Wisden Cricketers of the Year Wisden Cricketers of the Year The "Wisden" Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack", based primarily on 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 "Five Great Wicket-Keepers" in 1891. Since 1897, with a few notable exceptions, the annual award has recognised five players of the year. No players were named in 1916 or 1917, as the First World War prevented
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack facsimile offer was repeated in 2014 for those willing to subscribe to the "Almanack" by direct debit. This is not a true facsimile as the back cover does not reproduce the "List of Articles" of the original, but instead on the inside there is an advertisement for "Wisden" reprints from the Willows Publishing Company and on the back a celebration of 150 years of "Wisden". At the bottom of the back cover information is provided about the reprint: "This reprint of the first edition of "Wisden" was produced in 2013 for the publisher, John Wisden & Co, an imprint of