Customer Reviews

A detailed and invaluable pocket guide - ideal for any cricket fan - By: J. Aitcheson, 30 Apr 2008
The "Playfair Cricket Annual" has an excellent reputation as the essential pocket guide for any follower of the game. Nowin its 61st edition, it contains everything a cricket enthusiast should need to know, with a wealth of statistics on all the players & teams playingin Englandin 2008, on both the county & international levels.

As always, it has been fully revised for the 2008 season, with a new preface by BBC Test Match Special scorer & statistician Bill Frindall. Other informative articles include a brief analysis of the Duckworth-Lewis scoring system, used for resetting targetsin rain-affected one-day matches; & an explanation of Kolpak registrations for overseas players - currently a controversial issuein the county game. However, the real role of this book is as a statistical reference, &in this respect it does not disappoint.

The first half of the book is a register of all players currently contracted to the 18 English county teams, providing vital statistics - such as height, career history, batting & bowling styles, highest scores & best bowling performancesin both first-class & limited overs cricket - for every one. A further section lists career bowling & batting averages for all contracted first-class players, making this a comprehensive yet accessible ready-reference. The reader will also find records for every county & international team, & for every form of the game playedin England (including Test Matches & ODIs, but also the County Championship, Friends Provident Trophy, Pro40 League & Twenty20 Cup).

Nearer the back are provided complete scorecards for every Test Match that took placein 2007, as well as a list of all English domestic & international fixtures for the 2008 summer. Finally there is a fielding chart illustrating the names of all the most common positions - ideal for new fans of the game.

Allin all, the "Playfair Cricket Annual" is an affordable & invaluable guide. The information given is presented very densely, &in most cases the book's clear structure makes it easy to locate whichever statistics are required - although the small type may be a problem for those who are harder of sight. In addition, at only 320 pages it is relatively compact & lightweight, & its pocket-sized format means that this is an excellent companion for taking to matches.