An attractive, informative recap
But the yearbook is more than just pictures, what with incisive articles by Frank Hayes, Alan Lee and Derek Pringle and detailed scores and averages from every match in every Test-playing nation through the 12-month period covered.
The 1995 county season was a vintage year for Indian players. Fans will have another chance to relish the feats of Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Manoj Prabhakar. The section on the English season does not have a single illustration of either of the three and editor David Lemmon only mentions Prabhakar in passing in his introduction to the season. But the trio's feats light up the text, with their names cropping up over and over in the scores and reports of the matches. Consolation also comes in the form of Kumble's inclusion (along with Sachin Tendulkar) in the Benson and Hedges Cricket Year World XI for 1995. The rest of the XI is: Michael Atherton, Michael Slater, Brian Lara, Hansie Cronje, Steve Waugh, Wasim Akram, Ian Healy, Shane Warne and Courtney Walsh.
India heads the international rankings for the year in the limited-overs section (69.04 per cent success rate), but comes in only fifth in the Test rankings, with South Africa topping the list. The highlight of the year was Australia's epochal series triumph in the West Indies, the first time the Windians have been beaten at home since 1972-73, coincidentally also by Australia. Coupled with their 2-2 draw against England, 1995 marked the end of an era of absolute dominance by the Caribbeans.