Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2005 - Tapa dura

The 142nd edition of the world's most famous sports book emerges in sprightly mood, and, with full reports of England's eventful tour of South Africa, it is more up-to-date than any previous Wisden. Wisden 2005 explains how the mighty confusion of Indian TV bankrolls the game. One great Australian, Richie Benaud, pays homage to another, Keith Miller. And there is a full history of chucking controversies, reports on South Africans' lingering love affair with Hansie Cronje and, from Sri Lanka, how cricket rose to the challenge of the terrible tsunami. And there are full reports of an amazing cricketing year: the world records for Brian Lara, Murali and Shane Warne, and coverage of every match of England's astonishing winning sequence that took them from Jamaica to Johannesburg - and a dozen Test victories - in just ten months. Elsewhere Wisden brings news of the ground where it hasn't rained in 15 years, the brothel that caters solely for professional cricketers and how an electric buggy, a TV camera and 15 hot air balloons stopped play. And there's an interview with cricket's most famous Slovak goalkeeper.All this - and much more - makes Wisden Cricketers' Almanack the essential companion for every follower of cricket.