Cricket Books
Printed From: Cricket World
Category: Let's Talk Cricket
Forum Name: General Cricket Talk
Forum Discription: Any Topic
URL: http://www.cricketworld.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=805
Printed Date: 23 May 2013 at 4:56am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.71 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Cricket Books
Posted By: Clobber
Subject: Cricket Books
Date Posted: 20 January 2006 at 1:05pm
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Just having a scan of my bookshelves I appear to have read loads of
cricket related books, and I am sure you guys have too so let's discuss
which ones are the best and which should be avoided. I'll start off with a few older ones; David Gower - The Autobiography A fairly light breezy read, much like a Gower innings. Ghost written by Martin Johnson back when he was still a decent writer there is plenty of wit to be found in these pages which means it is a book I can re-read from time to time and still enjoy. Ian Botham - My Story By rights this should have been the greatest book ever as if anyone had a story to tell it was this guy. Sadly too much of the book is wasted as Botham basically tries to pass on the blame for anything he has ever done wrong and the whole self justification thing gets wearing long before the end which is a shame as there are plenty of good tales that end up being overshadowed. Mystery Spinner - The Story of Jack Iverson This biography is penned by Gideon Haigh, arguably the finest cricket writer around, so as a result we get a comprehensive and compellingly written tale. Iverson developed a peculiar method of spinning the ball, which he gripped between his thumb and middle finger. This enabled him to bowl a wide variety of deliveries, including off-breaks, leg-breaks and googlies, without any change of action, to devastating effect. Coming from basically nowhere he crashed into the Australia team and took 21 wickets at 15 in just 5 tests before injury and lack of confidence caused him to drift away from the game. A fascinating look at an oft overlooked figure. That'll do it for now, I'll add some more in due course. |
Replies:
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 20 January 2006 at 1:44pm
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Few more for you Alec Stewart - Playing for Keeps Pretty much in the image of the Gaffer himself - functional and efficient but rather lacking in a bit of sparkle. It's certainly not a bad read, but aside from a discussion on ball tampering where he is remarkably frank, you can't help but feel Stewie is rather guarded most of the time with the result that at times it tends to become a catalogue of matches rather than in-depth analysis of them. Mike Atherton - Opening Up Now this is more like it. Definitely the best written book I have in my cricket collection, a fact all the more impressive given that Atherton has done the work himself without the aid of a ghost writer. His own achievements are often breezily overlooked in favour of wider discussions and he is not afraid of wry self-deprecation. Cracking book, probably my second favourite that I've read so far. Darren Gough - Dazzler Unlike many it seems, I never particularly warmed to Gough as an individual as I could never escape the feeling that he is his own biggest fan. As a result it was no great surprise that his book could be summarised quite simply as "I'm Darren Gough, I'm dead good me and I don't take no crap off no-one". His constant bellyaching about getting on to the honours board at Lords makes the crueller side of me rather glad that he never made it! |
Posted By: Doctor
Date Posted: 20 January 2006 at 2:09pm
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Clobber, Great topic, i am sure it will be interest to many people. I have lots of books as well and agree with you on the Atherton book - also he did an audio version of this on tape, good listening in the car! I will post some reviews over the next few weeks. ------------- Cricket - the game of Life |
Posted By: -JP-
Date Posted: 20 January 2006 at 3:52pm
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I enjoyed reading Nasser Hussain's biography - 'Playing With Fire'. He certainly didn't pull any punches regarding the ICC/ECB; a weighty volume but worth the read, in my opinion. I agree with Clobber about Atherton's book too. I also read one by Alec Stewart which was a diary of 1998-9 which was interesting but not in the same league as an autobiography as there wasn't much room for anything other than what you could reasonably expect to find in a diary. ------------- |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 20 January 2006 at 4:37pm
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Here I go again :) Andrew Flintoff - Being Freddie As a general rule books by people still playing tend not to be so good as they have to be that little bit more cautious in what they say, particularly about other people. So it proves here, which is a shame as Freddie strikes me as the sort of fellow to call a spade a spade and there are times when you feel there is much more to be said than what is printed. It's a decent enough read, albeit at times descending into "I scored this much against so and so, then took x wickets against them etc etc". It is obvious the book was dashed out to capitalise on his current status, but I have no doubt that should he choose to do another one in a few years it will be far better. Shane Warne - My Autobiography I HAVE read this but can't remember a blessed thing about it, which suggests it can't be very good. Actually that's not true, I can remember two things about it. The