The B & H Year Book 2002 - Jonathan Agnew
The end of one of cricket institutions is upon us,
The Benson and Hedges Cup is no more. Thanks to new
laws introduced by the government preventing advertising
in sport by tobacco companies, one day cricket has
lost a valuable tournament that has been with us since
its inception in 1972, 31 years ago.
 The
final Benson & Hedges Year BookThe tournament
has been replaced by the new form of 20 over cricket
and according to the editor Jonathan Agnew "This
comes complete with 'golden overs' - the equivalent
of playing your joker - and, indeed, only the absence
of Stuart Hall and dear old Eddie Waring will convince
one that this is not some nightmarish re-hash of It's
a Knockout."
The
21st edition (2002) of the highly successful Benson
and Hedges year has therefore reached the end of a
long and fruitful road, full of memories, records
and an ever changing cricketing world that has expanded
far greater than anyone could have imagined back in
the seventies.
Jonathan
Agnew is once again the editor of the book, casting
his caring eye and pen, sharp as a sabre, over the
pages, bringing us numerous articles that will keep
the most avid cricket fan occupied during the long
winter months.
Together
with an army of writers who include none other than
Sunil Gavaskar, Australias ABC commentator Jim Maxwell
and West Indies cricket supreme Tony Cozier, Aggers
guides us through a wonderful year in cricket.
The
book begins with a collection of wonderful pictures
certain to remind the reader of the past highs and
lows during the season. Included in the Year in pictures
is Vaughans mistake at handling the ball at Bangalore,
the new threat of Harbhajan Singh in India and the
England team bowed in respect to the tragic loss of
Ben Hollioake who died in a car accident in Australia.
Each
country has its own section full of wonderful articles
from some of the great cricket writers of our time,
complete with the seasons statistics and averages
of each Test playing nation. Accompanying the domestic
and Test cricket, covered in some depth, the book
takes us through the additional tournaments found
in the modern cricket calendar such as Sharjah and
the Asian Test Championships.
A
magnificent read, the Benson and Hedges Year book
ends on a high note and is such a shame that there
will not be a 22nd edition next year. I highly recommend
this edition, certainly one of the books of the year
enjoy!
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