Innehållsförteckning för Issue 67 från Wisden Cricket Monthly

Harry Brook finds the boundary on the way to a sparkling century for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. After scores of 13, 3 and 13 in his first three knocks, Brook, who was purchased for £1.35m in December’s auction, blitzed 100* from 55 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. He joins Kevin Pietersen, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow in the list of England batters to make IPL hundreds. “I think I was putting pressure on myself a little bit after the first few games,” said Brook after his innings. “If you go on social media, people are calling you rubbish and you start to doubt yourself slightly. I went out with an I-don’t-care mentality tonight and, thankfully, it came off. “There’s a lot of Indian fans…

1. Faf du Plessis Royal Challengers Bangalore The former South Africa skipper enjoyed the most productive IPL season of his career last year and he’s kicked on to another level this term at the top of the order for RCB. After seven matches, du Plessis comfortably topped the run-scoring charts, opening the campaign with a match-winning 73 against Mumbai Indians and hitting four more halfcenturies in his next six knocks. Aged 38, he’s never hit the ball more cleanly. 2. Keaton Jennings Lancashire Jennings made 76 in Lancashire’s season-opener against Surrey, fell four short of a ton versus Essex, and then made a superb 189 at Taunton before suffering a hamstring injury which forced him to retire hurt. It looks like Lancs’ new skipper is set for a spell on…

Eight years ago at the Rose Bowl, Eoin Morgan’s brave new England were bowled out in the first innings of the third ODI against New Zealand for 302 in 45.2 overs. Experienced voices in the commentary box were aghast. Bat out your overs, they wailed – one of the cardinal rules. England lost by three wickets, mainly because they kept dropping catches, but Morgan was unrepentant. There was no going back, he argued: we’d rather be bowled out going for it than play within ourselves in pursuit of par. Morgan, of course, was gloriously vindicated. The team he first built, then handed – all but gift-wrapped – to Jos Buttler, are currently world champions in both white-ball formats. But some of the scepticism sparked by his words that day in…

“ Ben Stokes is Ben Stokes, and so will happily take on the job no one else wants. His workload as opener and fourth seamer is a concern, but I don’t think we’re in for many all-day grindcore blockathons from him BEN GARDNER Wisden.com managing editor 1. Stokes 2. Duckett 3. Pope 4. Root 5. Bairstow 6. Brook 7. Foakes 8. Robinson 9. Wood 10. Leach 11. Anderson There’s lots that could change between now and the first Test – Bairstow’s injury recovery could stall, Foakes’ niggle could persist, Crawley’s form could outstrip Duckett’s – but for now, this is where I am. Ben Stokes is Ben Stokes, and so will happily take on the job no one else wants. His workload as opener and fourth seamer is a concern,…

Derbyshire NEXT MATCHES: Leics, CC (H), May 4-7; Gloucs, CC (H), May 11-14; Lancs, T20 (H), May 20; Notts, T20 (A), May 26; Northants, T20 (H), May 29; Leics, T20 (A), June 1; Birmingham, T20 (H), June 2; Yorks, T20 (A), June 4; Birmingham, T20 (A), June 7 Du Plooy reveals England ambitions Leus du Plooy, Derbyshire’s new skipper, is targeting an England call-up after an eye-catching winter in South Africa, the country of his birth. The 28-year-old signed for Derbyshire as a Kolpak in 2019 and his Hungarian passport has allowed him to remain in county cricket as a domestic player post-Brexit. He qualifies to play for England next year and his recent T20 form is pushing his name forward for international recognition. Du Plooy made 249 runs at…

NEXT MATCHES: Hants, CC (A), May 4-7; Essex, CC (H), May 11-14; Yorks, T20 (H), May 20; Leics, T20 (A), May 26; Lancs, T20 (H), May 29; Northants, T20 (A), May 31; Derby, T20 (A), June 2; Notts, T20 (H), June 3; Derby, T20 (H), June 7 Judging by Hasan Ali’s celebrations after taking the final wicket in the gloom at Edgbaston to see off a dogged Kent side, you might have thought that Warwickshire had just won the Championship. With six overs of the match remaining, and the umpires keeping regular tabs on their light meters, the Pakistani found Joey Evison’s outside edge, turned and sprinted towards the pavilion, beating the club crest on his chest as he went. It was heartbreak for Evison, dismissed for 99 after nearly…

