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cricket-books
Michael Vaughan’s autobiography: Time to Declare
By Will last year, at the end of October, No Comments; be the first!
Michael Vaughan’s autobiography, Time to Declare
The Times are serialising some of it and, in what we desperately hope will be a revealing insight into one of England’s most successful captains, and not mere fodder for the shelves, he has spoken out of his troubles in forging a successful working relationship with Peter Moores.
(From March 2008)
“The team is starting to get irritated by the new management regime – being told what to do and treated like schoolkids. Peter (Moores) loves talking and having the last word.”
“I still think that the England captain should have ultimate control, but Peter wanted to be in charge from the sidelines.
“What I found is that he wanted to do everyone’s jobs for them …
“Duncan would never do that; he would trust me to get on with it.”
Should be a good read.
No Comments »When Gilchrist hated cricket
By Will last year, mid-July, 1 Comment »
The Times seem to be serialising an Adam Gilchrist book. His autobiography, True Colours, came out some time ago so I’m not sure whether this is a gap-filler on their part, or if Gilchrist has another one published. Either way, it’s an entertaining piece.
It was almost automatic. I’d come in, Flintoff would come on, he’d bowl around the wicket, I’d get out. I started to feel that I’d been fluking it in Test cricket for a few years and now reality was catching up. I wasn’t as good as my record suggested. The reputation I’d built over seven years in the Test team, I was undoing it all. I wanted to get out before I did it any more damage.
For 18 months since England, I’d been in a kind of mortal combat with my doubts, and it was showing. Those close to me saw how cranky I was, how dry and tired, how little I was enjoying it. Memories of the 2005 tour , which was such a nightmare both personally and professionally, were eating away at me slowly. In South Africa, in early 2006, when André Nel was getting me out with the exact same tactic as Flintoff, I’d got so sick of it that I’d written down four words, in an angry, passionate note to myself, that I would never have expected to say: “I hate this game.”
1 Comment »Hoggy: Welcome to My World: The Peculiar World of Matthew Hoggard
By Will last year, at the end of May, 5 Comments »
I can’t urge you enough 
Having a week off has allowed me to read some books, and Matthew Hoggard’s is one that I’m making my way through. It is like no sporting biography I’ve encountered before, which is just as well: most are excruciatingly tedious and premature. Hoggy, on the other hand, has written his with an England career behind him (or so he and we begrudgingly believe).
Like the man himself, it is unashamedly bonkers and refreshingly obscure. There are scribbles and cartoons (of his wife, Sarah, though they look as though his toddler son Ernie drew them), and whole paragraphs dedicated to his dogs. He attributes his run-up to a quirk in the layout of his garden when he was young. And he is surely the first cricketer, nay sportsman, to mention masturbation as a key aspect of surviving long tours overseas.
I can’t urge you enough to buy it
Ashes to Ashes by Marcus Berkmann
By Will last year, at the end of May, 6 Comments »
Marcus Berkmann, who wrote one of my favourite books, Rain Men, has scribbled a new one called Ashes to Ashes
In summer 2009, by far the most popular event in the cricketing calendar comes round again – the Ashes series between England and Australia. The anticipation will be intense, the hype absurd, the sense of expectation never remotely likely to be satisfied, for two good reasons. England won in 2005 by a whisker. We can’t expect anything so good again, possibly for the rest of our lives. The second reason is even more brutally realistic. For the truth is that, over the past twenty years at least, Australia have usually won very easily. We begin with hope, we end in despair. For the many of us who follow English cricket closely, it’s a strange and terrible form of biennial punishment for crimes we didn’t know we had committed. ‘Hell is other people,’ said Jean-Paul Sartre, and as so often he was completely wrong. Hell is Ricky Ponting winning the toss on a perfect batting strip on a glorious sunny day. Hell is what happened in Australia in 2007, when the home side won 5-0. Of course we look forward to 2009. But we also dread it, as we would dread exams or major surgery. We would be foolish to do otherwise.
You need to buy it immediately. There are a torrent of Ashes-related books coming out, as you’d expect, so keep your eyes peeled on Amazon
Best of Enemies: Whinging Poms Versus Arrogant Aussies
By Will last year, mid-January, 6 Comments »
My old chum Patrick Kidd has written his first book, and it’s available to pre-order for the frankly disgustingly cheap £9.49. That’s under a tenner in today’s money – and less than 950 pence. Other currencies are available.
