Kit Harris introduces the fifth annual Almanack quiz.
To see out 2025, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack brings you the fifth edition of our Wisden Quiz. You can enter the quiz by emailing your answers to competitions@wisdenalmanack.com by January 31. The entrant with the highest score will win £100 (RRP) worth of Wisden or Bloomsbury books. The top three highest scorers will receive a copy of Victory in Australia: the Remarkable Story of England’s Greatest Ashes Triumph 1954-55 by Richard Whitehead and will have their names published in the 2026 Almanack, as will any entrant who scores full marks.
ROUND ONE: CRICKETERS OF THE YEAR
Can you name them, using just these excerpts from their pen portraits?
There is only one per decade, and all the years end with the same number.
- Had cricket followers known in advance that the record for the longest Test innings ever played at Lord’s was to be broken by an opening batsman, most would have assumed that Gordon Greenidge would be the man.
- How he manages to bowl his off-break with a apparently a leg-break action one cannot pretend to say.
- Amid the hullaballoo that surrounded the end of one fast bowler’s career, the start of another was barely noticed – at least to start with.
- A moment later the vast crowd sent up a united gasp of amazement as they saw Australia’s champion bowled second ball without scoring.
- There has been no such Admirable Crichton in the way of outdoor sports at either University … If we had to deal with him as a long jumper, sprint runner, and football player, the demands upon our space would be extreme.
- He was and always will be a “raw” quick bowler, who will remain indebted to Russell for encouraging him to bowl as fast as possible.
- He put together scores of 214, 151, 352, 108 and 116 in consecutive matches.
- Standing nearly six feet eight, his head capped by blond hair that gleams like a golden helmet in the sun, he possesses what Noel Coward described simply as star quality.
- He said: “I want people to know I am Muslim and British and proud of both.”
- His 160 not out completely changed the course of the Test, and led to Australia winning the only match decided.
ROUND TWO: ODD ONE OUT
Who didn’t do something that the others did, in 2025, and what was it?
- Tom Taylor, Kyle Abbott, Jack Leach, Jamie Porter, Luis Reece, George Hill
- Nick Welch, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Josh Inglis, Ismat Alam
- Lancashire, Surrey, Northern Superchargers, Somerset
- Chris Woakes, Nicholas Pooran, Dimuth Karunaratne, Asif Ali, Craig Ervine
- Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Nabi, Riyan Parag, Akash Choudhary
- Stephen Chalke, Simon Lister, David Kynaston, Miguel Delany, Harry Ricketts, Leo McKinstry
- Joshua James, Kelis Ndhlovu, Haris Rauf, Aimee Maguire
- Dimuth Karunaratne, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Mendis
- James Anderson, Steve Davies, David “Syd” Lawrence, Devon Malcolm, Joe Root
- Haider Ali, Nicholas Kirton, Shivalik Sharma, James Vince
ROUND THREE: UNUSUAL OCCURRENCES
Can you get to the bottom of these strange happenings in 2025?
- What flew onto the field and forced a fluster in NW8?
- What flew onto the field and forced a fluster in 01000?
- Who seemingly sauntered onto the sward for two sides simultaneously on April 11 ?
- Who mistakenly pocketed his mobile in Manchester in May?
- Who did Carty concuss in Clontarf?
- Where did Shreyas scar his spleen on a Saturday?
- Who was late to a launch because he’d got lost after having his locks lopped?
- Which team tied against the Taunton tourists after being made tardy by traffic?
- Where was the second Test suspended by seismic shaking?
- Which former Test trundler took triple the typical tries to bowl a tournament over?
ROUND FOUR: ON WHAT GROUNDS?
A selection of handsome pavilions.
But can you name the grounds? The location will suffice.
Click on the photos to enlarge them.
ROUND FIVE: FIRE IN THE RIVERS OF BABYLON
All the answers have something in common.
- Which current team were formerly the Zouks, the Stars, then the Zouks again?
- Who has been bought by Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans – but did not play for two of them?
- Who was banned for corrupt activities in India in 2007, and in the UAE in 2019?
- Who, in his penultimate Test, forced Graham Gooch to retire hurt?
- Who, on Test debut, helped beat Australia with five for 70?
- Whose direct hit tied the Brisbane Test?
- Who is the older brother of Mikyle?
- Which Barbadian bowler has held a Middlesex one-day record since 1978?
- Who took 206 one-day wickets for Somerset, more than for all his other teams combined?
- Who was the first white man to play for West Indies since 2008?
ROUND SIX: DITLOIDS
What do the initials stand for?
- 6 = TITSS
- 9 = TGIE
- 28 I = HOAS
- 66 = JRSN
- 111 = N
- 124 = HSBWGG
- 188 = TPBJA
- 200 = LFAFOIT
- 654 = HFITIT
- 1001 = IWFSW
ROUND SEVEN: WHATEVER NEXT?
What or who comes next in the sequence, and why?
- Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Lance Gibbs …
- Mark Robinson, Lisa Keightley, Jon Lewis …
- Anand George, Maqsood Raja, Dhruv Mahajan, Ikram Alikhil …
- 2 February 1955, 17 February 1971, 1 February 1979, 28 December 1986 …
- Billy Murdoch, Syd Gregory, “Tip” Foster, Aubrey Faulkner …
- Geoff Miller, Phil De Freitas, Kim Barnett, Devon Malcolm, John Morris …
- 15 March 1877, 15 March 1877, 12 March 1889, 23 June 1928, 10 January 1930 …
- Peter West, Gordon Ross, Bill Frindall …
- John Player, Refuge Assurance, AXA, CGU …
- Joe Clarke, Liam Livingstone, Paul Stirling, Sean Abbott, Rishi Patel …
ROUND EIGHT: HIDDEN FACES
Can you figure out who’s obscured?
Click on the photos to enlarge them.
ROUND NINE: CRYPTIC CENTURIONS
Who scored international hundreds in 2024?
- Duck in bread (6)
- Cuts, completing dull finish (8)
- Unrefined first half-century (5)
- Turn morning around after shut-out (6)
- Soldier follows Pakistan captain (4)
- Start to flop before reversing delivery hits top of stump (8)
- Singles after jittery start (5)
- Slashed wildly in electric car (9)
- Some consult an analyst (7)
- Babbling batsman (5)
ROUND TEN: AT THE ROYAL COURT
All the answers have something in common.
- Who was the first non-white man to captain South Africa?
- Who is the only person to score 92 on Test debut in Australia?
- What officially began on 12 May 1890?
- Who beat New Zealand in 1978, Australia in 1981, India in 1982 and 1986, and the Rest of the World in 1987?
- What was destroyed on 23 July 1823?
- Which Philadelphian is believed to have pioneered swing bowling?
- Who averaged over 40 in 100 one-day internationals for England, but under 24 in Tests?
- Who waited 68 years to win their maiden first-class title?
- What is owned by Dilip Jajodia?
- Which spinner has taken the most international wickets for South Africa?
The 2025 Wisden Quiz was written by Kit Harris, Assistant Editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, with assistance from Hugh Chevallier, Martin Headon and Sam van Elk.
Getty Images photo credits: Philip Brown/Popperfoto, Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto, Paul Gilham, Stu Forster, Heritage Images/Hulton Archive, Andy Kearns, Ken Kelly/Popperfoto, Glyn Kirk, Matthew Lewis, Money Sharma, Mike Morese/MI News/NurPhoto, Craig Prentis, Bill Smith/Popperfoto, Cameron Spencer, Darren Staples, Darrian Traynor, Andrew West/SNS.
Full terms and conditions