PCCI Podcast 🏏

16 Jun 2025 02:50

Test Cricket - A History with Tim Wigmore

Tim Wigmore is a sports writer for The Daily Telegraph and has also written for The Economist, The New York Times, ESPN Cricinfo, and The New Statesman, among others.

We sat down to discuss his latest book - Test Cricket - A History, which is his most fascinating book yet. There is a unique mix of history, context, aesthetics, race & class which another writer could have easily papered over. Tim excels in his ability to weave stories across centuries with this one and making the history of the game we love not as overwhelming.

We discuss the following -

1. Legitimacy of Test Matches early on

2. Fast Bowling Quartet

3. Decline in Spin bowling

4. Overperformance of Captains while they are Captains

5. Resilience of Test Playing Nations to play after long gaps

6. Role of Amateurs and Professionals in Cricket's long history

7. Moral Victories

8. Lovely references on Aesthetics of batting in the book

9. Non-development of the women's game

10. 4 Day tests and restructuring of the WTC

You can buy Test Cricket - A History from pretty much every good bookstore across Cricket playing nations along with Amazon as well.