deputy editors have recently raised their bats: in October, Steven Lynch brought up 30 years of work for various Wisden publications; and in November, Harriet Monkhouse racked up 25. Im simply the latest editor to benefit from their diligence and vast expertise. Thanks, too, to our assistant editors, James Coyne and James McCall, and to our consultant publisher, Christopher Lane, whose input remains indispensable. Contributing editor Richard Whitehead handled a frantic year with his usual aplomb.
Another anniversary is celebrated by our production co-ordinator Peter Bather, who this year put his 40th Almanack to bed with customary good humour. Charlotte Atyeo at Bloomsbury was especially supportive, and Im grateful for the typesetting of Stephen Cubitt and Mike Hatt, the statistical acumen of Philip Bailey, and the proofreading of Charles Barr. Id also like to thank Lee Clayton, sports editor of the Daily Mail , for continuing to allow me the time for Wisden .
To Anjali Doshi, my wife, go my love and gratitude for her affection and understanding. We moved house last year, and it will be intriguing to spend my waking hours in a room other than the study.
LAWRENCE BOOTH
Barnes, February 2016
COMMENT
THE LEADING CRICKETERS IN THE WORLD
Kane Williamson
Suzie Bates
The Leading Cricketers in the World are chosen by the editor of Wisden in consultation with some of the worlds most experienced writers and commentators. Selection is based on a players class and form shown in all cricket during the calendar year, and is merely guided by statistics rather than governed by them. There is no limit to how many times a player may be chosen.
FIVE CRICKETERS OF THE YEAR
Jonny Bairstow
Brendon McCullum
Steve Smith
Ben Stokes
Kane Williamson
The Five Cricketers of the Year are chosen by the editor of Wisden , and represent a tradition that dates back to 1889, making this the oldest individual award in cricket. Excellence in and/or influence on the previous English summer are the major criteria for inclusion. No one can be chosen more than once.
WISDEN SCHOOLS CRICKETER OF THE YEAR
Ben Waring
The Schools Cricketer of the Year, based on first-team performances during the previous English summer, is chosen by Wisdens schools correspondent in consultation with the editor and other experienced observers. The winners school must be in the UK, play cricket to a standard approved by Wisden and provide reports to this Almanack.
WISDEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Test by Simon Jones and Jon Hotten
The Book of the Year is selected by Wisdens guest reviewer; all cricket books published in the previous calendar year and submitted to Wisden for possible review are eligible.
WISDENS WRITING COMPETITION
was won by Will Beaudouin
Wisdens Writing Competition is open to anyone (other than previous winners) who has not been commissioned to write for, or has a working relationship with, the Almanack.
Full details of past winners of all these honours can be found at www.wisden.com
At faraway Hobart, in long-ago January 2015, Ben Stokes played an innings that had English cricket quietly sobbing at the perversity of it all. The squad for the World Cup was already picked, and Stokes after enough ducks to fill a pond had been left out. Now, wearing the liberating Big Bash colours of Melbourne Renegades, he smashed 77 off 37 balls. Gleeful Aussies had their fun: the Poms couldnt even pick the right blokes! And they had a point: a few weeks later, England messed up their sixth World Cup in a row.
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