More than 400 players have answered questions ranging from their views on the structure of county cricket to the things that give them joy, giving readers a unique insight into everyone who will be competing this summer, from emerging youngsters to established England stars such as Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. This year’s foreword comes courtesy of Middlesex legend Tim Murtagh, the epitome of a county cricketer. Then again, Alastair Cook does mention in the 2013 foreword that CWW has been a key source for Graeme Swann’s sledges and dressing room “bants” over the years, so maybe it does have some things to answer for.

Over the years, players used to fill in forms for each other with predictable results – local libraries must have forever been running low on the Kama Sutra if the answers to “What’s your favourite book? When given the opportunity, he also swings hard with the willow in hand, and has often provided helpful runs for his team. There can’t really be any doubt about the cricket book of the year, any year; it’s obviously Wisden” Andrew Baker in The Daily Telegraph. The annual tome of player profiles, stats and anecdotes pored over by fans and players alike is now on its 43rd edition. The Cricketers’ Who’s Who 2023 is the essential guide to the new cricket season, and is the must-read and much-loved accompaniment for anyone interested in the English game.

Sproat was a man of many passions; he organised the translation of Alexander Pushkin’s complete works into English and wrote an in-depth study of PG Wodehouse. Joe Root’s averages are not as gaudy as some of the other elite batters around the world, but much of that can be attributed to playing so much of his cricket on challenging English pitches.

Accurate and with a hard-to-pick googly, Khan has flourished across numerous short-form leagues and has a stellar record for Afghanistan in over 150 white-ball matches. The book provides a “unique insight” into the minds of those who will grace the grounds up and down the country for the next six months, from St Lawrence to Sedbergh, Edgbaston to Aigburth. You wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that Mike Hendrick put his long seamer’s fingers to candlestick making come November (close … he did in fact work for the electricity board).Rabada has excelled across all three formats, with the pace and bounce to be effective even on surfaces which don’t offer much for the quick bowler.

Plus Worcestershire captain Brett D’Oliveira reflects on his own unique path into the game and speculates on how Bazball is impacting county cricket. Wisden 2023 is the 160th edition of the most famous sports book in the world – published every year since 1964.As usual, Wisden includes the eagerly awaited Notes by the Editor, the Cricketers of the Year awards, and obituaries.