Cricket Books

Book SynopsisOriginal edition reissued in 2023 with new cover. This is a print on demand title and is not held in stock. The delivery leadtimes will be longer. This book looks at the science behind cricket – not just physics – explaining to the armchair fan and the sportsman alike how many different branches of science come together on a cricket field to produce the end result that is the game that we watch with such passion. This is done in a way that should be understandable to the intelligent layman and to people with a basic grounding in science, but illustrative to people with a deeper understanding of the principles involved.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRajasthan cricket team's inspiring journey from bottom to winning Ranji Trophy, showcasing players' passion, association's support, and Aakash Chopra's account of transformation in domestic cricket grooming.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn hilarious and irreverent examination of the history of cricket.Trade ReviewThe one thing that shines throughout an entertaining and witty read is Blofeld's marked respesct for the game of cricket and its composite parts. * The Independent *Blofeld has a strong feeling for the history of the magnificent game, but his wicked humour and sense of fun can all too often disguise an encyclopaedic knowledge. This is a canter through many of the well-worn tales that surround the game, with a good measure of the more obscure.' * Yorkshire Post *As one would expect, Blofeld's new book is ripe with choiceness of opinion and observation ... of Alec Stewart: 'a magificent cricketer, but a captain who made Ethelred the Unready look hot stuff. * Eastern Daily Press *His enthusiasm for the game is contagious and he has a rare wit, clearly influenced by his love of one of the greatest humourists of the last century, PG Wodehouse. * Telegraph & Argus *Written with Henry Blofeld's contagious sense of humour, CRICKET AND ALL THAT shows cricket as a game that has had a profound effect on the very structure of English life. * Bolton Evening News *A highly readable and impressively factual account. * The Cricketer *...the Blofeld legend provides us all with some warmth and cheer. This book, the great mann's take on the history of the game, is well up to standard. It takes the game at a rattling pace from its medieval oriigins to the present day. * Simon Heffer, Country Life *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe wicketkeeper, known as his sport’s most prolific ‘sledger’, has amassed more than 20 years of stories from his career at the heart of the game and now reveals them in typically outspoken style.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe period from 1993 has been one of the most successful in the history of Glamorgan CCC, with both league and cup victories. This is the story of this wonderful period, told in the players'' own words, and supported by superb photographs by Huw John. It will appeal to all Glamorgan CCC supporters.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGarry Sobers is a cricketing legend, the greatest all-rounder of all time. In this revealing and honest autobiography, Sobers talks about his upbringing and about the tragic accident that inspired him throughout his career. He explains how he helped the West Indies to become the most feared cricketing nation in the world, setting them on a course of success that would run for another 20 years. He also provides authoritative views on the current state of the game and the future of cricket.Trade ReviewThe book is as entertaining as this great player was in his heyday * David Llewellyn, Independent *Cricket fans will be reminded not only how irresistible he was as a cricketer, but also how his uninhibited and generous-spirited personality made him so easy to like and so difficult to forget * Edward Smith, Sunday Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisMarcus Berkmann, author of the cricket classics Rain Men and Zimmer Men, returns to the great game with this gallimaufrey of cricketing trivia, stories and fascinating facts. Which England captain smoked two million cigarettes in his lifetime? Which Australian captain, asked what his favourite animal was, said ''Merv Hughes''? Who was the last person alive who had seen W. G. Grace bat? Which former National Hunt jockey had a dog called Sobers? Who was described in his obituary as ''perhaps the only unequivocally popular man in Yorkshire''?No other sport is so steeped in oddness and eccentricity. Within these pages are brief and pithy character portraits of the game''s great and good, and more cricketers'' nicknames than you will ever need. There''s the only Test player ever to be executed for murder, the only first class cricketer to die on the Titanic, and the only bestselling author to catch fire while playing at Lord''s. (It was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. TheTrade ReviewRather like your perfect cricket tea, comes Marcus Berkmann's fabulous book: well, not so much a book, more an Aladdin's cave of trivia, quizzes Test match reports and some of the best writing about cricket and cricketers you will find . . . full of the kit you have always wanted and stuff you never knew you had. Carry this with you at all times to the match, any match, in case of that dreaded rain break . . . There are riches on every page . . . go and buy this magical book. It's almost as much fun as scoring a century. Almost -- Roger Alton * Daily Mail *An alternative Wisden, and the perfect thing to have in your kit bag for when rajn stops play * The Bookseller *Fantastic stories * Radio Times *This is charming stuff from a writer who has not lost a certain boyish delight in the game or its myths and legends, but he varies the light with some sensitively drawn shade . . . the book serves as a wonderful prop for woollen jumper wearers this summer as they wait for yet another rain delay to pass -- Jack Blackburn * The Times *Berkmann brings the dogged romanticism of the village green to this hugely enjoyable smorgasbord of gossip, anecdote and celebration of the sport's legends -- Sebastian Faulks * Sunday Times *Anyone with the slightest knowledge of the game is likely to find Berkmann's Cricketing Miscellany extremely funny. The book has a confident, but slightly eccentric organisation, giving it the dreamy atmosphere of a sun-dazed game at one of the more beautiful venues * Country Life *A crickipedia! Marcus Berkmann has stories about them all . . . I suspect we shall all be giving one another this book for Christmas -- Francis Wheen * Mail on Sunday *The essential Christmas gift for all cricket-lovers * Spectator *A delightful assemblage of pearls of wisdom and trivia -- Nick Pitt * Sunday Times *Like your best-ever cricket tea, this wonderful book is jam-packed with treats and goodies, trivia, quotes, cartoons and fabulous fun-filled facts about the summer game. The perfect companion to help while away these winter nights . . . The whole thing is magical * Daily Mail *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe story of a lifetime at the very centre of international cricket, from the most respected TV commentator in the game.Few people understand cricket as well as Richie Benaud. For sixty years, as player and commentator, he has set the standards for others to follow and has witnessed all the major events in the game. No one else has found such favour with the vast numbers of cricket lovers in both Britain and Australia.A high-class attacking batsman and masterful legspin bowler, he captained Australia in 28 of his 63 Tests, regaining the Ashes in 1958-59 and taking part in both Laker''s match in 1956 and the Tied Test in 1960. His television career, which began in 1963 while he was still a Test player, has coincided with a period of astonishing change - in the way the game is played, with the increasing popularity of the shorter formats, and in the way it is broadcast, with the innovations that began with World Series Cricket.In Over But Not OTrade ReviewWhat former Australian captain Richie Benaud does not know about cricket is probably not worth knowing. - Sydney Morning Herald Plenty of cricket commentators can, of course, offer opinions on everything to do with the bat and ball but few can deliver them with the gentlemanly grace of Richie Benaud OBE. - The Daily Telegraph Excellent mixture of autobiography and reflection on the game and players past and present. - The Age [Benaud s] formidable memory for old battles and strong opinions on contemporary issues mak it a good dip-in read. - Herald Sun His insights are many and varied. - Sunday Herald Sun Well played sir, well played. - Courier Mail

