Book Review: The Cricketers' Who's Who 2025 with a foreword by Rory Burns

Which current Derbyshire player can solve a Rubik cube in thirty seconds? And which one cites 'otter watching' as one of his interests? For that matter, who played chess at national level and who speaks fluent Spanish?

The answers are at the end, but the 46th edition of The Cricketers' Who's Who is no less compelling than its predecessors. For me, it has long been the 'go to' book for information on players and the one that you ensure is safely in the bag when heading off for a day at the cricket.

Wisden will always be the most collectable of cricket books, but with passing years and less acute eyesight, I find it an increasing challenge to read these days. With so much cricket around the globe to cover, it dictates font size must be small and a large print edition doesn't appear likely!

The Cricketers' Who's Who focuses on the game in which I have the most interest and it is a joyous read, always. While complete currency will always be a challenge given the nature of overseas recruitment, it does an extraordinary job of providing last year's county averages in all competitions, biographies of contracted players and responses to 'quirky' questions, as well as others about the game. The top women players are also included, in a book that is an essential purchase for the discerning cricket fan.

With a foreword by Rory Burns, the book packs so much into its 640 pages. 

There is a long summer ahead. Treat yourself to a book that will be the very best companion during the usual rain breaks.

The Cricketers' Who's Who Is published by Fairfield Books

Answers: Nick Potts is the Rubik master, Zak Chappell likes his otters, Luis Reece played national level chess and Anuj Dal is a fluent Spanish-speaker