Six reasons to pick up the February issue of The Cricketer!

The February issue of The Cricketer previews England's Test series in India, as well as asking if the modern player is being asked to do much in the cover feature, 'Mind and body'…

You can buy a copy of the issue online HERE or SUBSCRIBE HERE! Here's what's in the mag...

1. "'The Hundred has been a huge success.' Recall those words when England's shortfalls are exposed against spin once more"

George Dobell hears county chairmen laud The Hundred, then ponders what good it will do England in their Test series in India.

2. "The key thing is to react quickly. Conditions can change so quickly. You have to be alive to that and go with your instincts. That's something I think Ben Stokes will do very well"

Jonathan Trott tells us how he believes England can win in India.

^{India on the horizon}

3. "The adrenaline from playing late-night cricket in front of packed-out crowds makes achieving beneficial, restorative sleep virtually impossible, further complicated by the reliance on consecutive matchdays"

Nick Friend says the relentlessness of the domestic schedule makes it unsustainable in its current form, with player welfare and high performance being compromised to satisfy other stakeholders.

4. "Australia played at Derby on July 28-30 1948… then they caught the overnight train to Swansea. They arrived at dawn, for the start of their match against Glamorgan (on July 30, and August 2–3). 'Invincibles' they may have been, but that must have tested the strength of any cricketer"

Huw Turbervill recalls how players of the past endured overnight train travel, booze-fuelled motorway dashes and being bowled into the ground.

^{Player welfare in focus}

5. "To take the matchwinning wicket, you dream about these things growing up. To do it in Mumbai after 21 years without a win in India and play a significant role is something I'll never forget"

England's 2005/06 series in India, and Andrew Flintoff's 'ring of fire' rally cry, is recalled in Eyewitness – Shaun Udal says.

6. "The franchises are voracious. I see Test cricket as becoming the acetate 78 and gramophone of the game"

Mike Selvey reflects on the troubling news that South Africa are sending a reserve squad to fulfil a Test series in New Zealand.

^{England's 2005/06 series in India}

Elsewhere... Vic Marks hails the potential of his fellow Somerset offspinner and shock England call-up, Shoaib Bashir; Nat Sciver-Brunt tells Annesha Ghosh how having a break has recharged her batteries; David Gower says there’s (Shai) Hope for Caribbean cricket yet after watching West Indies beat England in the ODIs and T20Is; Colin Croft comes off his long run to explain why West Indies players take the franchise buck; Taha Hashim writes about his favourite cricketer, Brendon McCullum; and Anindya Dutta writes about the late Bishan Bedi.

You can buy a copy of the issue online HERE or SUBSCRIBE HERE!