Sport - Cricket

Few people understand cricket as well as Richie Benaud. For sixty years, as player and commentator, he has set the standards for others to follow and has witnessed all the major events in the game. No one else has found such favour with the vast numbers of cricket lovers in both Britain and Australia. A high-class attacking batsman and masterful legspin bowler, he captained Australia in 28 of his 63 Tests, regaining the Ashes in 1958-59 and taking part in both Laker's match in 1956 and the Tied Test in 1960. His television career, ... read more

The 64th edition of the New Zealand Cricket Almanack records all the details of another busy year of cricket at all levels. The Black Caps began their build-up for the World Cup with a one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka in August and followed this with a one-day series in Bangladesh in October. They returned to the subcontinent in November for tests and one-dayers against India and then hosted Pakistan for two tests, six one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals. New Zealand then returned to India for the World Cup in F... read more

With Tests and One Day Internationals now joined by Twenty20 games, there is more international cricket than ever before. These games captivate a television audience of tens of millions throughout the year and throughout the world. But how do you keep track of all the players? The Wisden Guide to International Cricket (formerly known as The ESPN Cricinfo Guide to International Cricket) is the answer. The 2011 edition of this already popular annual paperback will contain crisply written profiles of everyone expected to appear in a T... read more

The Wisden Guide to International Cricket 2012 is a page-per-player guide to the world's top 200 cricketers, each with a photo, stats and written profile, plus country-by-country records.

"The Know the Game Skills" series is the perfect introduction to a sport for every budding player. Each book aims to teach young players the basic skills they need to start enjoying their sport - by giving plenty of simple practice drills and showing how the star players do it. "Cricket: Bowling" aims to teach the basic skills needed to become successful with the ball. It teaches young players how to: set the field; read a batsman; bowl different styles; and adapt to different situations. Clearly illustrated and written by a profes... read more

'Freddie' Flintoff is perhaps the best-known cricketer in the world. Widely considered the greatest English all-rounder since Ian Botham, Flintoff is currently the most effective fast-bowler in the England side, and can also totally dominate with the bat -- bars at cricket grounds immediately empty the moment he approaches the wicket. It was victory in the 2005 Ashes series that cemented Flintoff's place at the nation's heart, with his stunning performances helping ensure the Ashes were regained for the first time in eighteen years... read more

In these entertaining portraits, Australia's greatest bowler, Shane Warne, candidly profiles 100 players from every Test nation who have had the most significant impact on his cricketing life. It's a must-read for all cricket fans. <p>"From the Hardcover edition."

Since 2003 the Wisden Cricketer has run a monthly feature called Eyewitness'. Each article takes a seminal moment in the history of cricket and invites the key protagonists to reminisce about it, relive it and reflect. Now for the first time the very best of Eyewitness' has been collected in one volume. The result is a fascinating tour of cricket's most memorable moments, as told by the very people who were there and who made them happen. Here is everything from David Steele's remarkable Test summer of 1975 to Brian Lara's awe-in... read more

The 62nd edition of the New Zealand Cricket Almanack (and the 27th under the current editors) covers a busy twelve months on the cricketing calendar, including all the big action from the men's and women's games. It will feature New Zealand in Bangladesh, New Zealand in Australia (two tours - tests and Chappell-Hadlee Trophy), West Indies in New Zealand, India in New Zealand. Also included will be features on the World Twenty20 Championship in England in June (men's and women's), women's Rose Bowl and women's World Cup in Australia... read more

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cricket But Were too Afraid to Ask explains the often-baffling laws of modern sport in a light-hearted and easy-to-understand way to the new fan/spectator or the 'sport widow'. This is a witty, off-the-wall guide to the rules of modern cricket, as if written by a very patient but understanding friend. Writer Iain Macintosh explains how cricket works and why is it so popular, and reveals the history of the game. He guides the novice through the basic rules of the sport in a bouncy, easy-to-fa... read more