Don’t hesitate for one second: buy it immediately.
Product Description
One of the great rivalries in sport returns this summer, but what is it about a six-inch terracotta urn that en flames the passions of Poms and Aussies? Why do the English think that all Australians are alcoholic simpletons? Why do Australians think the English all have a stick up their backside? And why do they need (and needle) each other so much? In this humorous look at one of the truly great rivalries, written by “The Times’” cricket blogger and a professional Australian bar-room pontificator, the grudges, sledges, heroes and villains are laid bare.
About the Author
Patrick Kidd is a cricket and rowing writer who has been with The Times in London since 2001. He also writes for Wisden, Wisden Cricketer, and appears regularly on television and radio as a pundit.Peter McGuinness grew up being told that Poms were blokes from England who were never happy about anything. He now knows why. He writes a cricket blog.
Forthcoming books
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of October, No Comments; be the first!
With the nights drawing in, and temperatures beginning to plummet for us in the northern hemisphere, there’s no better time than to warm your cockles with a book or two. Christmas is approaching, and that can mean only one thing: anodyne autobiographies littering our shelves and stockings. But there’s always the occasional gem, never more so when there’s an Ashes series on the horizon. So here are the upcoming cricket books
The Worst of Cricket 2 (Worst of Sport) (Worst of Sport)
Something a bit different: The Ascent of Mount Hum: A Croatian Cricketing Odyssey
Bradman’s Invincibles: The Story of the 1948 Ashes Series
The Book of Ashes Anecdotes
And this is top of my list: Ashes to Ashes
In summer 2009, by far the most popular event in the cricketing calendar comes round again – the Ashes series between England and Australia. The anticipation will be intense, the hype absurd, the sense of expectation never remotely likely to be satisfied, for two good reasons. England won in 2005 by a whisker. We can’t expect anything so good again, possibly for the rest of our lives. The second reason is even more brutally realistic. For the truth is that, over the past twenty years at least, Australia have usually won very easily. We begin with hope, we end in despair. For the many of us who follow English cricket closely, it’s a strange and terrible form of biennial punishment for crimes we didn’t know we had committed. ‘Hell is other people,’ said Jean-Paul Sartre, and as so often he was completely wrong. Hell is Ricky Ponting winning the toss on a perfect batting strip on a glorious sunny day. Hell is what happened in Australia in 2007, when the home side won 5-0. Of course we look forward to 2009. But we also dread it, as we would dread exams or major surgery. We would be foolish to do otherwise.
Glenn McGrath’s autobiography (surely not his first?) is out next year, too: Line and Strength
If you’ve read any recently, or know of some coming up, leave a comment.
No Comments »Green and bland
By Will 2 years ago, mid-October, 1 Comment »
Freddie Auld has reviewed Alastair Cook’s autobiography, and I have to agree with his thoughts:
It would be far too easy to compare Alastair Cook’s new autobiography with his batting: determined and dependable, with the odd thrill. But sadly, it isn’t even that. For determined, read drab; for dependable, “dreary”; and as for the odd thrill, er, Cook had a game of darts with Freddie and Harmy on the eve of his Test debut. And that’s about as good as it gets.
Most Cooky fans, of whom I am one myself, will be disappointed with his first, shamefully premature effort. The blurb promises a “fascinating insight” into one of the most “exciting and brightest players to burst on to the cricketing scene in recent years”. So I was hoping for juicy anecdotes about the Essex dressing room, the latter years of Duncan Fletcher’s reign, the disastrous Ashes campaign, the jelly bean files, and Michael Vaughan’s retirement. But no.
It’s no slight against Cook that I/we didn’t particularly engage with his book. He is simply too young. Roger Moore, who is about 102, has only just released his. For all Cook’s promise – and that’s what it remains, frankly – he hasn’t lived enough to occupy an entire book yet. In 10 years, I expect and hope the sequel to do him and his career justice.
1 Comment »Coming Back to Me: The Autobiography of Marcus Trescothick
By Will 2 years ago, mid-August, 8 Comments »
One of the most anticipated autobiographies of the year, that of Marcus Trescothick, is released on September 1. Pre-order it now
Extracts are being serialised in the News of the World:
8 Comments »“Exhausted, emotionally vulnerable, isolated and far from home, I was ready for the taking,” he said. “For a moment I was convinced I was dying. I knew I was in serious trouble…I had to get help.”
