In the next issue of Wisden Cricket Monthly, out January 22, we preview the Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka and examine the geopolitical friction which is threatening to pull the world game apart.
Suresh Menon, former editor of Wisden India, considers how cricket has been turned into a diplomatic weapon following Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman's exclusion from the IPL and what it could mean for the forthcoming tournament.
Elsewhere, Ben Gardner joins forces with CricViz to analyse the phenomenal record of Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, the opening pair who will be leading England's charge, and Katya Witney speaks to the resurgent Sam Curran.
We dissect England's chaotic Ashes tour, with Matt Roller unpicking what went wrong for Ben Stokes' side before our expert panel considers what needs to change in the wake of the 4-1 defeat.
We roll out the red carpet for our Men's Test XI and Women's Cross-Format XI of 2025, Jonathan Trott tells us he'd love to coach England, Tim Bresnan reflects on the highs and lows of his career, and Ashley Giles delivers his diary of a CEO.
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"With so much apparent uncertainty in Asia, it is easy to imagine that cricket is on a precipice in the region, that internecine cricketing battles will destroy the game here. That will not happen, and for some very good reasons, starting with television."
Suresh Menon on the political ructions which are spilling over into cricket
"There are echoes in Buttler’s own journey, which began with him as an outlier and has seen him refine himself into something like the complete T20 batter."
Ben Gardner on Phil Salt and his explosive opening partnership with Jos Buttler
"Much of the damage could be traced back to September 2024, when Rob Key made a howler of a decision: not only to extend McCullum’s contract, but to expand his brief to helm the white-ball set-up. Key insisted that England’s schedule was “easing”... but it was a costly error from which both teams suffered."
Matt Roller conducts the post-mortem on England's miserable Ashes campaign
"I said before the series I felt that you couldn’t play Bazball in these conditions in certain periods, and I think they believed they could and paid the price because of it – particularly in Perth and Brisbane."
Simon Katich considers where it went wrong for England
"McCullum created an environment in which he was surrounded by “yes” men, and Stokes’ greatest gift to England’s chances of regaining the Ashes in 2027, then retaining them in 2029/30, will be to avoid making the same mistake."
Lawrence Booth says the next phase of Ben Stokes' captaincy could be the most fascinating yet
"'Greatness’ need not be restricted to the monthly punching out of numbers, the relentless churn that builds up and up until finally a player sits atop their piles of stats and we decree that they’ve got there. Greatness can come in moments. Some batters are great players. And a few are players of great innings."
Phil Walker on Aiden Markram, who, in our review of Test cricket in 2025, wins our Innings of the Year award for a second time in succession
"I’m not gonna lie. I'd love to coach England one day. Definitely. There’s a few things I’d like to achieve with England."
Jonathan Trott reveals his coaching ambitions
"Every time you put your head above the parapet and tried to fight the allegations you just suddenly became more racist. It was completely bonkers what was happening. There were reporters camping on my front door."
Tim Bresnan talks Jo Harman-McGowan through the highs and lows of his career
"White-ball success might take another year or two, but if our players continue to develop and put us in positions to win games, I’ve no doubt red-ball promotion will come within the next two years."
Mickey Arthur says his Derbyshire side are finally ready for the big time
"Although he used the Magnum, the quintessential biffer’s bat, he was a beautiful timer of the ball, filleting the field between cover point and mid-off with graceful elegance and his surgeon’s hands, using his feet to take down spinners, even of the majesty of Derek Underwood, and sadistically putting miles into the legs of midwicket with a speedway rider’s flick of the wrist."
Next in 'Lost Treasures', Rob Bagchi on Essex hero Ken McEwan
You can order the new edition of Wisden Cricket Monthly, digital or print version, here.
