Playfair Cricket Annual
Playfair Cricket Annual is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. It has been published every year since 1948. Its main purposes are to review the previous English season and to provide detailed career records and potted biographies of current players. It is produced in a "pocket-sized" format, being approximately 5×4 in (i.e., about 13×10 cm), so that it is a convenient size for carrying to cricket matches. The front cover of each edition has featured a photograph of a prominent current cricketer. There is a popular myth that this "honour" has a "hex" or "curse" associated with it, as the player featured then invariably has a poor season.
2019 Ashes series
The 2019 Ashes Series (named Specsavers Ashes Series for sponsorship reasons) is an upcoming series of Test cricket matches to be played between England and Australia for The Ashes. The venues are Edgbaston, Lord's, Headingley, Old Trafford and The Oval. Australia are the defending holders of the Ashes going into the series, having won in 2017–18. The series will begin later than previous series in England and Wales due to the 2019 Cricket World Cup taking place in England and Wales between May and July.