2022 RESULTS RHF Trophy: 5th Charlotte Edwards Cup: Runners-up CAPTAIN: Eve Jones COACH: Lloyd Tennant HOME GROUNDS: Edgbaston, Birmingham; New Road, Worcester; Wormsley, High Wycombe; Moseley CC, Shirley; Portland Road, Birmingham AGE: 20 ROLE: Right-arm fast-medium; right-hand lower-order bat HUNDRED TEAM: Birmingham Phoenix WORDS KATYA WITNEY At the start of this winter, Issy Wong was facing a stumbling block in her meteoric rise from teenage fast-bowling prospect to one of the most popular faces in the women’s game in England. A back injury meant she had to miss the WBBL and she played just one match on England’s tour of the West Indies in December. When the T20 World Cup squads were announced, her name wasn’t among England’s 15. “It was tough,” says Wong of being selected as a travelling…

2022 RESULTS RHF Trophy: Runners-up Charlotte Edwards Cup: Winners CAPTAIN: Georgia Adams COACH: Charlotte Edwards HOME GROUNDS: Ageas Bowl, Southampton; County Ground, Hove; Falkland CC, Newbury; Newclose, Isle of Wight; Arundel Castle, Arundel AGE: 24 ROLE: Right-hand middle-order bat HUNDRED TEAM: Southern Brave INTERVIEW JO HARMAN The success we’ve had at the Vipers comes down to a lot of factors. It’s easy to talk about playing to the best of your ability but you need to be surrounded by the right people and have the right support. The Vipers have been amazing on that front. We’re in a very good place but there are always things you can do even better and win more silverware. There are some very good teams around who are improving and wanting to be where…

AGE: 29 ROLE: Captain; right-hand top-order bat HUNDRED TEAM: London Spirit INTERVIEW JO HARMAN Women’s domestic cricket has changed dramatically. You’ve only got to look at the girls coming into the professional set-up now and where their skill level is compared to where I was as an 18-year-old – it’s drastically different. The way that people move in the field, the power they’re accessing with the bat, and we’ve got some genuine pace bowlers coming through. There are fewer players juggling fulltime jobs and that allows you to free yourself up and give yourself to cricket. Now we have a genuine platform to perform. As much as traditional county supporters are against The Hundred, I think it’s done a huge amount of good for the women’s game. I never dreamt…

“Australia’s chances aren’t very rosy at the moment. Now we have Verity, who’s done such great execution today. Verity bowling to O’Reilly, who has withstood the English attack for a considerable time and withstood it very nobly in very difficult and pressing circumstances.” Wisden Cricket Monthly editorin-chief @Phil_Wisden The 1920s was one of cricket’s great leaps forward. The Golden Age was fading. Ashes tours had become big business, the West Indies were mobilising, and a boy-genius from uptown New South Wales was having great sport with a stump and a golf ball. For an Australian public desperate to connect with their national obsession, the formal establishing of radio stations in 1923 would be a godsend. No doubt, Test cricket commentary originated in Australia. The first ever recorded broadcast had taken…

YOUR GAME At the heart of club cricket Freelance sportswriter and stalwart club cricketer @reverse_ sweeper thought-experiment. Pick your league’s A all-timeXI, overseas players excluded, and ask yourself if it beats this side: Jack Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe, Len Hutton, Frank Woolley, Harry Brook, Les Ames, Ollie Robinson, Jim Laker, Derek Underwood, Sydney Barnes, John Snow. No, thought not. That’s the Bradford League’s first XI, unofficial. Even without being able to call on Bradfordian Jonny Bairstow, the reserves might include Darren Gough, Adil Rashid – who once took 10-55 for Bradford & Bingley second XI as a 13-year old – and Matthew Hoggard, a product of Pudsey Congs, where in 1996 he played alongside VVS Laxman, who recalls being told by his coach in Hyderabad that the Bradford League (BCL) was…

