The shortlist for The Cricket Society and MCC Book of the Year Award 2026 has been announced today.

The competition, run by The Cricket Society since 1970 and in partnership with MCC since 2009, is for books nominated by MCC and Cricket Society Members, and is highly regarded by writers and publishers.

The award is sponsored by the Loveday family in memory of Mark Loveday.

Three of the six books look back to a 1950s Ashes triumph, survey England’s captains since 1979, and examine Test cricket thematically. The list is completed by books exploring the life of an extraordinary one-Test cricketer and a famously fast innings, and the autobiography of ‘Syd’ Lawrence who died last year of motor neurone disease.

All six books and authors will be celebrated, and the winner announced, at the annual awards evening at Lord’s on Tuesday 7 April.

Chair of judges Robert Winder said: “As a rule the judges try to reflect the range and variety of cricket writing, but this year the emphasis on history was very striking and could not be ignored. Fortunately, it produced many splendid books - more than could be squeezed on to the shortlist.”

The 2025 winner was Simon Lister’s Worrell, The brief but brilliant life of a Caribbean pioneer, published by Simon & Schuster.

The six books on the 2026 shortlist are:

Father Marriott's Summer Holidays, The forgotten story of England’s great leg-spinner, Max Bonnell, Red Rose Books

In Syd’s Voice, The extraordinary life of Dave Lawrence, Dave Lawrence with Dean Wilson, Fairfield Books

The Cricket Captains of England 1979-2025, Vic Marks, Fairfield Books

Victory in Australia, The remarkable story of England’s greatest Ashes triumph 1954-55, Richard Whitehead, Bloomsbury

Test Cricket, A History, Tim Wigmore, Quercus

Chasing Jessop, The Mystery of Cricket’s Oldest Record, Simon Wilde, Bloomsbury

From a strong field, also considered were:

500 Declared, The joys of covering 500 cricket Tests, Scyld Berry, Bloomsbury

Breaking Barriers, Barbados to England and back, Roland Butcher, Fairfield Books

Cricket Changed my Life, Eleven personal journeys, Annie Chave, Fairfield Books

Windrush Cricket, Imperial culture, Caribbean migration, and the remaking of postwar England, Michael Collins, OUP

Fred Bakewell, ‘Among the bright colours’, Mick Pope, ACS

Cricket, Fiction and Nation, Rod Edmond, Anthem Press

The King of Spain and I, Surviving cricket, depression and the greatest ever Ashes, Ashley Giles, Fairfield Books

The Art of Batting, The craft of cricket’s greatest run scorers, Jarrod Kimber, Bloomsbury

Around the World in 40 Years, Andy Moles, Fairfield Books

Sticky Dogs and Stardust, When the legends played in the leagues, The second innings, Scott Oliver, Fairfield Books

Deadly Derek Underwood, The life of an international cricketer, Mark Peel, Pitch Publishing

Lester and the Deckchair Revolution, The life and times of Tony Pigott, Tony Pigott, Fairfield Books
A Portrait of Cricket Photobook, Tom Shaw, self-published

Maestro:  A portrait of Garry Sobers, cricket’s greatest all-rounder, David Tossell, Pitch Publishing