first is reading this during his drugs ban and ruefully reflecting on his constant comments throughout the book about how much he is looking forward to the 2003 World Cup. The other thing I remember is thinking that in fact, yes, it wasn't very good. Shame as he is another with a hell of a story to tell. No doubt he'll be doing another one, so hopefully it will be a massive improvement. England's Ashes - The Daily Telegraph Something different to round of this post. I bought this book largely as a souvenir of last summer's phenomenal series. It reproduces all the previews, match reports and reviews as published by the Telegraph newspaper throughout the series and as such is an outstanding time piece. Its one failing is that for some inexplicable reason they evidently haven't done a deal with their colleagues on the Sunday Telegraph to include their pieces, which means that the daily reports from each match never include the Saturday's play - an omission all the greater given that Day 3 at both Edgbaston and Trent Bridge were among the most dramatic of the entire series. |
Posted By: Warne in making
Date Posted: 20 January 2006 at 4:40pm
| Freddies is good. I read Nasser hussains and that was fantastic. I liked his veiw on the 'authoreties' |
Posted By: daisy77
Date Posted: 20 January 2006 at 7:03pm
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this a good topic...but I have not read any of the books mentioned above.... Do you all know the names of any books that Lara wrote? |
Posted By: -JP-
Date Posted: 20 January 2006 at 7:20pm
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Beating The Field (The Story Of My Life) That's one of them anyway. Are there any more? ------------- |
Posted By: warnester
Date Posted: 20 January 2006 at 8:18pm
good topic, im currently reading being freddie ------------- |
Posted By: saadadvanced7
Date Posted: 21 January 2006 at 12:22am
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I've read the following:
All Round View - Imran Khan Cutting Edge - My Autobiography (Javed Miandad) ESPN Legends of Cricket - The Games 25 Greatest Cricket - Techniques, Tactics, and Training Coaching Youth Cricket The best book ever about Cricket facts and Stats The complete Illustrated guide to cricket I've also read Dennis Lillee's and Greame Pollock's autobiographies (I can't remember the names of their autobiographies). |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 21 January 2006 at 4:49pm
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Graham Thorpe - The Autobiography I was really looking forward to this one. With Thorpe's reputation as an anti-establishment figure the omens were promising. Indeed, after the first few chapters where he is amazingly frank about the break-up of his marriage you'll be thinking "wow brave stuff there, can't wait to read him being equally brave about cricket". Alas he doesn't actually shut up about his bloody divorce for the rest of the book and it gets tiresome long before the end. Ed Smith - On & Off The Field Not an autobiography but a diary of Smith's season in 2003, which starts out with him as a decent county player, but then hitting a golden run of form that sees him selected for England against South Africa. It's an honest account of the highs and lows a player can go through in the shortest spaces of time, pretty well written albeit ultimately rather lightweight. This book had a bizarre footnote the following season when Smith stood in as Kent captain only to have Rob Key and Andrew Symonds disregard any instructions he gave, evidently having taken offence at things written about them in the book. Quite what these things were is anyone's guess as there is nothing untoward at first (or indeed second and third) glance, but the end result was Smith leaving Kent for Middlesex. Robin Smith - Quest for Number One Eschewing the biography format Smith instead opts for an often fascinating study on the psychology of batting, including chapters where he talks the reader at length through an innings in both a test and one day international. In many respects this book, published in 1994, was ahead of its time, particularly in light of Smith's devotion to "visualisation" which is now one of cricket's buzzwords. |
Posted By: daisy77
Date Posted: 21 January 2006 at 6:07pm
Thanks.....I will have to get my hands on a copy of that book! |
Posted By: saadadvanced7
Date Posted: 22 January 2006 at 1:47am
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I've also read a book called something like 'The Golden Age of Cricket'.
And I've read a book called something like 'Cricket in the Summer.' I don't think that's the title but its related to cricket in the summer. And I've read a book about cricket in England. |
Posted By: Canadian Rocket
Date Posted: 22 January 2006 at 10:19am
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I've read loads of books regarding cricket, they all give great tips on being a better batsman, thats how I've become this good. Playing Left handed gives you an edge over many batsmen! I dont know how, but it does! ------------- Pakistan Rocks and Own the Cricket Stadium!!! World Cup 2007 here we COME..... |
Posted By: saadadvanced7
Date Posted: 22 January 2006 at 1:26pm
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My favourite book about cricket techniques, tactics, and training, is a book called Cricket - Techniques, Tactics, and Training ------------- Regulation without integration leads to suicide. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 23 January 2006 at 7:41am
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Nice topic Clobber and nice reviews mate - you should take it up professionally!!
