Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose KCN is an Antiguan former cricketer who played 98 Test matches for the West Indies. Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, he took 405 Test wickets at an average of 20.99 and topped the ICC Player Rankings for much of his career to be rated the best bowler in the world. His great height—he is 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall—allowed him to make the ball bounce unusually high after he delivered it; allied to his pace and accuracy, it made him a very difficult bowler for batsmen to face. A man of few words during his career, he was notoriously reluctant to speak to journalists. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1992; after he retired he was entered into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame and selected as one of West Indies all-time XI by a panel of experts.
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based "primarily for their influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming of "Six Great Bowlers of the Year", and continued with the naming of "Nine Great Batsmen of the Year" in 1890 and "6 Great Wicket-Keepers" in 1891.
Samantha Claire Taylor is a former cricketer who represented England more than 150 times between 1998 and 2011. A top order batter, Taylor was the first woman to be named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. Along with Charlotte Edwards, she was the mainstay of England's batting during the first decade of the 21st century, and played a key role in the team's two world titles in 2009.
Michael Burns is an English first-class list cricket umpire and former first-class cricketer who played county cricket for Warwickshire and Somerset in a first-class career which spanned from 1992 until 2005. He also played Minor Counties cricket for Cumberland and Cornwall. An adaptable cricketer, he appeared for Cumberland and Warwickshire as a wicket-keeper, but when he moved to Somerset he developed into an aggressive batsman who bowled at medium-pace when needed.
Matthew Lewis Engel is a British writer, journalist and editor.
The Howa Bowl was a first-class cricket competition in South Africa that ran from the 1972–73 to 1990–91 cricket seasons. Originally known as the Dadabhay Trophy, it was contested between Eastern Province, Natal, Transvaal, and Western Province.
The Super Fours was a women's limited overs cricket competition which was played annually in England between 2002 and 2013, with a break in 2009 and 2010. Designed to bring together the leading 48 players in English women's cricket, it originally composed solely of a 50-over tournament, but in 2004 a Twenty20 competition was added. The tournament, which was created to bridge the gap in quality between the Women's County Championship and international cricket, first featured overseas players in 2008, when Australians Alex Blackwell and Leah Poulton were invited to take part. The competition was not held in 2009 or 2010 due to a busy international schedule caused primarily by the ICC World Twenty20.
James Fulton is an English former cricketer. He played 21 first-class matches for Oxford University Cricket Club between 1997 and 1999.
The Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World is an annual cricket award selected by the editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. It was established in 2015, to select the best female cricketer based upon their performances anywhere in the world in the previous calendar year. Prior to the establishment of this dedicated award, women were also eligible for inclusion in Wisden's Cricketers of the Year; two were selected, England's Claire Taylor in 2009 and Charlotte Edwards in 2014.
The 1930 County Championship was the 37th officially organised running of the County Championship. Lancashire County Cricket Club won the championship title for the sixth time.
The 1959 County Championship was the 60th officially organised running of the County Championship. Yorkshire won the Championship title ending a seven-year winning sequence by Surrey.
The 1985 Britannic Assurance County Championship was the 86th officially organised running of the County Championship. Middlesex won the Championship title.
The 1993 Britannic Assurance County Championship was the 94th officially organised running of the County Championship. Middlesex won the Championship title.
The 1997 Britannic Assurance County Championship was the 98th officially organised running of the County Championship. Glamorgan won the Championship.
The 1998 Britannic Assurance County Championship was the 99th officially organised running of the County Championship. Leicestershire won the Championship.
The 1981–82 Sheffield Shield season was the 80th season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. South Australia won the championship. This was the last time that the championship was decided by virtue of the team topping the league ladder. The following season would see the top two teams playing in a final to determine the champions.
The 1982–83 Sheffield Shield season was the 81st season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. Western Australia topped the regular league ladder but New South Wales won the title. This was the first time that the championship was decided by virtue of a final held between the two leading sides in the league ladder.
The 1983–84 Sheffield Shield season was the 82nd season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. Western Australia won the championship.
The 1997–98 Sheffield Shield season was the 96th season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. Western Australia won the championship.
The 2001–02 Sheffield Shield season known as the Pura Cup was the 100th season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. Queensland won the championship.
