Latest news with #WisdenCricketers'Almanack
Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Cricket authorities in England oblivious to horrors they are condoning
Reading my Telegraph Sport colleague Tim Wigmore's new and authoritative book Test Cricket: A History was an ideal psychological preparation for the new Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. He stresses that there have always been unsavoury aspects to what he several times calls the 'brutal' game of Test cricket. They were there right from the late Victorian period: cheating, gamesmanship, financial greed, racism, classism and, where some of the poor professionals were concerned, a philosophy of the devil taking the hindmost. A few Test cricketers became, and remain, legendary, and reaped the profits of that even in eras before the modern obsession with money: Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Bradman, Compton, Sobers and Gavaskar. Many others wound down their lives in obscurity, relentless toil and an overdose of memories, and some ends were tragic. These themes are all too visible in the 2025 Wisden, especially when one reads memories of poor Graham Thorpe; though the accusations of sharp practice these days are more focused on the people who run the game rather than those who play it. Wigmore refers candidly to the main commercial developments in world cricket that have pushed the once-dominant form of the game increasingly to the margins, but avoids extremes of optimism or pessimism. Lawrence Booth, Wisden 's editor, does not equivocate, and as such reminds us that someone trying to write a history of Test cricket in a quarter-century's time may merely have to write a sad concluding chapter to Wigmore's book. Booth refers to the recent translation of Jay Shah from running the BCCI – India's national governing body – to running the ICC as demonstrating that 'cricket gave up any claim to being properly administered' when it happened. Some of us have been highlighting cricket's moral decline for years, and it may be too late to reverse it now. Modern cricket, thanks to the dominant influence of T20 and its ruthless projection and promotion by commercial forces in India, now works relentlessly against the interests of Test cricket. This could not matter less to those to whom cricket is plainly and simply a means of generating wealth. And those people, as Booth points out, now run world cricket, and run it to serve their interests. And for the moment, that means responding to an insatiable demand for T20, whatever the side effects. Wigmore tells the story of a game that for most of its history was run by white men, many of them public school and Oxbridge-educated, and members of MCC. He sensibly avoids the absurdities of what twisted academics call 'decolonising' the subject of Test cricket. In the 1870s the societies in which first-class cricket – the natural breeding-ground for Test cricketers – had been developed were England and Australia, their cultural affinities taking them in lock-step. It was natural that they should lead the development of the game; and natural that another territory with a large community of people of British heritage, what became the Union of South Africa, should become the third partner in international contests. Along the way there was evidence of racism; indigenous Australians, however good they were, were not picked for their country; Lord Harris may or may not have been responsible for stopping Ranjitsinhji from playing for England sooner than he did; no black man captained the West Indies until Frank Worrell in 1960, more than 30 years after they joined the Test circuit; and of course much of world cricket, including MCC, tolerated the Apartheid policies of South Africa until the break finally came in the 1970s. Now, the boot is on the other foot: the old imperial masters are out, and those from the jewel in the crown of the former empire now dictate terms. Jay Shah's father, Booth notes, is 'the second most powerful politician in India', which helps explain much about the motive forces behind cricket not just in that country, but, now, around a world where India runs the game. Booth derides the ICC as having become merely 'an events company', with a 'craven' attitude to international fixtures arranged entirely to suit India. He calls the World Test Championship 'a shambles masquerading as a showpiece'. Its next final is to be played at Lord's in June, between South Africa and Australia, and the shambles element concerns the unequal paths the two sides have taken to Lord's. Australia have played tough opponents in long series; South Africa easier ones in shorter series, while many of its players have pursued the numerous T20 franchises around the world that are India's gift to the modern game. Wisden takes a remarkably charitable view of another franchise that, incomprehensibly, businessmen seem hungry to invest in: The Hundred. Has anyone outside Britain shown the slightest interest in buying a Hundred franchise for their country? No, because they already have T20, and dozens of them. Happily, it is nobody's problem but the England and Wales Cricket Board's. They are welcome to it. Booth is right to turn a fierce spotlight on Shah. He could redistribute money to poorer countries struggling to stay in Test cricket, but without a coherent international marketing plan, and the revival of first-class cricket in those countries, it will not work. But what will especially make it fail is those controlling international cricket allowing T20 to dominate schedules and have first call on the pool of top players. As some of us have written until we are blue in the face, this will never be resolved until T20 is entirely separated from first-class cricket, and Test cricket. If Shah does not grasp that problem there will be no need for any more histories of Test cricket, and the next few Wisdens will have plenty more to object to. Meanwhile, the main cricket authorities in this country seem oblivious to the horrors they are condoning. They will one day learn, the hard way, that in a business – as opposed to a game – the complicity of stupid people seldom brings rewards.