I certainly agree that Michael Atherton's book , "Opening Up" has to be one of the best tomes on cricket ever written. The man's personality oozes from every page and I particularly liked the chapter on his confrontation with Allan Donald. For the layman , it gave a fascinating insight in how tough test match cricket is , especially opening the batting against a real speedster! So many books are ghosted and they all have the same format along the lines....where I went to school , when I took up the game , where I played my 1st serious cricket , etc , etc , etc. It's a format that sells , but isn't particularly interesting! I always want to get inside the guy and see what makes him tick - Athers's book did that beautifully. I enjoyed Allan Donald's book , "White Lightning" too - his take on the duel with Atherton was quite different to Athers himself -s'funny how bowlers and batsmen see the game from another perspective! I'm currently halfway through a book on Basil D'Oliveira. A terrific read on one of crickets most amazing stories. The book is really in two halves. The first half about his playing career , the second on the huge controversy about his selection for the 1968 tour of South Africa.I have to say that it's a fantastic read and well worth a look. D'Oliveira is probably the most famous cricketer in the history of the game.The fallout of that decision to ban him by the SA government must be THE most front page news around the globe since bodyline. What strikes one instantly whilst reading the book is the wonderful dignity of the man. At no time did he say anything to inflame an already boiling cauldron ,the man clearly is highly intelligent and a true gentleman. What's also clear is the MCC were duplicitous b*stards and colluded with the South African government in trying to keep the tour alive. It hides nothing and there must be many red faces at Lords today. Colin Cowdrey comes out very badly , he was willing to sacrifice D'Oliveira , but openly supported him to the media. John Arlott comes out well , an avid hater of Apartheid and a great help in securing D'Oliveira a place in the Lancashire League. E.W.Swanton , the Telegraph correspondent , on the other hand gets a hammering - he simply is not a nice guy!! I've forgotten who the author is , but will edit tomorrow with the information ! Go get it fellas , it contains all you need to know of that historic time ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: surenj
Date Posted: 23 January 2006 at 11:58am
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I've just started reading Out of My Comfort Zone, Steve Waugh's autobiography which seems to be a good yarn. Also worth mentioning, if you like a bit of a chuckle, the Warwick Todd books (as told to Tom Gleisner, a comedian/tv personality down under) |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 24 January 2006 at 4:08pm
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I've currently got about 3 books either being read or waiting to be
read and will talk about them in due course. In the meantime, I've
saved the best for last (for the time being....) Nasser Hussain - Playing With Fire Quite simply the best cricket book I have ever read. It's not the finest piece of prose you'll come across - it strikes me as a book that has been written over a number of periods, which would account for the often irritating repetition of certain phrases, for instance the number of times Hussain refers to someone "playing like God". That minor quibble aside, strap in and get ready for an unflinchingly honest account of one man's battle with...well pretty much everyone he comes into contact with! Much like his on-field demeanour, Nasser takes a confrontational approach to his book and delves into dressing room politics, sledging and wider subjects without ever holding back his opinions. I am sure the likes of Tim Lamb, Malcolm Speed, Ian Botham, Chris Schofield and Mike Gatting will cringe more than a little at what is said about them herein, whilst others like Derek Pringle and Andrew Caddick emerge in a far more positive light than the general public perception of them. When I got this book I read it in about two days, then promptly re-read it, it really is that captivating. Always frank, often funny, invariably furious but never anything less than fascinating. |
Posted By: -JP-
Date Posted: 24 January 2006 at 6:26pm
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I really enjoyed Hussain's book too, if I remember rightly, he wasn't too complimentary about Boycott either. ------------- |
Posted By: saadadvanced7
Date Posted: 24 January 2006 at 11:53pm
We've got a lot of talented writers here...  ------------- Regulation without integration leads to suicide. |
Posted By: prayas
Date Posted: 29 January 2006 at 5:52pm
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well done cricketers!!! they proved themselves in the field of writing as well ------------- eat cricket,sleep cricket, dream cricket,play cricket,.,,,,,,,,,,, |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 6:55am
Not all of them mate!! The great majority of books are written by serious authors , not by the cricketers themselves. Even autobiographies are often ghost written. Michael Atherton most definitely did write his own book , but so many others did not - they'd battle to string a sentence together!! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: MiNiWaRnEy
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 7:02am
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Very true, one guy who is a good wirter is Stephen Waugh, he gets help from nobody. I have 6 or 7 of his diaries and his autobio which is a door stop at 800 pages but it is excellent.
Glenn McGrath can not write for ****, pathetic really. Keep ya day job Glenn! ------------- |
Posted By: Roscoe
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 7:12am
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Posted By: cricket_mstr
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 7:43am
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I will never read any of those books you guys have listed, especially that English stuff I'm reading RICKY PONTING's ASHES DIARY And read BEST OF BEVAN, Steve waughs Captains Diaries and his autobiography |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 7:56am
Then you're missing out ! If you were a REAL cricket enthusiast you'd read anything and everything from the cricket section of your local library. Xenophobia really gets my dander up ! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: MiNiWaRnEy
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 8:03am
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Yes, well I enjoy the odd book by Christopher Martin-Jenkins myself. ------------- |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 8:10am
A fine writer mate. He's still scribbling away for The London Times too. ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: MiNiWaRnEy
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 8:11am
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That's great, it is good to see a non-player cricket writer. I like stuff from Jim Maxwell and Kersi Meher-Homji aswell, good stuff! ------------- |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 8:15am
Not read them mate - where will I find them? ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: MiNiWaRnEy
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 8:48am
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Ummm, I am not sure, try a public library, I doubt you will find them at many if any book stores in CT...hmmm, you would probably only easily find them in Aus, NZ and Britain. A shame really if you do not get a chance to read them. ------------- |
Posted By: prayas
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 4:07pm
i cannot even find a single book related to cricket where i live. this place really stinks ------------- eat cricket,sleep cricket, dream cricket,play cricket,.,,,,,,,,,,, |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 4:16pm
| How about on Amazon? |
Posted By: charliemacko
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 4:39pm
| anybody know any good books on cricket bat making?! or cricket bat's, or just equipment? |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 30 January 2006 at 5:47pm
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Here's a good book I forgot about during my initial round-up Boycs: The True Story - Leo McKinstry With such a fascinating subject you could argue that McKinstry cannot really go wrong here, but what really elevates this into something special is the author's achievement in providing a genuinely balanced account of this most controversial figure - indeed the player's long term partner evidently advised McKinstry that the book was "pretty fair". Boycott's story is told in great detail with contributions from many figures who have encountered him down the years, and whilst he is unquestionably a somewhat insecure, selfish and conceited individual, he also comes across as loyal and generous to those who earn his trust, whilst I for one was surprised and amused to read of just how successful a ladies' man Sir Geoffrey has been down the years! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 31 January 2006 at 5:26am
Not me Clobber , Geoffrey was always straight !! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 29 March 2006 at 8:51am
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Wake up fellas !! Anyone read a good book recently , if so , tell us about it here.
