Victory in Australia, written by Richard Whitehead, has won the Cricket Society and MCC Book of the Year Award for 2026.
Recent setbacks in Australia were put aside as Whitehead’s masterly reconstruction of England’s triumphal tour there in 1954-55 prevailed in the annual awards ceremony in the Long Room at Lord’s.
Accepting the award, Whitehead said he was overwhelmed by the positive reaction Victory in Australia had received and to win this prestigious award was the icing on the cake. He paid tribute to Len Hutton as the hero of the story. “It was Tyson’s tour,” Whitehead said, “but Hutton understood that to succeed you had to make room for different personalities, to prepare and plan, but always think on the hoof too.”
Chair of Judges Robert Winder enthused about a shortlist filled with high-quality content: “It would be welcome if the world made the judges’ lives easier by producing fewer good books! Once again, the panel had plenty of headaches before making their final decision. What a shame there can only be one winner.”
Books about England’s captains since 1979, Test cricket thematically, a famously fast innings, an English leg-spinner who played just one Test, and the life of ‘Syd’ Lawrence who died last year of motor neurone disease were also celebrated.
The Stephen Fay Award was also presented to John McKenzie and Christopher Saunders (jointly) for their lifetime contributions to cricket reading and collecting.
The Book of the Year competition, run by The Cricket Society since 1970 and in partnership with MCC since 2009, is for books nominated by the members of both organisations and is highly regarded by writers and publishers. It is sponsored this year by the Loveday family in memory of Mark Loveday.
The 2025 winner was Simon Lister’s Worrell, the brief but brilliant life of a Caribbean pioneer, published by Simon and Schuster.
The six books on the 2026 shortlist were:
Father Marriott’s Summer Holidays, The forgotten story of England’s great leg-spinner, Max Bonnell, Red Rose Books
In Syd’s Voice, The extraordinary life of Dave Lawrence, Dave Lawrence with Dean Wilson, Fairfield Books
The Cricket Captains of England 1979-2025, Vic Marks, Fairfield Books
Victory in Australia, The remarkable story of England’s greatest Ashes triumph 1954-55, Richard Whitehead, Bloomsbury
Test Cricket, A History, Tim Wigmore, Quercus
Chasing Jessop, The Mystery of Cricket’s Oldest Record, Simon Wilde, Bloomsbury
