Cricket and the British Empire

What does the history of Test cricket show us about identity?

In this episode, Joey D’Urso speaks to award-winning author Tim Wigmore about how the players and the stories that have shaped Test cricket’s evolution since 1877. 

With Test cricket on the cusp of its 150th anniversary, Tim Wigmore looks back at the history of the game and its legacy. Wigmore examines the pathways into elite cricket and the inequalities – economic, racial and infrastructural – that continue to influence who reach the Test arena. From the legacy of English public schools to the barriers faced by players in the Caribbean, South Asia and Africa, he unpacks the structural forces that make Test cricket a symbol of tradition and a stage for international relations. Wigmore shows us what Test cricket reveals about empire, opportunity, and the cultures built around the world’s oldest form of the game. 

Tim Wigmore is the Deputy Cricket Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. He writes cricket and a range of other sports, and is based in London. He joined The Telegraph in 2019, and previously contributed to publications including ESPNcricinfo, The New York Times, The New Statesman and The Economist. He is a previous winner of the Wisden Cricket Book of the Year award. His new book, Test Cricket: A History, a global history of the Test format, was published in April 2025. It has since been shortlisted for the 2025 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.

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