Award winning author and Journalist Tim Wigmore has just published his new book, Test Cricket: A History, which tells the story of the Test game like never before. The book is out now and available for purchase.
The book is a global, narrative history of Test cricket, charting the format’s evolution over 148 years – focusing on the players, moments and stories that have changed the game.
This book, unlike Wigmore’s acclaimed books Cricket 2.0, Crickonomics, and White Hot, was a solo effort by Wigmore and the product of many years of work.
“The book was five years from inception to completion – a real labour of love,” said Wigmore, speaking to cricexec after the book’s launch. “I read over 300 books as part of my research. I was blown away to talk to so many great players, and got a real sense of their pride in being part of the Test story. The book is a work of narrative history – one about characters, matches and moments, much more than statistics.”
When Wigmore appeared on the cricexec podcast last fall, he had just submitted the book to his publisher, Quercus, anticipating a late spring publication date. The book was released this past April 24.
This captivating tour of Test’s past is illuminated by dozens of exclusive interviews with the game’s greatest players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Pat Cummins, Michael Holding, Muthiah Muralidaran, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Chappell, Dale Steyn and Rahul Dravid.
From Bodyline to Bazball, the golden age to the rise of West Indies, and Shane Warne to Ian Botham, readers will come to appreciate Test cricket’s remarkable history like never before.
At the same time, and perhaps just as significantly, Wigmore places Test cricket in its current context and addresses the debates around its place in the current and future cricket landscape.
“In the last chapter I consider what the future could be for Test cricket. In researching the book, I learned just how much Test cricket has adapted over time,” explained Wigmore. “Since the first Test in 1877, matches have been scheduled to last three, four, five days or six – or even be ‘timeless’, played to a finish. Overs have comprised four, five, six or eight balls. Matches have been day or day-night, played with a red ball or pink.”
“For Test cricket to remain vibrant, the format must continue to adapt. In my view, the World Test Championship is integral to the future of Test cricket – but it must be made fairer and easier to understand.”
For anyone looking to better understand and appreciate the game’s original format, past and present, Wigmore’s Test Cricket is a must-read.
About the author: Tim Wigmore is the author of Test Cricket: A History, a new narrative history based on dozens of new interviews and years of research. He is also the author of Crickonomics, a Waterstones Sports Book of the Year, and Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution, which won the Wisden Book of the Year and Daily Telegraph Cricket Book of the Year in 2020. He is a sports writer for The Daily Telegraph, and has also written for The Economist, The New York Times, ESPNCricinfo and The New Statesman.
