Phil Sharpe: A gifted all-round sportsman – Almanack
The Cricket Writers' Club voted him the Best Cricketer of 1962
The Cricket Writers' Club voted him the Best Cricketer of 1962
"When Jacques Kallis edged his first ball to first slip I thought it might be one of my days"
"I was like, ‘Woah, hold your horses big lad. We’re full up and you’re not that good yet’"
"The lacklusture and luckless years and the leanest of lean spells"
"His batting in 1893 was one of the best features of an extraordinary season"
"If he had been born in England he’d have played over 100 Tests"
"He believed that Hitler and the Nazis were an evil that had to be stopped"
"A massive turning point that made me into a different person"
"It came back to bite us I reckon"
"Temperament and ability stamp him as a fine player"
The latest issue of Wisden Cricket Monthly, guest-edited by Isa Guha, out May 5:
The 160th edition of the most famous sports book in the world – published every year since 1864 – contains some of the world’s finest sports writing. It reflects on the extraordinary life of Shane Warne, who died far too early in 2022, and looks back at another legendary bowler, S.F. Barnes, on the 150th anniversary of his birth. Wisden also reports on England’s triumph at the T20 World Cup, to go alongside their 2019 ODI success, and on their Test team’s thrilling rejuvenation under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
Writers include Lawrence Booth, Gideon Haigh, James Holland, Jonathan Liew, Emma John, David Frith, Simon Wilde, Jon Hotten, Robert Winder, Tanya Aldred and Neil Harvey, the last survivor from Australia’s famous 1948 Ashes tour of England. As usual, Wisden includes the eagerly awaited Notes by The Editor, the Cricketers of The Year awards, and the obituaries. And, as ever, there are reports and scorecards for every Test, together with forthright opinion, compelling features and comprehensive records.
Cricket’s past is steeped in a tradition of great writing and Wisden is making sure its future will be too. The Nightwatchman is a quarterly collection of essays and long-form articles which debuted in March 2013 and is available in book and e-book formats.
Every issue features an array of authors from around the world, writing beautifully and at length about the game and its myriad offshoots.