Don't let Clobs' good thread fade away lads.... ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 29 March 2006 at 9:25am
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Michael Vaughan - Calling The Shots Another one I am fairly indifferent about. At times Vaughan speaks his mind quite freely - on Graeme Smith for example - yet as with other books written by guys still playing you are constantly left with the feeling there is more to be said. An interesting, intelligent guy with a lot to say, he can do better I am sure. Gideon Haigh - Game for Anything A collection of writings by this excellent scribe, perhaps not to everyone's taste especially where Haigh puts on his historian's hat and delves into 100 year old tales. That said the section on the birth of the MCG is excellent, although where the book really shines is when dealing with more modern matters be it player profiles (he typically has an eye for the less obvious player - Chris Tavare being one) or the issues surrounding the game. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 29 March 2006 at 10:27am
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An eye for the less obvious player Clob? He must have married into the family !!
Blimey , if Chris Tavare was 21 today , they'd be no need for tranquillisers - just go watch him bat for a session - pure purgatory!!  ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 29 March 2006 at 12:04pm
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I think at 21 Chris was actually quite an attacking player ;) It was later on he ground to a halt! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 18 April 2006 at 2:25pm
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Just finished this one and it is well worth a read. Gideon Haigh - Ashes 2005 Yet another Haigh book in my collection, and an absolute gem to boot. If you are only going to read one book about this already legendary series, it should be this one. Born in England, but raised in Australia with one paren't from each country and holding passports for both, Haigh will always refer to himself as a proud Australian...except that he lets slip that he has always supported England at cricket. That said he is coming from as balanced a starting point as you could have and this comes across in his writing here which is, as usual, nothing short of captivating throughout. The book is his collected works throughout the Summer of 2005 for various publications and thus how he saw things at the time in question instead of a hindsight aided memoire. It captures the essence of the time, as "cricket fever" took hold whilst in a wider cricketing context the vast majority of his thoughts are spot on here. As an added bonus the book is also extremely funny at times with numerous digs hitting the mark - such as the one about the makers of Merlyn being unlikely to want to use Ian Bell as an endorsement for their machine! Very highly recommended. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 19 April 2006 at 2:38pm
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Haigh is top class Clobs , I'll get the lass to look for it this weekend!! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: -JP-
Date Posted: 25 May 2006 at 3:52pm
I've just bought this, mainly because, one year on from the Ashes, I found it for £4.99, reduced from £20 odd. |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 25 May 2006 at 5:11pm
I was gonna buy Steve Waugh's at the weekend but it was £25  It's about ten quid cheaper on Amazon I think |
Posted By: Clapo
Date Posted: 06 June 2006 at 7:54am
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I've just started reading Glenn McGraths 2003 world cup diary, Also, i'm in the process of reading Ricky Pontings Ashes 2005 Diary. It's well worth a read, much better than Glenn's wc diary. Have any of you pommie chaps ever had the pleasure of listening to Kerry O'Keefe commentate ? He's a crack up, you'll never listening to him, and feel disappointed, anyway, his book, "According to Skull" is fantastic as well. The mans a larrikin, and his book is just like him, brings a smile to your face, and leaves you on the edge, not wanting to put the book down. ------------- 5-0 You Beauty!!!!! Thanks for the many fantastic memories Marto, Langer, Warney & Pidg |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 06 June 2006 at 8:09am
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Not heard O'Keefe Claps , does he only do radio broadcasting?
