· First issue of first digital-only cricket magazine available now
· From editorial team behind world’s leading cricket site – ESPNcricinfo
· App available for iOS and Android tablets
· Inaugural issue free to fans

The first edition is now available for free, with all subsequent issues available to subscribers during the first week of each month. The Cricket Monthly will be available across multiple digital platforms as an app on iOS and Android tablets and as a responsive website that adapts to browsers on any device.

The magazine is a separate and complementary content platform from the editorial team that powers ESPNcricinfo. Each month The Cricket Monthly will explore the wider themes and cultures of cricket through long-form journalism, in-depth player profiles, features, interviews and more.

The Cricket Monthly app is available now in the Apple App Store and Google Play, and online at www.cricketmonthly.com. It is free for a limited period, with pricing for in-app and online purchase of future issues to be announced in the weeks ahead.

“The Cricket Monthly will focus on the timelessness and depth of cricket,” said Sambit Bal, Editor of ESPNcricinfo and The Cricket Monthly. “Cricket is the ultimate narrative sport, a stage for the revelation of human character, and for twists and turns. Magazines are the most literary journalistic format. The scale, scope and ambition of this magazine will match the sweep and cadences of cricket. Presenting the tradition of cricket through a digital magazine is an ideal fusion of classical and contemporary and a great complement to our 24/7/365 coverage, reporting and analysis on ESPNcricinfo.”

Highlights from the first issue of The Cricket Monthly include:

· IN QUEST OF DHONI — Sidhartha Monga takes a comprehensive look at life and career of India captain, MS Dhoni, and why (perhaps) the highest-profile cricketer in the world is also (perhaps) the most obscured from view.

· THE FINEST BOWLING PAIR — Martin Crowe, Greg Chappell, Farokh Engineer, Mike Selvey and David Frith debate which duo is cricket’s finest-ever bowling partnership.

· WHAT’S UP WITH MONTY? – As India tour England, Vivek Chaudhary examines and evaluates the turbulent career of Monty Panesar.

· JAFFNA’S LOST BOYS – For more than 25 years, civil war brought heartache and hardship in Sri Lanka. But through it all, cricket survived and thrived. Andrew Fernando travelled to Sri Lanka to find out how and why.

Regular features in The Cricket Monthly will include:

· HATE TO LOVE – Famous cricketers write about a rival who earned their respect, even if it came grudgingly.

· THINK YOU KNOW YOURSELF? – A video quiz that challenges players to see how much they actually know about their own careers.

· PHOTO FEATURES – A showcase of the best cricket photography from across the world.

· WORDPLAY – A series of essays from leading cricket writers on words that fans associate with cricket. First up: Malcolm Knox on “momentum”.

· THE ZALTZMEISTER: Renowned cricket-mad comic Andy Zaltzman speculates on what would have happened had historical characters been cricketers.

· HIGH FIVES – A list feature. In the first issue: five classic modern five-Test series.

· THE MATCH THAT CHANGED MY LIFE – Cricketers on crucial games from their careers. First up: Andy Roberts.

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