Cricket photocalls are for the most part dull events - sometimes the aftermath makes for better photos - but photographer Matthew Lewis caught a magical moment when Nottinghamshire lined up for their annual shoot before the 2022 county season. An unseasonal snow flurry turned the otherwise staid shot into a Christmas card - in March - and won Lewis the Wisden Photograph of the Year.
Though unseasonal weather is now pretty much part of the English summer experience, snow has been interrupting the County Championship for a while now. In the photo below, Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison made a case for turning cricket into a winter sport when the opening day of the County Championship in April 1999 was snowed out.
Batters can't read a snow ball out the hand
Batters can't read a snow ball out the handPA Photos/Getty Images
In 2008, Jeetan Patel came suitably prepared for New Zealand's summer tour of England - and possibly a bank heist.
The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is looking a bit underfunded
The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is looking a bit underfundedGetty Images
Ian Botham says the weather is no excuse to not mind your Ps and Qs.
No one's getting Beefy to spill the tea
No one's getting Beefy to spill the teaGetty Images
In New Zealand, Super Smash games are BYOB - bring your own blanket.
"Come to the cricket, they said. It'll be fun, they said"
"Come to the cricket, they said. It'll be fun, they said"Getty Images
Climate change means that the County Championship season is now snowbound on one end, soggy in the middle and an arid wasteland in late summer. Last year, England faced near-drought conditions in August, which turned cricket grounds into dust bowls.
How green is your alley: a groundsman in Kent prepares pitches for matches in July 2022
How green is your alley: a groundsman in Kent prepares pitches for matches in July 2022Getty Images

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The subcontinent, of course, is no stranger to heat waves. But Indian summers pale in comparison to what Australia and Pakistan had to endure during their Test series Sharjah in 2002, when afternoon temperatures frequently touched 50°C. Andy Bichel had to be put on a drip after bowling a spell, Shoaib Akhtar writes in his book about blacking out after a couple of overs and Matthew Hayden said he took six months to recover from the series.
Desert for lunch: a thermometer clocks the temperature in Sharjah at a cool 48 after the second session in one of the two October 2002 Tests
Desert for lunch: a thermometer clocks the temperature in Sharjah at a cool 48 after the second session in one of the two October 2002 TestsGetty Images
You know how they say it takes sweat, blood and tears to make it big in cricket? At least some of that is literal.
Umar Akmal adds some much-needed moisture to the pitch during the Asia Cup in Dhaka in 2014
Umar Akmal adds some much-needed moisture to the pitch during the Asia Cup in Dhaka in 2014AFP
While players are constantly being plied with drinks, ice-packs and cold towels, will no one think of the umpires?
Fall of an umpire: wake Asad Rauf when summer ends
Fall of an umpire: wake Asad Rauf when summer endsGallo Images/Getty Images
The dress code in the Caribbean is always beach-casual, even if you're a cameraman.
The sheet is on: a cameraperson works on his tan while on the job in Trinidad
The sheet is on: a cameraperson works on his tan while on the job in TrinidadEMPICS/Getty Images
And no matter the temperature, Morne Morkel shows you the importance of accessorising correctly with your outfit.
No more Mr Ice Guy: Morne has a cool head on his shoulders
No more Mr Ice Guy: Morne has a cool head on his shouldersGallo Images/Getty Images