When facing fast bowling where reaction time is reduced, the pivot pull, with subtle weight transfer, minimal foot movement and fast hands, can generate exceptional power and speed. The head and front shoulder dips forward to take the hands and the toe of the bat high. The head remains forward at ball contact to maintain good balance in the shot. The front foot can come off the floor to create a counter-balance at contact. The shoulders rotate horizontally and the bat and hands accelerate through the ball – contact is made at full arm’s length with the bat moving from high to low to keep the ball going down. Common Problems: X Head and bodyweight are slightly back at contact so no stable base created. X Bat path is from…

Do you know someone deserving of a place in the Wisden Club Cricket Hall of Fame? Email editorial@wisden.com My parents were proud as punch that I was a professional cricketer, and were distraught when I told them I wasn’t going to carry on If cricket – and life – is a game of sliding doors, the impishly gifted Mancunian shotmaker Paul Berry has good reason to wonder what might have been. After earning himself a one-year deal at Northants for 1990, the 21-year-old averaged a solid 36, taking 150 off Pakistan’s under-19s, and was offered a twoyear extension. “My partner at the time became pregnant,” he recalls. “She was working for a well-known high-street store and wasn’t prepared to relocate to Northampton. So I told them I couldn’t take up…

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 May 29, 2023. WIN! 1. 5 years ago… On May 12, 2018, who took Ireland’s first-ever wicket in a men’s Test match having represented England in a Test match four years earlier? 2. 10 years ago… On May 19, 2013, Stuart Broad took second-innings figures of 7-44 in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, the best return by an England bowler at the ground since which bowler took 7-43 versus West Indies in 1995? 3. 15 years ago… On May 18, 2008, which England batter scored the last of his 18 Test centuries and retired from international cricket…

For all the grandeur of the Long Room at Lord’s, and the self-perpetuating mystique of the dressing-room honours boards, the true might of Marylebone Cricket Club – and by extension that of the English cricket establishment – resides in the Committee Room on the pavilion’s southern wing. It was here that MCC formulated its response to a stream of vexing issues in the course of the 20th century, from Bodyline in 1932/33 and the abolition of amateur status in 1962, to the non-selection of Basil D’Oliveira for the South Africa tour of 1968/69, and on through to the overdue admission of women to the club’s membership in 1998. Issues of class, race and gender, in other words – each of the grounds on which the Independent Commission for Equity in…

1 Ben Stokes was named the Wisden Almanack’s leading men’s cricketer of the year for the third time in four years, with Australia’s Beth Mooney picking up the women’s award. England’s Ben Foakes and Matt Potts were among the five cricketers of the year, with New Zealand duo Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell and India captain Harmanpreet Kaur making up the quintet. Jonny Bairstow was awarded the new Wisden Trophy for the outstanding Test performance of the year – his brace of hundreds in the win over India at Edgbaston last July. India’s Suryakumar Yadav was named the leading T20 cricketer in the world. 2 Gary Ballance, the former England and Yorkshire batter, has retired from all forms of cricket at the age of 33. Ballance had signed a two-year…

My eyes! My eyes! My soul! Feeling melodramatic are we? Just look at it all: logos, adverts, branding, official sponsors and corporate partners, slathered everywhere. Where does it all end? Beautiful, innocent cricket etc etc… C’mon, you’ve got to admit the game has crossed the Rubicon? Do you mean the Italian river that Julius Caesar sploshed through or the ‘deliciously tangy mango drink made with real fruit juice’? Gah. I can see what you’re doing. Everyone’s on the make. Even you’re at it. All I’m saying is why drink boring old water all the time when there are so many ‘interesting alternatives’ out there to quench that thirst? STOP IT. With 17 new flavours and available at all… I’ll cut you off. Sorry, I’m contractually obliged to say that for…

