Have you heard the new Wisden?

Available as CD and cassette © John Wisden & Co Enlarge

For the first time, this year you don't have to read the new Wisden: you can sit back and have edited highlights read to you, on audio CD or cassette.

The 141st annual edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is published tomorrow (April 7), and for the first time, an audiobook version will also be available.

Those doing the reading are Matthew Engel, who has returned as Wisden's editor this year, the Test Match Special commentary duo of Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Henry Blofeld, the journalist and film critic Barry Norman, and the broadcasters Richard Lindfield and Barry Johnston (Brian's son).

The excerpts include the Editor's Notes, selected match reports and features, and oddities such as Luxembourg's international debut and the strange case of Catherine Zeta Jones and the cricket ball.

This audiobook version of Wisden 2004 provides a unique opportunity for those cricket fans who are visually impaired - or simply too busy - to enjoy hearing excerpts from the latest edition of the world's most famous sports book.

Click here to order a copy from CricShop

Free sample clips
Below you can listen to example audio clips from this exciting new product. To do so you will require RealOne Player. This is free to download.
Click here to download RealOne Player

Matthew Engel introduces his own Editor's Notes (1 min 29 secs)

Christopher Martin-Jenkins reads the match report from England's thrilling victory over South Africa in the fifth and final Test at the Oval (1 min 24 secs)

Barry Johnston reads the obituary of Jack Van Gelovan who was the last Yorkshireman to do the 1,000 runs-100 wickets in a season double (1 min 29 secs)

Barry Norman reads Andrew Nikolds's review of Cricket and the Media in 2003 (1 min 11 secs)

Christopher Martin-Jenkins recounts the amusing tale of Mummbles CC, a cricket ball and Catherine Zeta-Jones's garden (23 secs)

Henry Blofeld reads "Temples of Bumblepuppy", a look back at country-house Cricket (1 min 19 secs)

Richard Linfield reads "Trying to melt the iceman", Nasser Hussain's tribute to Steve Waugh (1 mins 29 secs)

Henry Blofeld recounts the story of Luxembourg's first appearance as an international side at the European Cricket Council Trophy in Vienna (37 secs)

Please note that these are short clips of the full features, which are available on the CD

© John Wisden & Co