Test Cricket: A History - Hardcover

by Tim Wigmore (Author)

'Wonderfully wide-focused, unfailingly readable and laced with passages of insightful analysis, Tim Wigmore's history of test cricket is a true tour de force.' David Kynaston

'Much more than simply a history of Test cricket, this is a colourful, modern take on the sport's most treasured format. I've commentated on over 400 Tests and learned so much from this wonderful book. Wigmore lays bare the challenges Test cricket faces and the fight required to preserve it.' Jonathan Agnew, BBC Test Match Special

'Hugely informative and enjoyable - a fantastic achievement. A must-read for all cricket lovers.' - Peter Frankopan

'Excellent' Mike Atherton


'A vibrant, global history of the oldest form of cricket. Told across decades and vast spans of geography, using history, memoir, stats, science and the voices of greats living and gone, it is destined to be a classic . . . Monumental.' The Hindu

The first narrative history of Test cricket.

Test cricket is on the cusp of its 150th anniversary. For the first time, Test Cricket: A History tells the full, gripping story of the players and stories that have shaped the game's evolution since 1877.
Award-winning author Tim Wigmore brings to life both Test cricket on the pitch and the game's social significance around the world. This captivating tour is illuminated by dozens of exclusive interviews with the game's greatest players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Pat Cummins, Michael Holding, Muthiah Muralidaran, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Chappell, Dale Steyn and Rahul Dravid.

From Bodyline to Bazball, the golden age to the rise of West Indies, and Shane Warne to Ian Botham, readers will come to appreciate Test cricket's remarkable history like never before.

Author Biography

Tim Wigmore is the author of Crickonomics- a Waterstones sports book of the Year-and Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution, which won the Wisden Book of the Year and Daily Telegraph Cricket Book of the Year in 2020. He is a sports writer for the Daily Telegraph, and has also written for The Economist, The New York Times, ESPNCricinfo and The New Statesman.

Test Cricket was the Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year, and shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, in 2025. It was also shortlisted for The Cricket Society MCC Awards and The Sports Book Awards for best cricket book of the year in 2026.