Trescothick, who was standing in as captain in place of Michael Vaughan at the time, immediately flew home to join wife Hayley and daughter Ellie, but even that couldn’t stop his downward spiral. “Out of the blue, in front of Ellie and Hayley, I felt a massive surge of anxiety overwhelm me like a huge wave. It sucked the breath clean out of my lungs. The next 48 hours were hell.
“I started thinking seriously about doing myself harm. I knew I didn’t want to carry on living like this.”
When the problems resurfaced in Australia, Trescothick says he knew that was the end of his international career. “It was as though someone flicked a switch. I knew it was over. The tears welled up as I started to walk back to the pavilion.
“I knew I no longer had any say in the matter. The illness had come back. The thought of what I was doing hit me like a kick in the guts. I would probably never again experience the great highs, hard work, and joy of playing for England.”
Away from the international scene Trescothick has been able to rebuild his life and has enjoyed a productive season for Somerset. He was the first batsman to passed 1000 Championship runs and in the last round of matches hit a season-best 158 against Surrey.
Cricket, lovely cricket?
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of August, 1 Comment »
Lawrence Booth, friend of the blog and allround egg of geniality, has published his latest book. Cricket, Lovely Cricket?: An Addict’s Guide to the World’s Most Exasperating Game
Batting on the Bosphorus
By Will 2 years ago, at the start of July, 1 Comment »
Batting on the Bosphorus: A Skoda-powered Cricket Tour Through Eastern Europe
Angus Bell, an intrepid Scot living in Canada, has produced another cricket book from the outer reaches of cricket’s hebrides. Previously it was Slogging the Slavs; now, he’s turned his attention to…eastern Europe. Actually, it might be a revised copy of the old book. I’m not sure. Anyway, it’ll probably be highly entertaining – Angus, if you’re reading, tell us more in the comments!
Go and buy it immediately at Amazon. GO TO IT NOW.
Playfair Cricket Annual 2008
By Will 2 years ago, mid-March, 4 Comments »
Monty Panesar is this year’s victim on the front cover of the Playfair Cricket Annual. It’s always interesting to see who is chosen and, more often than not, it’s a bit of a poisoned chalice. It’s out on April 3 and available to pre-order for a mere £4.89
Complete set of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanacks for auction
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of February, No Comments; be the first!
A “fine collection” of all 144 copies of The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack will go under the Bonhams hammer on Wednesday in Chester. Don’t even think about it unless you have £100,000 burning a whole in your pocket (which is roughly what Shivnarine Chanderpaul was bought for recently).
It is an extraordinary sum of money, even for what is admittedly quite a rare collection. Worth keeping an eye on Bonhams’ listings for cricket memorabilia – for interest more than anything.
No Comments »Sale to commence at 11:00
The deadline for submission of items to this sale has now passed. We are currently consigning items for our next sale on June 4th. Please contact 01244 313 936 if you have any items you wish to be valued.A fine collection of all 144 volumes issued from 1864 to 2007 along with 2 index issues, one covering the years 1864 to 1943 and the other 1864 to 1984, the entire set handsomely bound in uniform brown half morocco by Bayntun-Riviere of Bath, photographic plates in volumes 1889 and 1891-1915, some volumes with original wrappers bound in, 8vo, J. Wisden.
The vendor collected this set over the last 20 years and bought sufficient morocco goatskins and end papers to ensure that the set could be uniformly bound through to 2030, the residue of these are included in the lot for sale.
Kevin Pietersen graces front cover of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack
By Will 2 years ago, mid-February, 8 Comments »
Scyld Berry, editing this year’s Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in place of Matthew Engel, has chosen Kevin Pietersen for the front cover:
It’s released on April 7 and you can pre-order it now
An alternative cover for Fletcher’s autobiography
By Will 3 years ago, at the end of October, 1 Comment »
Another cheeky piece of photoshopping from Mike who has created an alternative front cover for Duncan Fletcher’s autobiography, Behind the Shades.
Nestled between the Home Office and a children’s classic
By Will 3 years ago, at the end of October, 1 Comment »
What company does Duncan Fletcher keep? Well it’s certainly not with Ian Botham, Geoff Boycott as we’ve found out today. But here’s his book, on Amazon’s bestsellers nestled between a weighty-looking tome of Life in the UK (hmm) and There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. It’s 127th at the moment and could well be in the top 10 if the Daily Mail continues to serialise it. My copy’s about to land on my desk too, which is thoroughly exciting.