I remember him bowling though , decent , but didn't scare me like Warne , Cope and MacGill have done! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Clapo
Date Posted: 06 June 2006 at 8:13am
Yeah, he broadcasts on the ABC, the man is a walking joke. He made the South African innings of the 20/20 match at the gabba interesting, which is saying something (SA was batting like it was a test match). Yeah he often mentions bowling pies  ------------- 5-0 You Beauty!!!!! Thanks for the many fantastic memories Marto, Langer, Warney & Pidg |
Posted By: Captain_Amazing
Date Posted: 07 June 2006 at 5:14am
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Sledge, Kerry O'Keefe is really really funny. I think his greatest attribute though is his awful laugh at all of his own jokes! I am a poor student (!) but am keen on purchasing a copy of Wasim Akram's autobiograhy titled 'Wasim'. I would like to know if anybody has read it and what they think of it... Also, does anyone have any comments on shopping on Amazon.com?? All the books look cheap but i have to pay for international postage and then wait 500 years for it to get to Australia... Would it be worth it? |
Posted By: cricket_mstr
Date Posted: 07 June 2006 at 5:51am
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I'd hate to read any books on the 2005 Ashes apart from Ricky Ponting's. I don't know how the best series every could have result in having the home team winning. Might have been a good revenge series for England and might have been their best win. But there is no way I'd read all about it. ------------- Cricket watcher but tennis player :) |
Posted By: Clapo
Date Posted: 14 June 2006 at 6:41am
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Why does the home team winning in any way detract from the greatness of any series??? Anyway, back on the topic of Books. Sometimes i Forgot to Laugh - Peter Roebuck This is is definetly worth a read. The man is a genius with words, few can describe cricket the way he can. The book starts off with Peter's upbringing, his career with Somerset, playing with Sunil Gavaskar, & against the likes of Viv Richards. Then continues on to his career as a journalist & cricket writer, and radio commentator for the ABC. Definetly worth a read if you have the time. I for 1 not only love his writing skill, but his work in the commentary box. IMO it is up there, if not equal to that of Richie Benaud, he's an outstanding commentator who i hope to have the pleasure of listening to for many a year to come, and an even better cricket writer. If you ever get a chance to read, or hear some of his work, i suggest you grasp the opportunity with both hands. ------------- 5-0 You Beauty!!!!! Thanks for the many fantastic memories Marto, Langer, Warney & Pidg |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 14 June 2006 at 6:50am
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No mention of Beefy there Claps - it's well known that they hated one another! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Roscoe
Date Posted: 14 June 2006 at 7:42am
Yeh, as Clapo says he is on the ABC commentary team. Not a lot of commentary goes on, as the entire studio is usually laughing uncontrollably. Kerry O'Keeffe's book is good for a laugh. I particularly liked the chapter on the 1977 Sydney to London drinking competition, where he presents the participants in the style of a horse-racing form guide. Doug Walters, odds 5-2 Entitled to favouritism. Has undeniable results over long distances. Trained to the minute. A real stayer. Will be hard to run down over the final stages. Possibly has two livers. |
Posted By: Clapo
Date Posted: 14 June 2006 at 8:36am
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haven't completely finished reading it yet sledg, only half way through it, and there has been no mention of beefy yet, but i think the blurb on the back did mention him. What i have read so far though is truly facinating, and the Foward by Kerry O'Keefe, and Introduction by Harsha Bohgle are 2 fantastic bits of writing in their own right to set the scene. ------------- 5-0 You Beauty!!!!! Thanks for the many fantastic memories Marto, Langer, Warney & Pidg |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 14 June 2006 at 8:47am
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I'll be looking for it in our local shops - I enjoy a book without all the usual platitudes and suchlike! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 15 June 2006 at 11:44pm
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THE ART OF SPIN AND BATTING UM This book is something special. I bought it and it had in how to bowl the six leggy variations and thats how I learned um. It also had in how to bat spinners and boy I tell you , I am one of the finest player of spin now
------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: cricket_mstr
Date Posted: 21 June 2006 at 4:46am
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I'd imagine it would be a laugh he wrote a very funny article on great WI and SA players. He did a SA vs. WI alltime XI, whilst at the same time humorily reminising memories of him being hit out of the park with a big six by them and being clean bowled by some of the WI greats. ------------- Cricket watcher but tennis player :) |
Posted By: saadadvanced7
Date Posted: 21 June 2006 at 4:58am
Thank you so very much for telling me the title of Wasim Akram's autobiography. I knew he had an autobiography but I didn't know the title of it for so long. But now I do and somehow I will get my hands on that book. ------------- Regulation without integration leads to suicide. |
Posted By: manning
Date Posted: 23 June 2006 at 9:36am
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The one book you absolutely MUST own: Smith, Tom - Cricket Umpiring and Scoring The definitive (and only authorised) guide to interpreting the laws of cricket. It is also the textbook of every umpire on the planet, from Steve Bucknor to the guys umpiring D-grade bush/village cricket. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0297646044/203-5653557-0367101 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0297646044/203-5653 557-0367101 |
Posted By: Clapo
Date Posted: 06 July 2006 at 2:38pm
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Just finished Gideon Haighs "A Fair Field & No Favours", despite the fact that we lost the ashes and the book brought back many bad memories I've now moved on to "Caught" it goes deep into the whole cronje debacle and all other sorts of match fixing, and is quite interesting so far!! ------------- 5-0 You Beauty!!!!! Thanks for the many fantastic memories Marto, Langer, Warney & Pidg |
Posted By: dips_december
Date Posted: 18 July 2006 at 5:50am
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Are the boks "Out of my Comfort Zone" by Steve Waugh and "Being Freddie" good ? ------------- |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 18 July 2006 at 9:06am
