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.
2012 English cricket season
The 2012 English cricket season was the 113th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It began on 31 March with a round of university matches, and continued until the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 on 15 September. Three major domestic competitions were contested: the 2012 County Championship won by Warwickshire, the 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 and the 2012 Friends Life t20 both won by Hampshire Royals.