If you don’t subscribe to our weekly newsletter, you bloody well should. Why? See for yourself…

Subscribe here…

The Wisden Cricketer

Newsletter. Issue No.22. December 11

A defiant Ricky Ponting will never let Australia’s world championship crown slip. Not so long as he’s got mathematics on his side:

“If South Africa beat us 3-0 I don’t know if that gives them enough points to get over us. But if they won the series 1-0 or 2-1, I don’t think that would mean that they deserve to take over that mantle. It’s a bit the same with India last series. Just because they beat us, the No.1 team, doesn’t necessarily mean they go from No.4 or No.5 in the world to No.1 in the world because it’s something that’s accrued over a long period of time.”

Emphatic.

This week’s…

Sentiment “The best thing that I could give to India at this juncture is a good game of cricket.” Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Comeback Chris Lewis was arrested and charged with drug smuggling when he came back from St Lucia. Around £200,000 worth of cocaine secreted in fruit tins had been uncovered in baggage.

Fast bowlers’ graveyard “In the sub-continent it is easy to bowl if you know reverse swing,” says Ishant Sharma

Partnership “I am definitely not the cuddling type. I probably haven’t shown him enough love yet. That’s not to say that I don’t like the big fella, but I prefer to keep things a bit more macho.” Simon Katich doesn’t intend to give Matthew Hayden a Justin-Langer style cuddle if they make 100 for the first wicket.

Pecking order “The one thing this experience has made me realise is that there is no pecking order in cricket.” Nathan Hauritz after his unexpected promotion to the Australian Test side and subsequent dropping.

Low ebb “He has been shaping up really well in the net sessions,” says Dhoni about Rahul Dravid. You know things are bad when a team-mate compliments your net form.

Website www.thewisdencricketer.com. Have you ever known another website offer the chance to win an artificial cricket pitch? No? You know why? It’s because they’re not good enough. Offering cricket pitches as prizes is a skill – a skill other websites don’t have.

Smoother and shinier than a well-buffed cricket ball

Ever woken up screaming after dreaming of Shane Watson casually tensing his muscles clad only in a towel? Then the Men of Cricket calendar is perhaps not for you. If that image of Watson is too much for you, you’ll never withstand the waxed assault from the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Marsh.

As Mr February, Simon Katich, says: “I think you will see I am the only guy there with some hair on my chest. Unfortunately the rest of my team are all metrosexuals.”

The Men of Cricket calendar will raise funds for the McGrath Foundation, which was set up by Glenn McGrath and his late wife Jane with the aim of providing funding for breast cancer nurses in Australia.

Exclusive: Unconfirmed report of Chris Smith dressing smart-casual to visit the bank

Steve writes: “I moved to Southampton in ‘87, and I guess it must have been not long after that I’d popped into Winchester to get a present for my wife. I went to cross Southgate Street at the pedestrian lights and Chris Smith of Hampshire and England came out of the bank. Far as I recall it was a nice day – quite sunny indeed. I really can’t remember what he was wearing – smart casual would probably sum it up.”

Steve adds: “Actually, I have just remembered that at about the same time, I took a cat in for re-homing from Peter Sainsbury, the old Hampshire tweaker, when he left Hampshire and went (I believe) to South Africa for a while. He had a sports shop in Shirley High Street at the time. Nice chap.”

Have you spotted a cricketer doing something not all that significant? Maybe you’ve seen Graeme Fowler buying sweets or maybe you’ve seen Graham Dilley in the park on the swings. Whatever it is, we desperately want to hear from you. Email [email protected] and spare no mundane detail.

Surrey remains make a Grizzly scene

If Chris Adams does become Surrey’s new cricket manager, you can count on one thing: Chris Lewis and Shoaib Akhtar probably won’t feature after their woeful contributions last season.

So where will he turn for an ageing fast bowler smeared by drug allegations? No team is complete without one.

In this month’s issue of The Wisden Cricketer, Lawrence Booth charts Surrey’s woeful 2008.

Subscribe to The Wisden Cricketer – smoother, slicker, shinier and smarter than an Australian cricketer