Wisden Cricket Monthly

Wisden Cricket Monthly is ‘the independent voice of cricket’. Read the best writers, exclusive interviews, and the most comprehensive coverage of both the professional and amateur game every month.

The Test is undefeated

EDITOR'S LETTER WISDEN CRICKET MONTHLY

The Top Six The month in cricket

Fleming appointment highlights blockage in the pipeline • Stephen Fleming’s assertion that the England national team should be coached by an Englishman was a curious but revealing start to the Kiwi’s tenure, writes Andrew Miller

The awkward goodbye • Lancashire’s decision not to offer James Anderson a new contract after 26 years of service left the veteran seamer reeling but farewells are rarely easy, writes Lawrence Booth

Forget the fighting talk – Australia need a batting plan • Guest columnist Damien Fleming reacts to Australia’s Test series defeat in South Africa and says the selectors need to act quickly to rectify the team’s long-standing batting issues

The Diary • A dream 10-for, sweeping Marnus, letting the tears flow

TEAM OF THE MONTH • Jo Harman-McGowan picks out the top performers from the past month, including three members of the South African side that defeated Australia to move to the top of the Test rankings and a greenhorn Aussie left-armer

THE PHIL WALKER INTERVIEW • The genial Australian who made his home in county cricket has been tasked with shaping the England men's teams, now and into the future. He explains how it's done

RE:VIEW • Following South Africa’s series win over Australia, three Wisden writers predict who will qualify for the World Test Championship final at The Oval next June

LETTERS Mailbox • Letter of the month receives their choice of book from the Fairfield collection, available to browse at fairfieldbooks.co.uk/shop* *Only available to UK residents

HILLS TO DIE ON

AROUND THE COUNTIES

THE AFRICAN DREAM • A year out from the 2027 World Cup, the first edition of the tournament to be held in Africa for nearly a quarter of a century, Daniel Gallan investigates how the host nations are shaping up and considers how its organisers can learn from past mistakes

FORMATTING ISSUES • With the 50-over format having slipped down their list of priorities, can England rouse themselves to be among the leading contenders at next year’s World Cup? Matt Roller considers the conundrums facing Brendon McCullum and Harry Brook following a disappointing tri-series in Pakistan

CHASING RAINBOWS • Namibia will be co-hosting a 50-over World Cup for the first time next year. But that doesn’t necessarily mean their team will be part of it,

HOW THE TOURNAMENT WILL WORK • RIGHT: Harry Brook and Shubman Gill are due to captain their countries at a 50-over World Cup for the first time

THE AUDACITY OF HOPE

PLANET BATTER

TRAVIS HEAD

HARRY BROOK THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION • Why it had to be him.

Umpire state of mind • What’s it like being an umpire in county cricket? We got around a table with four of the best to find out

What happens if the Sky falls in? • Sky Sports has been English cricket's most loyal partner for more than 20 years, but how sustainable is its investment in the game? George Lovatt considers what the future might hold in a rapidly shifting media landscape

Safeguarding and the corridor of uncertainty • Cricket's fragmented and inconsistent safeguarding measures are doing victims a disservice when it comes to allegations of sexual abuse and harassment, writes Badrul Hassan

TOBY ROLAND-JONES INSIDE THE MIND • MIDDLESEX'S TALISMANTIC SEAMER TALKS TO JO HARMAN-MCGOWAN ABOUT THE APPEAL OF BEING A ONE-CLUB MAN, TRIALLING SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR BOTH LONDON COUNTIES AND A TEST CAREER...