| Being Freddie is okay but nothing more than that. I haven't read the Waugh book yet. |
Posted By: dips_december
Date Posted: 18 July 2006 at 5:30pm
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Thanks Clobs ------------- |
Posted By: -JP-
Date Posted: 19 July 2006 at 10:23pm
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Quite right Clobs - I'm glad I didn't pay full whack for it as I'd
have been a little disappointed. |
Posted By: dips_december
Date Posted: 30 July 2006 at 6:22am
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John Wright's book was released and he has written much about Ganguly ,saying that Ganguly was responsible for getting the captaincy and was also responsoible for getting sacked .He said that their relationship got restrained in the last few days of Wright's tenure as coach and that Ganguly wanted a new coach .Wright has also said that he was happy that Ganguly's not in the team anymore . I got to say when he was doing well he was GREAT now that he has benn axed a hole lot of new and old controversies are coming up against him .Just like what has happened to G. Jones . ------------- |
Posted By: -JP-
Date Posted: 04 December 2006 at 1:40pm
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Thought I'd resurrect this thread with a review of Kevin Pietersen's book, Crossing The Boundary. Whether or not you take the view that an autobiography by Pietersen published in 2006 is indicative of publishers cashing in on England's Ashes success, Pietersen is certainly a man with a story to tell, arguably more so than many of his England colleagues. And it is a story of life-changing decisions, hard work and brutal honesty about himself and those characters he has met along the way. Pietersen recounts his time as an active sportsman in his youth, through to his frustration with the South African quota system which eventually made up his mind to leave for England, his desire to eventually play for his adopted country, his fall-out with Nottinghamshire, his incredible return to South Africa as an England player and of course the summer of 2005, where his confidence in his own ability paid off and he showed everybody just what Kevin Pietersen is made of. But then, what did we expect from a book to which KP has put his name? His confidence jumps out at you from the pages, and when you discover just what he has had to go through, it suddenly begins to make a little more sense. Here is someone who is like he is because of what he's been through, and it is England's gain that he is. At the end of most chapters, KP allows the likes of Clive Rice, Nasser Hussain and Ian Botham, amongst others, their chance to write about him. It's an interesting idea, and adds a different dimension – KP giving his critics the chance to bite back. Summary This is far from the worst of the post-Ashes cricket book boom, and for someone with quite a story to tell, it definitely crosses the boundary leaving those books that are made for the sake of it behind, and approaching the territory of those books which genuinely should be written. |
Posted By: fishcake14
Date Posted: 04 December 2006 at 6:42pm
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There's a good book called The Rainmen- very funny. ------------- |
Posted By: MiNiWaRnEy
Date Posted: 05 December 2006 at 9:03am
Chris Tavare makes Dravid and Gillespie look like a baseball slugger! ------------- |
Posted By: daisy77
Date Posted: 11 December 2006 at 10:50pm
 It's a good thing. It's really interesting as a supporter to know exactly what cricketers are thinking. They have to really decorate their statements to the press but in the books they seem to relax more when making statements and we get a better idea or what they are like. I do remember him speaking freely on Graeme Smith but he does respect him though.
Smith should write a book that would be great to hear what Smith thinks!  ------------- |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 12 December 2006 at 6:22am
Please spare us that !!! Graeme Smith isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer Daisy - like most sportsmen/women , it'll have to be a ghosted effort - unless it's going to target the under 7's !! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: daisy77
Date Posted: 12 December 2006 at 2:56pm
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Well he may not be the most intelligent person alive but whatever he writes would be straight from the heart! ------------- |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 10 January 2007 at 6:41am
I concur JP ! I received this book
for Christmas (it must've been on special!) and I've only just managed
to finish it. Hussein gives a real incite inot the modern
game of cricket , both nationally and internationally.
Refreshingly honest and lacking in the usual cliches and platitudes ,
it confirms what most assessments of the man were - straightforward and
someone who doesn't suffer fools gladly. Highly recommended , on a par with Atheron's "Opening Up". ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 10 January 2007 at 9:35am
| yup, those are definitely the 2 best cricket books I have read. I've got a few new ones recently so can add to this thread when I actually get some time to read them. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 10 January 2007 at 9:38am
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Work and young lads Clobs - you'll have time to read in about 15 years !
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Chin Music
Date Posted: 10 January 2007 at 10:51am
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I don't know if anyone else has read Brearley's The Art of Captaincy, but that's a very interesting read. If a little over the head of the average club cricketer a lot of the time!
------------- Turnham Green CC Fast bowler & middle/lower-order bat |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 10 January 2007 at 12:37pm
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No CM , but I want to! Nasser refers to that tome on numerous occasions.
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Chin Music
Date Posted: 10 January 2007 at 3:48pm
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It's a good book. I've only read it once though, and I don't think that's really enough, especially for a non-professional level cricketer. A lot of the specifics are irelevant to a club captain since it is far too complicated and you won't have the players good enough to make it work at your disposal, but more importantly the general advice and the approach to the game are very enlightening at any level ------------- Turnham Green CC Fast bowler & middle/lower-order bat |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 11 January 2007 at 5:27am
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I'll mention to the missus and my daughter , birthday in May!