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Business Standard
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Business Standard
Jasprit Bumrah, Smriti Mandhana crowned Wisden's top cricketers of the year
India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and star batter Smriti Mandhana have been honoured as the Leading Men's and Women's Cricketers in the World, respectively, in the prestigious Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2025 edition, celebrating their exceptional performances in 2024. Bumrah, 31, had a phenomenal year across formats, particularly in Test cricket. He claimed a staggering 71 wickets in Tests in 2024, averaging just 14.92, the best for any bowler in a single calendar year with that volume of wickets. His consistency and impact led to him becoming the first bowler in Test history to reach 200 wickets at an average of under 20, a monumental feat in modern cricket. One of his most defining contributions came during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where Bumrah was virtually unstoppable. He took 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, often carrying the Indian bowling attack almost single-handedly. His dominance extended into the white-ball arena as well, as he played a pivotal role in India's triumphant campaign at the T20 World Cup 2024. His incredible economy rate of 4.17 and 15 crucial wickets earned him the Player of the Tournament award, helping India clinch their first ICC title since 2013. Smriti Mandhana awarded for incredible year On the women's side, Smriti Mandhana had a year to remember. The elegant left-hander scored 1659 runs across formats in 2024, making her the highest run-scorer in international women's cricket that year. Her run tally included four centuries in ODIs, setting a new record in women's cricket. Adding to her accolades, Mandhana smashed her second career Test century — a commanding 149-run knock in a 10-wicket win against South Africa, further solidifying her position as one of the game's modern greats. This is the second time Mandhana has received this honour, having first won it in 2018, making her the first Indian woman to be named Wisden's Leading Women's Cricketer twice. Meanwhile, Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies was recognised as the Leading T20 Player in the World, thanks to his explosive performances in franchise leagues and international cricket during the same period.
NDTV
22-04-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Jasprit Bumrah Named Wisden's Leading Men's Cricketer; Smriti Mandhana Wins Women's Honour
India's premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was on Tuesday named as Leading Men's Cricketer in the World while prolific batter Smriti Mandhana grabbed the honour in the women's category in the 2025 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. The two Indian players were honoured for their stand-out performances last year. The 31-year-old Bumrah picked up 71 Test wickets in season 2024 at an average of 14.92, the most by any bowler with such an economy in a single year. He became the first Test bowler in history to claim 200 wickets at an average of less than 20. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Bumrah almost single-handedly carried India's attack with 32 wickets at an average of 13.06. At the T20 World Cup, he was named Player of the Tournament for his 15 wickets at an economy rate of just 4.17, leading India to their first ICC trophy since 2013. Women's team senior batter Smriti Mandhana made it an India double as she was named as Wisden's Leading Women's Cricketer in the World. The 28-year-old Mandhana scored 1659 runs across formats in 2024 -- the most by a woman cricketer in a calendar year of international cricket -- including four ODI hundreds, which was another record. She capped her efforts with a second Test century -- 149 -- in a 10-wicket win over South Africa. Mandhana became the first Indian woman since the inception of the award to earn the title twice. She had already earned the coveted honour in 2018 also. West Indian Nicholas Pooran was named as the Leading T20 Player in the World.
Khaleej Times
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Indian stars Bumrah, Mandhana win top Wisden awards
India duo Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana have been crowned the world's leading cricketers in the latest edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Bumrah won the honour in the men's section after a stellar 2024 when he excelled across formats and was named player of the tournament as India won the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies. "In an eventful year for Indian cricket, their success depended largely, if not entirely, on one factor: whether or not he had the ball," the publication wrote about the 31-year-old, who is considered the best all-format bowler of his era. "Rarely has a cricketer stood out so overwhelmingly as he did in 2024." Opener Mandhana won the women's honour after a prolific 2024 that included five hundreds — four of them in one-day internationals. Mandhana also led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their first Women's Premier League title last year. West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran was named the 'Leading T20 Player in the World'. England's Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith and Sophie Ecclestone were named among Wisden's five 'Cricketers of the Year', alongside Liam Dawson and Dan Worrall. The Almanack, often called "the Bible of cricket", has been published every year since 1864.
TimesLIVE
22-04-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
India's Jasprit Bumrah, Smriti Mandhana win top Wisden awards
India duo Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana have been crowned the world's leading cricketers in the latest edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Bumrah won the honour in the men's section after a stellar 2024 when he excelled across formats and was named player of the tournament as India won the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies. 'In an eventful year for Indian cricket, their success depended largely, if not entirely, on one factor: whether or not he had the ball,' the publication wrote about the 31-year-old, who is considered the best all-format bowler of his era.
