The Good Murungu - Alan Butcher
Former England international Alan Butcher coached Zimbabwe for three years between 2010 and 2013 and 'The Good Murungu' is his story of his time in charge.
It is in various parts a cricket memoir, a travelogue, an ode to Zimbabwe and a lament for the country, and offers an intriguing insight into cricket in Zimbabwe.
Butcher headed to Zimbabwe following an unexpected phone call from a Zimbabwean great after leaving his job with Surrey, and he goes on to describe the process of building a team out of dispirited and disillusioned players.
When accepting the job, he knew he faced a challenge in preparing them to take on the world's best teams, but he didn't realise that he would face just as many challenges from within the Zimbabwean set-up itself.
But, despite everything he went through, including two car crashes, accusations of racially motivated selections, he left the country with a deep fondness for Zimbabwe and its people - and memorably led the side to their first Test win six years and ODI success over South Africa.
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AUTHOR DETAILS
Alan Butcher has spent more than forty years in professional cricket as a player and coach. He played county cricket for Surrey and Glamorgan and represented England in one Test match and one ODI.
Following coaching spells with Essex and Surrey he became Zimbabwe coach in 2010. Perhaps better known these days as England batsman Mark Butcher's father, this is his first book.
PUBLICATION DETAILS
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd (1 April 2016)
ISBN-10: 178531131X
ISBN-13: 978-1785311314
RRP: £12.99