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhil Tufnell, cricket legend and national treasure, has populated his very own Cricket Hall of Fame with a deliciously eclectic collection of cricket legends and offbeat characters, with joyful results.From boyhood heroes, to legendary team-mates, to fearsome opponents, to idiosyncratic umpires and broadcasters, Tuffers has gathered together the most enchanting cast of cricketing figures every assembled.And it wouldn''t be a Tuffers tome if there weren''t a number of captivating appearances from some unexpected quarters, including some genuinely off-the-wall, non-cricketing inductees to keep life interesting in this very personal Hall of Fame.By turns eccentric and warm-hearted, Tuffers'' Cricket Hall of Fame is a joy for all cricket fans.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWisden Cricketers'' Almanack was first published in 1864, and a new edition has been published every year since then.While limited-edition reprints of every edition of Wisden from 1864 to 1946 have been published over the past few decades, collecting these limited-edition reprints is not cheap as each one has normally been priced between 50 and 100.Now, for the first time, John Wisden & Co is offering a bundle of the print-on-demand reprints of the editions between 1916 and 1919, to allow cricket lovers more affordable access to this historic book which forms such a significant part of the game''s great heritage.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis superb anthology showcases 100 years of peerless writing on the Ashes from The Cricketer magazine. Insightful new contributions from today's best cricket writers including Gideon Haigh, Simon Hughes and Huw Turbervill sit alongside vintage reports, features and comment pieces from greats including Pelham 'Plum' Warner, EW Swanton and Christopher Martin-Jenkins. Relive the brilliance of Don Bradman, Harold Larwood, Jim Laker, Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Botham, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Flintoff and others in this fresh new take on the giants of the game. Featuring Simon Hughes' ultimate Ashes XI, Gideon Haigh's five greatest series and lively detours into the controversies and scandals which have defined sport's greatest contest, this definitive history from the world's foremost cricket magazine is as colourful as the Ashes themselves.Trade ReviewSplendid...There is some great writing here, some great nostalgia, and plenty to keep you entertained on a cold winter's night. Above all, it is a timely reminder of the history and heritage of cricket's greatest rivalry. * Yorkshire Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFormer county cricketer and one-time England Test batsman Alan Butcher was looking for a new challenge after leaving his job coaching Surrey County Cricket Club. A phone call out of the blue from a Zimbabwean great alerted him to the possibility of coaching the nation's cricket team. His three years in charge presents an insight into the at times schizophrenic nature of cricket in this intriguing country. Starting at the point when Butcher was offered the job, he describes the process of moulding a team out of a dispirited and disillusioned group of players. Part cricket memoir, part travelogue, part ode to Zimbabwe, part lament for a beautiful-but-troubled country, The Good Murungu? is a fascinating insight into Zimbabwean cricket.

Read more less