John Wisden's 187th Birthday:

John Wisden's 187th Birthday:

John Wisden: The man who gave cricket fans their bible.

Today, 187 years ago, on September 5, 1826, John Wisden was born in Brighton, Sussex. A keen cricketer, he was once termed by Fuller Pilch, the greatest batsman ever known until the appearance of WG Grace, as the finest allrounder of his day.

Wisden played 187 first-class cricket matches for three English county cricket teams, Kent, Middlesex and Sussex. He is widely known for launching the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 1864. It happened the year after he retired from first-class cricket.

Death:

Wisden died of cancer, aged 57, in the flat above his Cranbourn Street shop (next to Leicester Square tube station). He is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London. 29 years after his death he was the subject of a "Special Portrait" in the 50th edition of Wisden, replacing the usual Cricketers of the Year feature which was dropped from that 1913 edition. In 1984 a headstone was placed at his grave to mark the centenary of his death. Popularly known as "The Little Wonder".