RACHAEL HEYHOE FLINT TROPHY Now in its fourth year, the 50-over competition was won last summer by Northern Diamonds, who made it third time lucky after defeats to Southern Vipers in the 2020 and 2021 finals. Diamonds had their revenge in a thrilling final at Lord’s last September, beating the Vipers by two runs. The first phase of this season’s RHF Trophy runs from April 22 to May 10 before the competition resumes on July 2 ahead of the play-off on September 21 and the final, to be played at Wantage Road in Northampton, on September 24. Each of the eight regional teams will play each other home and away in the group phase (doubling the number of matches in 2022) with the second- and third-placed sides then having a…

2022 RESULTS RHF Trophy: Winners Charlotte Edwards Cup: 2nd in Group B CAPTAIN: Hollie Armitage COACH: Danielle Hazell HOME GROUNDS: Headingley, Leeds; Riverside, Chester-le-Street; North Marine Road, Scarborough AGE: 32 ROLE: Right-hand opening bat; keeper HUNDRED TEAM: Oval Invincibles INTERVIEW KATYA WITNEY Pre-season in Desert Springs was awesome. We played three games in six days with two training sessions, so it was a pretty hectic schedule. I think it’s so important to spend a little bit more time together as a squad. It really brought the team closer together. It was awesome to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint last year. We’ll probably be a different-looking side this year in terms of losing a few senior players, but we have some really exciting young talent coming through. I have a good…

2022 RESULTS RHF Trophy: 8th Charlotte Edwards Cup: 4th in Group A CAPTAIN: Kelly Castle COACH: Andy Tennant HOME GROUNDS: County Ground, Chelmsford; Wantage Road, Northampton; Radlett CC, Radlett AGE: 19 ROLE: Left-hand opening bat; right-arm off-spinner HUNDRED TEAM: London Spirit INTERVIEW JO HARMAN The Under-19 World Cup [where Scrivens captained England to the final and was named Player of the Tournament] has given me lots of confidence. Putting on the England shirt and walking out for your country to play in a World Cup was so special. Giving players exposure at such a young age and having that element of pressure put on us so early will only help us in the future if we get the opportunity to play at a higher level. I’d love to break into…

From her usual vantage point – two rows back, end of the aisle – in front of Hove’s Spen Cama Pavilion, Brenda Lower surveys a familiar scene and smiles. A four-strong Sussex slip cordon readies itself with hands in pockets and bobble hats atop each head. It is the kind of chilly pre-season day that lures only the most diehard supporter from their hibernation. Lower, a county member for longer than she can remember (“Oh, at least 60 years”), fits that brief better than most. Throughout the day, players old and new greet her like a nephew checking in on an older relative. Earlier this year, the club hosted her 80th birthday celebration. On the south coast, Lower is part of the fabric. “There are so many people that I’ve…

When he was a boy, growing up in Cape Town’s Langa township, Temba Bavuma wanted to play professional football. He even had a trial with local outfit, Ajax Cape Town. But there was a catch: he went to a high school that didn’t offer the sport. St David’s, a Catholic boys’ school in northern Johannesburg, played only rugby and cricket. His parents found it hard to find a football club in the area and Bavuma, at 5ft 3in, was too small to be a rugby scrum-half. To cricket practice he went, saying later he “sort of fell into it”. Bavuma could not have imagined that the choices he made then would lead to him becoming his country’s first black African Test skipper. His elevation to the role in February carried…

First of all she’s a friend, and I knew that if she took it on, she’d give it her all. That’s just the way she is. No half measures, no corners cut. We actually spoke about the idea a year ago, but she was juggling about seven careers at once and we couldn’t find the time. It was only when she managed to take a few weeks off after a winter as a broadcaster on Fox Sports in Australia that she could give the gig the focus she wanted to. Having worked with a few guest editors before – Fred, Bumble, Swann, MCJ Nicholas et al; even, for this particular title, David Gower (who was especially marvellous) – it’s fair to say that everyone tackles the job differently. Some are…

