Cricket Year 1998 (17th. Ed.) (Benson and Hedges)

Then come the hard facts of the cricketing year, beginning with the ever-controversial Benson and Hedges Cricket Year World XI -- though this year there seems very little to argue about in the selection, though some readers will undoubtedly disagree. What follows is what makes Lemmon's volumes so distinctive: concise and comprehensive accounts of all the Test Matches, one-day internationals, and first-class seasons in every single Test-playing country in the 12 months preceding the end of the English seasons in mid-September 1998. It is this international coverage which remains one of the most satisfying dimensions of the Cricket Year, which enables the pundit to watch the rise of young stars from far afield, often years before their appearance on the international stage.

Published just six weeks after the end of the English season, David Lemmon's Cricket Year always seems miraculous in its ability to digest the season and come up with such a handsome and lavishly illustrated book so quickly. This is the book for those of you eager for the facts and figures of the year's cricket. --Jerry Brotton.