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: DRAVID FAN
Date Posted: 11 January 2007 at 8:46pm
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Recently there was book by Greg Chappell on how to become a legend, which I thought was totally whack. Does anyone know anything about it. ------------- |
Posted By: spin wizard
Date Posted: 11 January 2007 at 8:50pm
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I have only read about 2 or 3 cricket books. One is the wisden 141 edition and a book all about Sir Gary Sobers and I can't remember what its name is.
It's a great book! It tells all about Gary when he was young growing up in school playing cricket on your knees and whoever owned the ball or bat was in control either (one of them was the hardest to get; I can't remember and that's why they were in control). It then tell about how he got into cricket at a recognizeable level and when he first came into the West Indies side and then about most of the tours of his career. A great book it is! ------------- In troubled times, being philosophical helps a great deal, it helps you to remain sane and not do any further damage. |
Posted By: W.G.
Date Posted: 12 January 2007 at 6:08am
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If you read only one book about cricket
this year read Penguins Stopped Play by Harry Thompson. The
Rainmen, previously referenced, spurred Thompson to write this book setting
out, as it did, a rather less that accurate account of the team founded by
Thompson 'Captain Scott's Invitation XI'. Yes the Rainmen (and The Zimmermen) is
funny, but Penguins tells the story
of Captain Scott’s XI from the horse’s mouth.
For those of you, like me, who have spent many years opening the batting
for a bits n bobs bunch of stay together cricketers, through rain, sun, hail,
snow and varying degrees of opposition, you will connect with Harry Thompson
and realise the genius behind Have I Got
News For You was a giant of a man. RIP Harry Thompson; play on the Scotties!! ------------- When you win the toss - bat. If you are in doubt, think about it - then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague - then bat. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 12 January 2007 at 7:31am
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I'll be in Exclusive Books this weekend and get it ordered if
it's not in stock WG. The international players get the greatest
acclaim , but the spirit and soul of cricket is carried by the rag tag
groups who play for the sheer love of the game. Long may Harry Thompson's legacy prosper! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 31 March 2007 at 12:51am
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Time to add a little to this... Crossing the Boundary - Kevin Pietersen JP's review up the page is pretty much on the money here. If you've read the thread you'll know I am pretty sceptical about books written by guys still in the midst of their careers and this is another case in point. Whilst KP is happy to dish on Ali Bacher et all he keeps his cards to his chest on matters closer to (his current) home - for example he alludes to certain players who blew their chances with the England Academy without actually naming names. One thing I would say is his love for the sport shines through and is to be commended. The idea of having others add comments at the end of chapters only half works, partially due to the occasionally tortuous manner in which his ghost writer tries to make it look seamlessly integrated, but it is to the credit of all concerned that even semi-critical comments such of those from Stuart MacGill are included. Many a Slip - Gideon Haigh Again if you've read the thread you'll know I am a fan of this writer, and here he offers something distinctly different from previous efforts, being a diary of one season with his own club, the Yarras. Anyone who has played club cricket will recognise and rejoice in huge chunks of this book - notably the commitee selections boiling down to those who failed to rule themselves out by being on holiday etc, and close team selections dependant on whose wife makes the better teas! In an all too brief read Haigh brings the characters to life as it turns into a successful year for the Yarras. An enjoyably warm look at a season that has resonance for anyone who has ever mucked in a lower level cricket. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 05 July 2007 at 10:23am
My daughter bought this book for me for Father's Day Clobs (cheapskate got it for a song!) . I have to say it's rather tame. Except for the Smith dig and a little nip at Nasser Hussain , there's little of interest. Vaughan practically reproduces accounts of his tests as captain in much the same manner as a newspaper article. We get the best bowling performances , batting highlights and the result , no real substance at all. It lacks meat , no controversy and little insight into the characters within the dressing room. A pretty dull affair that'll gather dust along with many other sporting autobiographies in the Sledger household. ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 05 July 2007 at 11:02am
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It's Not Cricket - Simon Rae A book all about skulduggery dealing with sharp practice including match fixing, throwing, ball tampering and sledging among it's various topics. Rae is it at his best when the subject is long in the past; 19th century matchfixing is covered in entertaining detail, the character of WG Grace shines from the pages frequently and the Bodyline chapter is outstanding. More recent events are dealt with but fail to capture the reader in anything like the same way - perhaps as in many instances we are already familiar with the stories and Rae doesn't really add anything new. Ashes 2006/7 - Downed Under - Gideon Haigh The inevitable sequel to Haigh's marvellous Ashes 2005 is another collection of his various articles written during the series. Much like the series itself however the book never quite takes off and ends up as a fairly perfunctory set of match reports that lack the magic of the 2005 edition. I have a couple of books on the shelf awaiting my attention but I need to do some bodybuilding before I can even lift the Steve Waugh book first. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 05 July 2007 at 2:01pm
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Fine doorstop , that Waugh tome matey!!