ISSUE 67 If you’re ever in a conversation with a non-cricket fan and you find yourself needing to explain the concept of Kevin Pietersen, Twitter and SpaceX’s Elon Musk provides the perfect touchpoint. It’s not just that they’re South Africans abroad, connected by their love of rhinos; there is something deeper going on here. Each plays their shots freely, and all they want is to be loved. “It’s tough being me in this boardroom,” you can imagine Musk saying when this whole shitshow eventually hits the fan. But until then, he has an able defender in KP. “Who cares if you have a blue tick or not?” Pietersen tweeted after Musk’s controversial decision to remove identity verification from all but those willing to fork out US$8 for the privilege. “How…

LETTER OF THE MONTH Team Buttler My grandad was a very good footballer in his youth, by all accounts (his own accounts). But he never seemed to support a particular team. We would watch Match of the Day together and just enjoy the games. I asked him once who he supported and he said “Brian Clough”. He basically supported whoever Brian Clough was the manager of. I always think about that whenever anyone asks me who I support in the IPL or The Hundred. Because my answer is “Jos Buttler”. Whoever he is playing for, I want them to win. I want Jos to be happy and I want to see him hit funny sixes. It would also be Chris Woakes, but he doesn’t play as often. Because how else…

NEXT MATCHES: Essex, CC (A), May 4-7; Middx, CC (H), May 11-14; Kent, CC (H), May 18-21; Middx, T20 (A), May 25; Kent, T20 (H), May 26; Sussex, T20 (H), May 28; Hants, T20 (A), May 31; Gloucs, T20 (A), June 2; Kent, T20 (A), June 4; Glam, T20 (A), June 7 Ollie Pope’s laughably good hundred on the final afternoon of The Oval’s first Championship match of 2023 reinforced in the most beautiful fashion the point that Alec Stewart made in early April: that Surrey aren’t here to defend their title, but to attack it. For their nearest challengers, it was an ominous statement. After having the better of a draw against Lancashire in week one, the match against Hampshire saw Surrey accelerate away to clinch a nine-wicket win…

NEXT MATCHES: Sussex, CC (H), May 4-7; Glam, CC (A), May 11-14; Leics, CC (H), May 18-21; Northants, T20 (A), May 24; Yorks, T20 (H), May 26; Leics, T20 (H), May 29; Notts, T20 (A), June 2; Northants, T20 (H), June 4; Lancs, T20 (A), June 7 Worcestershire have made a strong start to the season, sitting second in Division Two after three rounds of matches following a convincing win at Derbyshire, a dramatic final-day defeat to table-toppers Durham, and a weather-affected draw with Gloucestershire. Matthew Waite, a winter recruit from Yorkshire, has been a standout performer for the Pears, hitting a maiden first-class hundred at Derby and averaging 101 after five knocks. The 27-year-old was moved up to No.6 for the stalemate against Gloucester and seemed unfazed by the promotion,…

2022 RESULTS (playing as Lightning) RHF Trophy: 6th Charlotte Edwards Cup: 4th in Group B CAPTAIN: Kirstie Gordon COACH: Chris Guest HOME GROUNDS: Trent Bridge, Nottingham; Grace Road, Leicester; County Ground, Derby; Welbeck CC, Mansfield HUNDRED TEAM: Trent Rockets INTERVIEW JO HARMAN I’ve been in Australia over the winter, based in Sydney and training with the Sydney Sixers and the New South Wales Breakers. After training with Suzie Bates she asked if I wanted to go over to New Zealand and play for Otago. It was an unexpected addition to the trip and a really good life experience. I see this as a fresh beginning. We’ve had some great memories playing as Lightning but this is an opportunity for us to reflect on where we’ve maybe gone wrong in the…

