The 70th edition of New Zealand Cricket Almanack is the 35th edited by Francis Payne and Ian Smith - New Zealand's foremost cricket statisticians. The editors have emulated the feat by the founder, the late Arthur Carman. Every cricket enthusiast will relish the arrival of this latest edition.

Payne is a regular guest on both radio and television as well as fulfilling the role as chief cricket statistician for New Zealand Cricket.

A veritable mine of information, the Almanack is an invaluable part of cricket enthusiast's kit bag and is the cricket lover's bible of New Zealand Cricket. This outstanding annual has earned many friends over the years and will assuredly continue to do so.

The Happenings section in the Almanack each year is without parallel as the cricket trivia, covered in this section, is not to be seen in any other cricket publication and website.

Some of the interesting Happenings covered in this Almanack are:

# Colin de Grandhomme bagged six wickets conceding 41 runs for New Zealand against Pakistan in the first Test at Christchurch in November 2016, the best figures by a New Zealand bowler on Test debut. The only other New Zealand players to capture six wickets in an innings on debut are Alex Moir (6/155 vs England at Christchurch in 1950-51) and Fen Cresswell (6/168 vs England at The Oval in 1949). De Grandhomme's figures were achieved on the first day of play in the match, after the scheduled first day had been washed out. His figures are the best by a New Zealand bowler and the fifth best by any bowler on their first day in Test cricket.

# Chasing 369, Pakistan were 158 for one at tea on the final day of the second Test at Hamilton in November 2016, but lost nine wickets for 72 runs in 25.1 overs afterwards to lose the game by 138 runs. This was the most wickets lost by one side in the last possible session to lose a Test.

A detailed statistical section, covering New Zealand's Tests, ODIs and First-class cricket apart from the limited-overs records, as always, are exhaustive. Domestic cricket featured the inaugural McDonald's Super Smash Twenty20 competition, the Plunket Shield, the Ford Trophy and the women's fifty-over and Twenty20 competitions. There is also coverage of Hawke Cup and age-group cricket.

2017 New Zealand Cricket Almanack is a quality product from Upstart Press Ltd., deserving 100% marks for production, designing, formating and lay-out of scorecards apart from extraordinary black and white photographs.

Neil Wagner and Kane Williamson have been named Players of the Year and Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips and Tim Seifert as promising players.

Commenting on Kane Williamson's performance, the editors have remarked: "Williamson deservedly won the Redpath Cup and Hadlee Medal at the New Zealand Cricket awards and is one of our Players of the Year for the second year running. He has been outstanding in all formats of the game and has led from the front in his first year in charge of the New Zealand team."

This richly filled 2017 New Zealand Cricket Almanack holds many pleasures to be savoured and maintains the exemplary standards of a publication of high repute. It is an essential purchase for any cricket enthusiast.