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.
International cricket in 2014
The 2014 international cricket season is from May 2014 to September 2014. The Ireland cricket team was scheduled to play three One Day Internationals in Lahore, Pakistan, but they were cancelled after the 2014 Jinnah International Airport attack.
The following are the rankings at the beginning of the season.