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.

WISDEN CRICKET MONTHLY • The players’ voice

EDITOR'S LIST

Wisden Cricket Monthly

THE Top Six The month in cricket No.1

Less is more when it comes to Test cricket's great rivalries • The chaotic series between Australia and India was the latest reminder of how compelling Test cricket can be, says Andrew Miller. But the game would be wise not to over-indulge on battles between the Big Three

Team of the Month • Jo Harman picks a team of the standout performers from the last month including a pair of South Africans who were pivotal in their country reaching their first World Test Championship final

Paralysis on Afghanistan is a stain on the game • The Taliban's brutal and relentless repression of women has led to calls for England to take a stand and boycott their Champions Trophy fixture against Afghanistan. Instead, they have chosen to turn a blind eye, writes Katya Witney

Players flex their muscles as ECB tries to stem the flow • The ECB's decision to restrict players’ availability to compete in overseas leagues during the English season has threatened to cause a revolt in the shires. Lawrence Booth says player power has never been so strong

Pakistan lose tug-ofwar as Champions Trophy returns • Next month, Pakistan will host their first global tournament for almost 30 years, but not as they'd imagined it. Cameron Ponsonby reports on the return of the Champions Trophy and the geopolitical dispute which has dominated the build-up

NEWS CYCLE • Ben Gardner has unretired from writing about Pakistan cricket

DAN WORRALL • ANGLO-AUSSIE, SWING KING, SURREY STRUTTER, ASHES BOLTER?

WORRALL IN NUMBERS

RE:VIEW • Three writers give their predictions for the Women's Ashes, as Heather Knight's England seek a first series win against Australia since 2014

NO.5 PLAYER ACTIVISM • Next in our series examining how cricket is (or could be) tackling the climate crisis, Jo Harman considers why more high-profile cricketers aren't prepared to take a stand on an issue which affects us all

Mailbox • In association with Chapel Down, the letter of the month receives a bottle of award-winning English sparkling wine – Chapel Down Brut. Based in Kent, Chapel Down is England's leading wine producer and the official sparkling wine of the ECB.

Local hero Borthwick begins new chapter in his Durham epic • Durham's heartbeat is transitioning into a hybrid player-coach role ahead of next season. He tells Sam Dalling why the club is primed to shake up the county game's old world order

Around the counties

JACOB BETHELL A STAR IS BORN • England's recent tour of New Zealand marked the arrival of Jacob Bethell, a prodigious talent earmarked as a Test cricketer since arriving from Barbados as a child. Jo Harman examines the 21-year-old's intriguing backstory and considers how he fits into England's plans

BETHELL IN FOCUS • With WCM coach Toby Radford

WOMEN'S ASHES 2025 Can England bridge the gap? • This month sees England have another go at breaking Australia's stranglehold over them. Eleven years on from their last Ashes win, Mel Farrell considers whether Heather Knight's side have the components to sustain a challenge this time around

THE RACE FOR PACE

WISDEN 2024 MEN'S TEST XI • THE SELECTION PANEL: NAMAN AGARWAL, LAWRENCE BOOTH, NICHOLAS BROOKES, MARK BUTCHER, IAN CALLENDER, ADAM COLLINS, MEL FARRELL, DANIEL GALLAN, BEN GARDNER, JO HARMAN, TAHA HASHIM, ADAM HOPKINS, JON HOTTEN, MOHAMMAD ISAM, RAHUL IYER, GEOFF LEMON, JONATHAN LIEW, DAVID LLOYD, WILL MACPHERSON, AMER MALIK, SURESH...