2022 RESULTS RHF Trophy: Semi-finalists Charlotte Edwards Cup: Semi-finalists CAPTAIN: Bryony Smith COACH: Johann Myburgh HOME GROUNDS: The Oval, London; St Lawrence, Canterbury; County Ground, Beckenham; Woodbridge Road, Guildford AGE: 18 ROLE: Right-hand top-order bat; right-arm off-spinner HUNDRED TEAM: Oval Invincibles INTERVIEW KATYA WITNEY Winning the Charlotte Edwards Cup in 2021 gave me a platform to show people what I’m made of. The year before that was a shortened season but The Hundred accelerated the regional set-up so much. Now we’ve got more pros and the standards are getting better year by year. Six of us in the South East Stars squad played for England last year. You’ve got four who were in the England under-19 squad and you’ve got players on the periphery who have played in The Hundred.…

2022 RESULTS RHF Trophy: 7th Charlotte Edwards Cup: 3rd in Group B CAPTAIN: Ellie Threlkeld COACH: Paul Shaw HOME GROUNDS: Old Trafford, Manchester; Sale Cricket Ground, Sale; Trafalgar Road, Southport; Sedbergh School, Sedbergh; Stanley Park, Blackpool AGE: 24 ROLE: Captain; wicketkeeper; right-hand middle-order bat HUNDRED TEAM: Manchester Originals INTERVIEW JO HARMAN I absolutely loved my first season of captaincy last year. Being a relatively young captain, I’ve still got quite a lot to learn, but I was vice-captain to Alex Hartley the season before and was able to lean on her and the other girls with international experience. I was really pleased with how I kept all season. I would’ve liked to have had a better Charlotte Edwards Cup with the bat, but I was pretty pleased with how I…

Trish Garrard, 64 Surrey member Everybody has concerns about the spread of T20 franchise cricket. If your best players go to the IPL, you’ve effectively got six County Championship games without them. We’ve got to the point where we can live with that, but my fear is if this American league comes in, it would cut across the season. In time, I suspect, sadly, one or two counties may fall by the wayside. It won’t be for want of trying but some of them aren’t financially sustainable. Sam Johnson, 27 Essex and Middlesex member I am fairly certain of the direction things are going in – more limitedovers stuff and more T20 – and I don’t agree with it. I don’t think the County Championship will ever die, but I…

For 25 of the last 35 years, a Healy has been found stationed behind the stumps for Australia, cajoling their bowlers, a fly in the ear of opposition batters, rhythm section to a champion team. Between them, Ian and his niece Alyssa have racked up 528 appearances for their country, claimed 845 dismissals and achieved legend status in Australian cricket. The very definition of a safe pair of hands. “When I look at Ian and Alyssa’s paths, they’re very, very similar,” says Greg Healy of his brother and daughter ’s careers. “They both played a multitude of sports growing up – Ian ended up being captain of Central Queensland and Queensland in several sports and Alyssa represented New South Wales in five sports. They led their age brackets.” The third…

Run-up • Pogos (ankle polymetrics) • A-skips (running mechanics) • B-skips (running mechanics) • Sled pushes and wall mechanic drills (running mechanics, strength and power) • Falling starts (explosive power) • High-speed sprints (power) • Band-resisted sprints (power) Take-off • Goblet squat (strength) • Walking lunge with overhead hold (lower body, core strength and stiffness) • Single-leg hurdle hops (ankle and leg stiffness, strength and power) • Double-leg box jumps (power) Delivery • Weighted ball rotation toss (power) • Weighted ball slams (power) • Delayed arm-band resistance (strength and stability) Visit leadingedge-performance.com for more information on cricket-specific strength and conditioning to improve your game …

I was given an underarm lob and I just went BANG! I was 10-years-old at my school – Jessop Primary in Herne Hill, south London. A guy called Tony Moody came in to teach us cricket. Tony’s a legend in the community, I know this now but back then I had no interest in cricket. I remember the teacher saying, “We’re going to play cricket today!” And I was thinking, “This is going to be rubbish”. I’d seen cricket on BBC1 and it just looked so slow! There’s always these breaks for tea and there’s blokes in knitted jumpers! I was obsessed with football at the time, Robbie Fowler and John Barnes and all that. To me football was cool, fast and fun and in comparison cricket looked boring, so…