Cricket Journalism: How Cricket Is Reported, Written About, and Broadcast
Cricket has one of sport's richest journalism traditions — from Wisden to live radio commentary to social media. Here's how the cricket media ecosystem works.
Cricket's Writing Tradition
Cricket has one of the richest writing traditions in sport. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack — published annually since 1864 — is the oldest sports annual in the world and is called 'the Bible of cricket'. Cricket journalism developed sophisticated traditions of match reporting, statistical analysis, and essay writing before most other sports had established specialist journalists. Writers like Neville Cardus, CLR James, John Arlott, and Mike Brearley elevated cricket writing to literary art.
Broadcasting and Commentary
Cricket commentary has its own tradition and iconic voices. John Arlott's BBC Radio 4 commentary was so beloved it was described as the sound of an English summer. Richie Benaud became the definitive Australian television cricket voice — his economy of words ('Morning everyone') and insight defining a generation of broadcast commentary. Tony Cozier's voice defined West Indies cricket on radio for decades. Modern commentary includes specialist analysts (often former players) alongside descriptive broadcasters.
Digital Cricket Media
Cricket media has transformed with the internet. ESPNcricinfo (formerly Cricinfo) is the most comprehensive cricket website in the world, with ball-by-ball coverage, historical scorecards back to 1877, and analytics tools. Cricbuzz provides similar coverage with a strong mobile focus. Wisden's online presence has grown significantly. Cricket YouTube channels, podcasts, and Twitter accounts have created cricket media ecosystems in every cricket-playing country.
Cricket Photography
Cricket photography has its own iconic tradition — the cover drive, the reverse sweep, the high-jump celebration. Sports photographers like Patrick Eagar in England built careers exclusively on cricket photography. The introduction of high-speed digital photography has transformed cricket's visual record — modern action photographs capture bowling actions, batting shots, and fielding moments in detail previously impossible.
Frequently asked questions
What is Wisden in cricket?
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is the oldest sports annual in the world, published annually since 1864. It records all first-class cricket statistics, contains essays, and is known as 'the Bible of cricket'.
What is ESPNcricinfo?
ESPNcricinfo (formerly Cricinfo) is the world's most comprehensive cricket website, providing ball-by-ball live scoring, historical scorecards back to 1877, news, analysis, and statistics.