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: -JP-
Date Posted: 05 July 2007 at 2:06pm
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I've read a couple more recently: Shane Warne - Spun Out - Paul Barry Shane had nothing do with this book, and wanted no-one else to, hence it's an unofficial biography. I was most disappointed, as within the first few pages, I'd picked out a number of factual inaccuracies, such as claiming Warne was involved in the 2005 NatWest Challenge which rather left me to doubt much of what else was written. A lot of the time he seems to try and rubbish what Warne himself has written in his own life stories which makes for sometimes uncomfortable reading. But if he couldn't get the bare facts right, can the rest of the book be trusted? As time goes by, there will be several books written about the great man, but in my view this isn't one that deserves to stand out. Andrew Strauss - Coming Into Play As with most books written by players still in the game, this one won't cause any great shakes, but at least Strauss is intelligent enough to make it a half-decent read. No controversy, as you'd expect, and some salient points about the one-day team and why we're no good was the highlight. Otherwise it's more or less as Vaughan's book described by Sledger above - little more than a potted history of career highlights. Penguins Stopped Play - Harry Thompson This is a fantastic book about one of the worst sides ever (no, not England) embarking on a number of foreign tours and detailing their adventures along the way. I would highly recommend this one, being funny, beautifully written and captivating from the farcical beginnings to the tragic end. ------------- |
Posted By: scuudz
Date Posted: 05 July 2007 at 3:48pm
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Has anyone read Wally Hammond's Cricket: My World ?
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Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 05 July 2007 at 3:57pm
| hopefully he has |
Posted By: scuudz
Date Posted: 05 July 2007 at 3:59pm
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Unfortunately, he is not on this forum now, is he? Although, it might just be a matter of time. We've already got the Dr. on board. |
Posted By: W.G.
Date Posted: 10 July 2007 at 5:33pm
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Doctor Who?
------------- When you win the toss - bat. If you are in doubt, think about it - then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague - then bat. |
Posted By: scuudz
Date Posted: 11 July 2007 at 1:07am
| You, of all people, should know. |
Posted By: W.G.
Date Posted: 13 July 2007 at 12:15pm
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Sorry Scuudz, it was wasted on you!
------------- When you win the toss - bat. If you are in doubt, think about it - then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague - then bat. |
Posted By: scuudz
Date Posted: 16 July 2007 at 4:45pm
| Yes it was, sorry. Its been that kind of a month!! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 27 July 2007 at 10:34am
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500-1 The Miracle of Headingley 81 - Rob Steen & Alastair McLellan Oh dear, I was looking forward to this one only to come away with thoroughly mixed feelings and the overriding conclusion that the authors simply weren't up to the task of conveying the Herculean events of these five days. Steen and McLellan are perhaps not helped by Mike Brearley's sparkling foreword, which only serves to magnify the moribund nature of their own prose as they plunge firstly into a social discourse of 1981 Britain that would embarass a school Sixth Former then into a lifeless view on the state of domestic cricket at the time Most repugnant of all are the pre-match pen portraits of the players, intended to read as though written ahead of the match yet dripping with the benefit of hindsight thus coming across as irredeemably smug - we get knowing nods towards Dilley's batting, Gatting's catching and especially nauseating a discourse on Peter Willey's temperant concluding with "He'd make a top-notch umpire". Fortunately the dramas of days 4 and 5 speak for themselves and finally the books lifts of and rattles along with page turning insistence for a couple of cracking chapters. Perhaps unsurprisingly it is during these passages that the authors take more of a back seat and allow the eyewitness accounts and the amazing events to take centre stage and for once the match has the book it deserves. Thereafter the book almost manages to avoid the inevitable anti-climax by throwing in some semi-interesting chapters (the groundsman's tale, what happened to the match ball and 'where are they now') alongside the sheer mundanity of what it supposedly meant in the long run and the recollections of random spectators (who cares?). This could - and should - have been so much better. |
Posted By: daisy77
Date Posted: 10 August 2007 at 12:01am
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Anyone ever read "My Spin on Cricket" by Richie Benaud? I didn't read it yet but I was looking at the pictures in it and hopefully it's good. I don't know a lot about the past players so it should be educational. LOL. ------------- |
Posted By: SK Warne
Date Posted: 11 August 2007 at 7:45pm
Save your money; it's a mind-numbingly contrived effort. |
Posted By: SK Warne
Date Posted: 11 August 2007 at 7:46pm
If you're looking for a Benaud book that reads as well as he commentated, this most certainly isn't the one. |
Posted By: SK Warne
Date Posted: 11 August 2007 at 7:49pm
Thanks. That one'd been on my wishlist for ages; it looks like I'd've been wholly disappointed. |
Posted By: SK Warne
Date Posted: 11 August 2007 at 7:53pm
Please, no! |
Posted By: daisy77
Date Posted: 12 August 2007 at 12:22am
Well I guessing that you read it but I think I'll still read it. LOL...I don't have to buy it so there's nothing to lose in reading it....LOL ------------- |