"Men In White" will record in full all 330 tests played by New Zealand up-to publication in 2008.Each game will have a full report, full scorecard and a box highlighting milestones created in the game. In addition, there will be a comprehensive statistical section and numerous photographs.The first "Men In White", published in 1986, was a massive seller and this new edition promises to be equally popular and an ideal companion to its winter counterpart, "Men In Black".It is the most comprehensive book on test cricket in New Zealand... read more

A breath of fresh air when he was introduced to Test cricket on the Australian tour of 2001-02, Shane Bond gave New Zealand a rare fast-bowling option until his tragic defection to the rebel Indian Cricket League in 2008 - a defection forced upon him, many believe, by the self-serving intransigence of New Zealand's cricketing administrators. For a period of six years, Bond was one of the most feared bowlers in world cricket. The quickest New Zealander to reach 50 one-day international wickets, including a national best of 6 for 2... read more

This trail-blazing book is likely to become the definitive manual on playing and coaching cricket. It represents the first time that a cricket coach and a sports scientist (both world experts in their field) have combined their experience, insights and wisdom to create what is probably the most comprehensive and complete book on playing and coaching cricket anywhere in the world. Unlike many other coaching manuals, this book does not simply supply technical 'recipes' for batting, bowling and fielding (although these are thoroughly ... read more

Craig McMillan has been one of New Zealand's most controversial sports figures over the past decade. While his career has had its share of highlights, it has also been punctuated with controversy. He found himself on the outside after the 2003 World Cup but worked his way back into New Zealand's ODI side just in time to earn selection for the 2007 tournament in the Caribbean. McMillan, a player who had been gifted international selection from the age of 21, began his career productively and in March 2001 he took a world record 26 r... read more

This title features 200 brilliant and bizarre curiosities highlighting the First, Last and Onlys that have occurred during the illustrious history of this sport - from the determined cricketers fined for playing on the Sabbath to the only virtuoso to score a century and take all ten wickets in a single innings. This absorbing collection of stories is guaranteed to enthral and includes some of the greatest gentleman to have graced the field of play, such as: the first player to bat on all 5 days of a test match; the last incidence o... read more

This is the true story of the Afghanistan cricket team and their extraordinary attempt to join the world's elite cricketing nations. That this devastated nation should be able to field a cricket team at all, let alone one as successful as this, is an unbelievable achievement. Seven years ago, in a country which does not have a real cricket pitch even today, there was no national team. But a group of young Afghan men, exiled by war, learnt to play in the smashed concrete of refugee camps, and have risen from obscurity to the groomed... read more

The most famous sports book in the world, "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack" has been published every year since 1864. "Wisden 2010", the 147th edition, contains coverage of every first-class game in every cricket nation, and reports and scorecards for all Tests and ODIs, including the 2009 Ashes series. Trenchant opinion, compelling features and comprehensive records make it the cricketers' bible worldwide. A perennial bestseller in the UK. 'There can't really be any doubt about the cricket book of the year, any year: it's obviously "W... read more

The most famous sports book in the world, "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack" has been published every year since 1864. "Wisden 2010", the 147th edition, contains coverage of every first-class game in every cricket nation, and reports and scorecards for all Tests and ODIs, including the 2009 Ashes series. Trenchant opinion, compelling features and comprehensive records make it the cricketers' bible worldwide. A perennial bestseller in the UK. 'There can't really be any doubt about the cricket book of the year, any year: it's obviously "W... read more

Few people understand cricket as well as Richie Benaud. A high-class attacking batsman and a masterful leg-break bowler, he captained Australia in 28 of the 63 Tests in which he played. After retiring as a player in 1964, Richie quickly became a successful TV commentator. No one else has found such favour with the vast numbers of cricket lovers in both Britain and Australia. In Over But Not Out, Richie revisits his rich career and reveals his thoughts on some of the most controversial issues in the game. Looking back on England's v... read more

The most famous sports book in the world, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack has been published every year since 1864. Wisden 2011 - the 148th edition - contains coverage of every first-class game in every cricket nation, and reports and scorecards for all Tests and ODIs, including the 2010-2011 Ashes series in Australia where England will seek to retain the Ashes after their victory in the 2009 summer series. Including the eagerly awaited Notes by the Editor, the Cricketers of the Year awards, and some of the finest sports writing of th... read more