Now, why didn´t I write that in my Wisden Writing Competition entry? The Editor got there first. The 162nd edition of Wisden, the cricketer´s almanack, comes with an editorial explosion. Lawrence Booth, taking time off from his Daily Mail work to edit Wisden, takes England men’s performance in Australia to the cleaners. Most English supporters, and all Australians, probably think he is being too polite. Still, congratulations to the editorial and production teams who managed to slip the report on the tour into this edition rather than wait for the 2027 edition. (Perhaps by then the Editor will have stopped using the archaic “batsman” and adopt batter in both his Notes and match reports.)
On to the Writing Competition, now in its 14th year but still young enough in Wisden terms to be a novelty rather than a tradition. It is sad to report that the number of entries, and participants, continues to decline. Only 64 entries this time, from just over 50 writers (you are allowed two entries.) The lowest ever and the fourth consecutive year of decline. Paul Caswell and David Fraser valiantly continue to enter every year, with two others joining me on 12. Enough of the gloom, let´s congratulate Anand Mohan Gupta on twitter/x https://x.com/amgpathfinder on his successful entry ” Over the wrist, into the wind”. He writes “dark and speculative fiction”. His story will bring back memories for every left-arm orthodox spinner (or indeed any spinner!). How many readers dived into DuckDuckGo (or even Google) to see if there was a “Keith Ward” who played for New South Wales? I liked the internationalism: an Indian author referencing Australia and Sri Lanka! In other respects, the winner follows a well-trodden path which certainly appeals to the selection panel: a first-time entrant and a father/son sub-theme.
An Indian winner fits neatly into the Indian theme of winners in this Wisden. Four of the five Cricketers of the Year, the leading women´s cricketer, the leading T20 cricketer and the Wisden Trophy are all Indian cricketers. The only non-Indians to be “podiumed” are Haseeb Hameed and Mitchell Starc. I´m surprised the editor did not include a new award for the Most Photographed Administrator, named after Jay Shah, who would have easily won the award after his starring role in India´s world cup winners celebrations.
And the Hundred? A short article with the views of ten players, administrators and fans. Some in favour, a few against. Maybe more next year as the competition pans out after its first outing under its Indian majority. Will a Hundred player feature as one of the Cricketers of the Year?
One of the enjoyable quirks to dipping into Wisden is finding the odd comment that triggers further thought. The English season´s men’s batting averages throw up an interesting item for cricket statisticians. They are led by Jadeja, Gill and Hameed: three of the five cricketers of the year. I doubt this has happened before. Hidden deep in the obituary section, reference is made to “Stephen Fry´s controversial MCC presidency”. Here speaks a traditionalist. Why controversial? Fry was quoted after his term of office: “It has a public face that is deeply disturbing, sort of beetroot-coloured gentleman in yellow-and-orange blazers sitting in this space in front of the Long Room and looking as if they’d come out of an Edwardian cartoon.” Who said cricket can be boring! MCC stays on safe ground with the incoming president?
More MCC exclusiveness comes through with a report on its art collection: “For many, a lasting impression of a visit to Lord´s is the art on the walls of the Pavilion” For many??? Entry to the clubhouse is limited to MCC members, their guests and and on a few days Middlesex members and paying visitors on a tour of the ground. Or perhaps at a private event. A fraction of the nearly 30,000 who attend the Tests. Let´s hope the next planned expansion at the Wellington Road end includes a publicly accessible museum and gallery without needing to go into the ground.
Class crops up again in the schools section. Seeking to defend the preponderance of England men´s players from fee-paying schools the author refers to rowing as another sport making headway in state schools. Well there are a few charities doing impressive work with school children but the sport still has a elite reputation. The article on state school cricket tries to be positive about the new Knight-Stokes Cup but is let down with its erroneous statement that VAT has caused schools to close. Those that have closed were failing long before VAT arrived. I was taken aback by the bold assertion in another article that Scarborough is the best outground. No right of reply is offered.
Back to the Writing Competition. My main worry is not just the entries are declining but that the number of first timers is falling. Disturbingly, this year there were only around 25 new entrants to go alongside the repeat hopefuls. Will the entries continue to decline? Will Wisden pull the plug after next year´s 15th edition? Will Wisden do more to publicise the competition? For those planning to enter, there is a major change in the rules. Entries must “not be influenced by AI”. I wonder how the editorial staff will check this! The Bloomsbury website is yet to note the new rule.
I end with this pitch for the competition (and yes it is AI):
The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack Writing Competition invites fresh voices to capture cricket’s drama, nuance and enduring spirit. Whether celebrating grassroots heroes or analysing elite performances, entrants can showcase original storytelling to a global audience. It’s a rare opportunity to join cricket’s most prestigious literary tradition and earn recognition from judges.