ACS Overseas First-Class Annual 2016

General notes to the scores In the 2015/16 season 531 first-class matches were played, compared with 578 in 2014/15 (this number includes the two Tests between Bangladesh and Pakistan, in April and May 2015, originally treated as 2015 but now reclassified as 2014/15). The principal factor in the reduction in the number of games was the restructuring of the season in Pakistan, where 69 first-class matches took place in 2015/16 compared with 116 the previous season. This Annual contains the full scores of all first-class matches played in the 2015/16 season, as well as the 22 matches played outside England and Wales in the 2016 season. It does not, of course, include the 170 matches played in England and Wales during the 2016 season because these will be found in the 2017 edition of Wisden . The matches are arranged in eleven sections, by season and country. Each section begins with a brief review of the first-class season of the country concerned. The introductions also include final league tables and, where applicable, details of the knock-out stages of tournaments. Any abandoned matches are also noted. A full score is provided for every match. Note, however, that in some cases, our sources do not supply all the information the Annual seeks to include: for instance, Pakistan scores do not normally indicate which batsman was out at the fall of each wicket. It is extremely disappointing that scorers in a country of such importance do not supply a piece of information that is fundamental to a modern scorecard. Where data are missing, the policy of the Annual is to lay out the scorecard in the usual way and simply to leave a blank space. This may occasionally result in a slightly odd appearance, but it has the merit of not only putting clearly before the user the information that is available but also showing with equal clarity what is not available. The scores are laid out in conventional parallel format, with bowling figures and fall of wickets both in tabular form. The cards should be mostly self-explanatory; the most novel feature is the use of a diesis (‡) or a silcrow (§) to indicate a player on, respectively, first-class or Test debut. Note also that full substitutions are noted on the actual card rather than merely as a footnote; this is done by placing the name of the substitute, indented and italicised, immediately after the player he replaced. Brief footnotes to the scores indicate player milestones and other notable features. Full averages for the 2015/16 and 2016 seasons for each country (including England) will be found in the 2017 edition of the ACS International Cricket Year Book , which will be published in February 2017. The Year Book will also provide particulars including the full name and date and place of birth for all cricketers appearing in first-class matches in 2015/16 and 2016, as well as their career records. 10