Wisden Cricketers Almanack 2002


Printed:	2002	Author:	John Wisden
Publisher:	Penguin Books Limited	ISBN:	0947766707
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Amazon Review
The 2002 edition of cricket's bible marks the second year in Graeme Wright's second stint in the editorial seat, and contains much for readers to ponder. Alongside the usual plethora of facts and figures, the last year has provided much more for Wisden to get its teeth into. Just as the current Australian side has taken Test cricket to new levels, several of the test series covered by the 2002 Almanack seem to have upped the ante in terms of excitement, notably the Aussies' glorious but ultimately unsuccessful rubber in India last year. Meanwhile, despite the disappointing defeat in the home Ashes series the England team has continued to take forward steps under the leadership of Hussain and Fletcher, particularly in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. If they say that a strong Yorkshire side means a strong England, the white rose county's first championship for 33 years should mean more good news for the English.
Clearly Wisden has much to cover on the international scene, and it does so with all its usual style. Three major articles on the career of Sir Donald Bradman are included (last year's Wisden was printed too shortly after his death to pay tribute to him properly). Peter Roebuck, meanwhile, looks back on the test career of former England captain Michael Atherton who retired from the international game last summer. As ever, the articles live up to the highest standards. Elsewhere, the usual mine of information seems to get deeper every year, while the five cricketers of the year unusually fail to include an Englishman, but are unsurprisingly dominated by Australians in the form of Gillespie, Gilchrist and Martyn, all performers of the very highest calibre. They are joined in the quintet by Zimbabwean Andy Flower and Indian VVS Laxman, whose epic 281 in Calcutta not only helped end Australia's record-breaking run of test wins, but also enabled India to win the match after following-on, and to turn the tide in that classic series. A fine and correct selection, which encapsulates the judgement of a cricketing institution, the 2002 version will surely proves as popular as its 138 predecessors. And just as the Almanack itself will be treasured, the excellent little paperback which accompanies it will provoke much discussion, purporting as it does to name the 40 leading cricketers in the world today. --Trevor Crowe
Synopsis
Another Australian tour, no Ashes for England. As cricket administrators look for easy answers, Wisden 2002 proposes in its Editor's Notes the radical changes that cricket's conservatives shy from. Discussing who holds the future to the game, the players' viewpoint is assessed alongside analysis of the increasing influence of television. County wise, there are examinations of the changing role of overseas players and the public affection for former England captain Mike Atherton. Plus a look at the career and legacy of the great Sir Donald Bradman and controversial selections among Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year.