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| The Cricketer (magazine) | |
|---|---|
| Title | The Cricketer |
| Category | Sports magazine |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Firstdate | 1921 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based | London |
| Language | English |
The Cricketer (magazine) is a British monthly publication devoted to cricket founded in 1921. It covers domestic competitions such as the County Championship, T20 Blast and Royal London One-Day Cup, as well as international Test series like Ashes series, ICC Cricket World Cup tournaments, and bilateral tours involving teams such as India national cricket team, Australia national cricket team and England cricket team. The magazine has chronicled figures including Don Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards and Joe Root across decades.
Founded in 1921 by Sir Pelham Warner and contemporaries linked with Marylebone Cricket Club, the magazine emerged during the interwar period alongside publications such as Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and The Times. Its early decades overlapped with events including the Bodyline series, the South African cricket team in England in 1924, and tours like England cricket team in Australia in 1928–29. Post‑World War II coverage included personalities from Bradman era through to the rise of Ian Botham and Imran Khan. Ownership and editorial stewardship shifted across businesses and proprietors connected to London publishing houses and cricket administrators associated with Lord's and County Championship committees. The magazine adapted through the advent of one‑day cricket exemplified by the Gillette Cup and the professionalisation heralded by the Cricket World Cup and later Twenty20 revolutions.
The editorial mix combines match reports, statistical analysis, historical features, and opinion pieces focused on players like Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara. Regular columns examine county fixtures involving sides such as Surrey County Cricket Club, Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Lancashire County Cricket Club and Warwickshire County Cricket Club alongside profiles of overseas leagues including the Indian Premier League and Big Bash League. Features discuss coaching methods associated with figures like Andy Flower and Graham Gooch and techniques linked to Fred Trueman and Muttiah Muralitharan. Editorial stance has ranged from traditionalist commentaries sympathetic to Marylebone Cricket Club norms to reformist pieces engaging with International Cricket Council policy, player contracts involving European Cricket Network contexts, and governance debates involving entities like the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Circulation historically spanned the United Kingdom and commonwealth markets including India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Readership profiles include fans of franchises such as Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Sydney Sixers and followers of international stars such as Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson. Subscriptions have catered to club members at venues like Lord's, statisticians aligned with ESPNcricinfo datasets, and collectors of memorabilia linked to events like The Hundred. Advertisers have typically included kit manufacturers such as Gunn & Moore, Kookaburra Sport and travel partners for tours to destinations like Caribbean islands hosting West Indies cricket team fixtures.
Contributors have encompassed former players, commentators and journalists including Neville Cardus-era critics, ex‑professionals like Graham Gooch and writers akin to E. W. Swanton, Scyld Berry, Michael Atherton and Simon Wilde. Editors and columnists have included figures connected to broadcasting outlets such as BBC Sport, Sky Sports and Channel 4 cricket coverage, as well as statisticians and historians like those affiliated with Wisden and academic researchers citing archives at Marylebone Cricket Club Library. Occasional essays have been penned by international icons such as Shane Warne, Wasim Akram and Shaun Pollock.
The magazine has produced annual guides and season previews akin to the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack specials, end‑of‑season reviews, and commemorative issues for milestones linked to Ashes series anniversaries, centenaries of grounds such as Lord's and player retrospectives on careers of Sir Jack Hobbs and Sir Len Hutton. Supplementary publications have included statistical yearbooks serving historians researching tours like England in South Africa and themed issues on legacies such as the Packer Revolution.
The magazine expanded into digital platforms paralleling services like ESPNcricinfo and social channels used by broadcasters such as Sky Sports Cricket. Online initiatives have featured podcasts with guests like Nasser Hussain and Ian Bishop, video interviews mirroring studio formats from Test Match Special, and digital archives useful to researchers cross‑referencing records from the County Championship and Test cricket scorecards. Partnerships and multimedia content reflect trends set by streaming rights held by entities such as Star Sports and Seven Network.
The publication has been associated with awards recognising players and commentators in line with prizes like Wisden Cricketers of the Year while also engaging in controversies over editorial critiques of selections for tours such as England tour of India or administrative decisions by the International Cricket Council. Debates published in its pages have influenced discourse on fast bowling regulations after incidents linked to players like Shane Bond and governance reforms following disputes involving the Big Bash League and franchise models like the Indian Premier League. Its archival reportage has informed biographies of figures such as Don Bradman and historiography employed by scholars examining matches like the Bodyline series.
Category:Cricket magazines Category:Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom