Few other team sports can equal the global reach of cricket. Rich in history and tradition, it is both quintessentially English and expansively international, a game that has evolved and changed dramatically in recent times. Demonstrating how the history of cricket and its international popularity is entwined with British imperial expansion, this book examines the social and political impact of the game in a variety of cultural sites: the West Indies, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. An international team of contributors explores the enduring influence of cricket on English identity, examines why cricket has seized the imagination of so many literary figures and provides profiles of iconic players including Bradman, Lara and Tendulkar. Presenting a global panoramic view of cricket's complicated development, its unique adaptability and its political and sporting controversies, the book provides a rich insight into a unique sporting and cultural heritage.

Love him or loathe him, Ricky Ponting is one of the biggest names in cricket, having been at the heart of so many memorable Ashes and Test encounters over the years. Coinciding with the end of Ponting's spectacular career, 'At the Close of Play' is a must-read for all cricket fans.

The 1970s in the East Midlands was a decade of mediocrity. As a young girl growing up there, Michele Savidge seemed destined for a prosaic life. But everything changed when as a 12-year-old she saw Viv Richards bat. At that moment, she fell in love with Richards and with West Indies cricket. She set her sights on becoming a cricket journalist and realised that dream in spite of the obstacles in her way. Between Overs is an elegiac, often comedic, romp through the trials Michele faced. It includes outrageous 'Me Too' incidents, in-depth appraisals of her hero Viv Richards and a close encounter with actor Peter O'Toole. Births, life, bereavement and depression took her away from the sport she loved. But the 2019 Cricket World Cup, a purple and green polyester tracksuit and the intense climax of the final at Lord's saw the old flame rekindled and taught Michele how to love life - and cricket - again.

Graham Thorpe's achievements on the cricket field contrasted wildly with his personal problems, where drink and depression combined to send him spiralling off the rails. This is his brutally honest life story, including his dramatic retirement from Test cricket, and updated to include England's 2005 Ashes win, and his new coaching career. Graham Thorpe was one of the best batsmen in world cricket for more than a decade. Yet the national press hounded him as 'English cricket's most disturbed player' for pulling out of a series of tours and turning his back on the game more than once. With painful candour and often unexpected humour, Thorpe dissects his career in cricket and the inner recesses of his private life: the impact of his bitter divorce; the suicidal depression that afflicted him in his darkest hours; the reasons why he needed to 'save himself' by withdrawing from past England tours; the elation of his magnificent century on his comeback Test at the Oval in 2003; and his fresh outlook in life with a new partner after confronting his own failings and past troubles. Twelve years on from his Test debut against Australia, Thorpe took the decision to retire from international cricket after the disappointment of his controversial non-selection for the Ashes 2005 tour. With updated material on his coaching spell in Australia - where he gained valuable insight into cricket's No 1 nation - his new-found media role and his still-relevant views on where English cricket is heading post-Ashes 2005, Thorpe will continue to be an important figure in the game for years to come.

Few modern British sportsmen have fascinated the public more than Geoff Boycott. In this first comprehensive and balanced account of Boycott's life - fully updated to include his battle against cancer - award-winning author Leo McKinstry lifts the lid on one of cricket's great enigmatic characters. A record-breaking Test cricketer and acerbic commentator, Geoff Boycott has never been far away from controversy during his long career in the game. Based on meticulous research and interviews with a host of players, Test captains, officials, broadcasters, friends and enemies, this definitive biography cuts through the Boycott myth to expose the truth about this charismatic, single-minded and often exasperating personality. What was Boycott like as a schoolboy? How did his England cricket colleagues such as Graham Gooch, Dennis Amiss and Brian Close feel about him as a person? Why was he so unpopular in his early career for Yorkshire? And what is the real truth about the relationships that soured his private world? From his upbringing as a miner's son in a Yorkshire village, through highlights like his hundredth century at Headingley against Australia, to the low points such as the damaging court case in France, this warts-and-all account of his life makes for captivating reading.

Get excited for the 2017-18 Ashes series with this wonderful collection of wacky and hilarious anecdotes from the man who is never stumped for a good cricketing story, Phil Tufnell. A deliciously eccentric series of anecdotes, Tuffers' Cricket Tales is a Sunday Times bestseller. Phil Tufnell, aka 'Tuffers', is the much-loved English cricketer from the 1990s who has now become one of this country's favourite broadcasters. Not cast from the same mould as other players of his generation, Tufnell became a cult figure for his unorthodox approach to the game ... and to life in general. Tuffers' Cricket Tales is a collection of the great man's favourite cricket stories that will amuse and inform in equal measure. Tufnell's unmistakably distinctive voice, as heard to such good effect on Test Match Special, steers fans through dozens and dozens of terrifically entertaining and insightful anecdotes, garnered from his 25-year playing and broadcasting career. He introduces a cast of genuinely colourful characters found in dressing-rooms and commentary boxes from around the world, and in the process offers a uniquely warm and quirky homage to his sport. A perfect gift for all cricket fans. Raves for Tuffers' Cricket Tales: 'Hilarious' (Daily Star Sunday); 'Amusing' (All Out Cricket); 'Deliciously eccentric' (Lytham St Anne's Express) Five star reader reviews for Tuffers' Cricket Tales: 'Just like having Tuffers reading it to you. A well written book, a vivid imagination and lots of stories to make you laugh' 'This book proves once and for all that Tuffers is a national treasure. The beauty of this book is that even people who only like cricket a little, love Tuffers a lot. A winner' 'This book is an absolute hoot. There's a funny story pretty much on every single page, and the warmth of Tuffers' heart shines through. An absolute must for all cricket fans'

Alex Blackwell lived and breathed our national sport of cricket for thirty years. Starting as a kid, she spent her childhood and teen years on the field with her identical twin, Kate, who was equally devoted to the bat and ball. While both sisters went on to represent Australia, Alex built a 15-year career in the green and gold, eventually rising to the captaincy, notching up an eye-watering list of sporting achievements and etching her name into cricket's history. But life off the field brought challenges of its own. From her professional debut, Alex was unafraid to call out hypocrisy and go in to battle against the traditional hierarchies of the game. Speaking out and becoming a passionate advocate for women and LGBTQI people in sport won her many fans and much respect, but it didn't come without a price. Fair Game is the unmissable account of life and leadership inside Australia's most loved sporting team, told by one of its most capped players of all time. This is the story of the sacrifices and victories, the extreme highs and devastating lows, that come with playing sport at the highest level, and of what it takes to be truly courageous on and off the field.

Described as the most exciting batsman to emerge since David Gower retired, Michael Vaughan provides a personal view of his own amazing acheivements during 2002. He also contemplates the controversy that surrounded England's ill-fated World Cup mission, and discusses the real story behind the decision not to go to Zimbabwe. Vaughan's thoughts about Nasser Hussain, the captain he has served most, and his other international and county colleagues are also shared. Every aspect of an intense and exciting year gets Vaughan's complete consideration - from being given out handled ball in India to clean bowling Sachin Tendulkar, from being targeted by Glenn McGrath to winning the Player of the Series award in the Ashes battle, and on to the World Cup fiasco. This is a compelling insight into the world of the 2002 Cricketer of the Year.

Samir Chopra is an immigrant, a "voluntary exile," who discovers he can tell the story of his life through cricket, a game that has long been an influence-really, an obsession-for him. In so doing, he reveals how his changing views on the sport mirror his journey of self-discovery. In The Evolution of a Cricket Fan, Chopra is thus able to reflect on his changing perceptions of self, and of the nations and cultures that have shaped his identity, politics, displacement, and fandom. Chopra's passion for the sport began as a child, when he rooted for Pakistan and against his native India. When he migrated, he became a fan of the Indian team that gave him a sense of home among the various cultures he encountered in North America and Australia. This "shapeshifting" exposes the rift between the Old and the New world, which Chopra acknowledges is "cricket's greatest modern crisis." But it also illuminates the identity dilemmas of post-colonial immigrants in the Indian diaspora. Chopra's thoughts about the sport and its global influence are not those of a player. He provides access to the inner world of the global cricket fan navigating the world that colonial empire wrought and that cricket continues to connect and animate. He observes that the Indian cricket team carries many burdens-not only must they win cricket matches, but their style of play must generate a pride that assuages generations of wounds inflicted by history. And Chopra must navigate where he stands in that history. The Evolution of a Cricket Fan shows Chopra's own wins and losses as his life takes new directions and his fandom changes allegiances.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of cricket, Shane Warne was a giant of his time. A sporting hero and national icon, young cricketers today are inspired by his leg spin legacy. Perhaps the most charismatic personality of any sport, Shane Warne's triumphs restored craft and subtlety to the foreground of the game. Taking the highest number of Test wickets when he retired - 708 at 25.14 apiece, he was chosen by Wisden as one of the five outstanding players of the 20th century. The rebel who used his injury in his early years to build strength in his wrists and upper body, his unwavering optimism and unassailable competitive spirit became a defining feature of the leading man of cricket. Packed with quotes and insights The Little Book of Shane Warne explores the man who, by unanimous consent, pitched the ball of the century, and earned his place in the pantheon of exceptional players. 'He was the best of them all and you can't say any more than that.' Michael Parkinson 'People put down their beer every time Shane Warne came on to bowl.' Ian Chappell

Bringing together leading international writers on cricket and society, this important new book places cricket in the postcolonial life of the major Test-playing countries. Exploring the culture, politics, governance and economics of cricket in the twenty-first century, this book dispels the age-old idea of a gentle game played on England's village greens.

This is an original political and historical study of the game's development in a range of countries and covers:

* cricket in the new Commonwealth: Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Caribbean and India
* the cricket cultures of Australia, New Zealand and post-apartheid South Africa
* cricket in England since the 1950s.

This new book is ideal for students of sport, politics, history and postcolonialism as it provides stimulating and comprehensive discussions of the major issues including race, migration, gobalization, neoliberal economics, the media, religion and sectarianism.

What makes Virat Kohli the undisputed monarch of the cricket world today is not his iconic status in the sports hierarchy but that the highest praise comes from the opposition camp and past greats. However, his family didn't always have it good. No stranger to loss, Kohli's biggest support both on and off the field - his father, succumbed to a cerebral stroke when he was very young. In a fitting tribute that would've made his old man proud, Kohli returned to continue an innings just a few hours after his father passed away. `He was the one who drove me to practice every day,' the captain of the Indian Test team recalls with characteristic humility and grace. Widely travelled sports journalist Vijay Lokapally goes on to recount happier times on the journey of Virat's rapid rise to international stardom, an account punctuated with little-known stories by his fellow players, coaches and intimates. At 27, he has already been the recipient of countless accolades including the Arjuna Award, the title of BCCI's `international cricketer of the Year' as well as the ICC's `ODI Player of the Year', but for Kohli it's not about the money or the fame, or the roar of the crowds or the flattering attention from women of all ages. Few know of his altruistic nature and his dedication to numerous charities for under-privileged children. What has not escaped the public eye though, is how this wizard of the willow wears his heavy mantle with such insouciant ease.

Every cricket lover recalls the deeds of one Ian Botham during England's against-all-odds Ashes victory against Australia in 1981. Now, twenty years on from that memorable event, what could be more appropriate than to look back and remember when English cricket was on top of the world and reflect on the personalities past and present who have made the game so enjoyable to so many people.

'Botham's Century' is a unique collection of 100 cricketing characters taken from his own personal scrapbook. Players, some household names and others not so well known; umpires and coaches; mentors; television commentators; writers; groundsmen; popstars and philanthropists – in fact all those who in Botham's opinion have been an influence for good in the game during his era.

Featured among the cast of characters are the likes of the legendary Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers and Sunil Gavaskar; Botham's soulmate and sparring partner Viv Richards; rival fast bowlers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomas; and more recent stars of the game in Brian Lara, Shane Warne and the irresistible Darren Gough.

Not forgetting the more eccentric personalities encountered along the way, such as Dickie Bird, Jack Russell and Phil Tufnell; the late John Arlott and Brian Johnston from the commentators box; and Elton John, Mick Jagger and other celebrities from the world of pop and showbiz.

Entertaining, controversial, and written in typical swashbuckling style, these portraits from Botham's Hall of Fame are sure to incite a plethora of opinions from both those inside and outside the game. 'Bothams Century' will be a treasured item for cricket fan's and nostalgia lovers, as well as those just seeking a jolly good read.

Golden-haired and handsome, brothers Shane and Brett Lee are the latest in a long line of famous Australian cricket siblings. Brett's older brother Shane is also an impressive cricketer and an all-rounder of enormous talent. This is the incredible and inspiring story of these two cricketing firebrands and their stratospheric rise from the state game to their donning of the baggy green. From their backyard cricket days in Wollongong to the cauldron of international matches, the Lees have dealt with not only media scrutiny and injury worries, but also some of the world's finest batsmen, to hold their own amongst the game's elite. This is their story.

THE #5 TIMES BESTSELLER Ever wondered what it's truly like being an England test cricketer? Why not ask England's greatest ever bowler? Jimmy Anderson invites you into his world of cricket and gives you a very personal insight into what it's like playing at the top level. Through stories of his 16-year international career, Jimmy draws back the curtain on test cricket to reveal bizarre superstitions and rituals, strange training camps, the personalities he's encountered, life on tour and what it's like being a bowler in a batsman's world. Bowl. Sleep. Repeat. is a fascinating, entertaining and deeply personal look at the game of cricket and what life's like beyond the boundary rope.

For most of his professional life Michael Parkinson has been a highly regarded sports journalist. This consistently entertaining collection of his best articles reminds us that his first love is cricket and the people who excel at it. His ambition to play for England was thwarted, but not before he opened the batting with a young Dickie Bird at Barnsley. Along with hilarious memories of his cricket mad father and a lost youth emulating his heroes in street games, Michael Parkinson has written compelling descriptions of great players he has known and the moments or matches during which they became famous. Unsurprisingly, there is an edge to what the author has to say about cricket administrators and the way the game is run; the book is a sheer joy to read and written with the author's easy assurance.

Ian Botham's bestselling autobiography is an explosive blend of sex and drug allegations, personal upheavals, confrontations with peers and remarkable record-breaking feats. Voted favourite cricketer of the 20th century in a recent survey, Botham's outstanding contribution to the game, both as a player and an outspoken commentator for Sky television, makes for compelling reading.

In this fully revised and updated edition, Botham laments the continued decline of English cricket while putting forward his argument for a change in the selectorial process. Away from the game, he writes about his most recent charity walk for Leukaemia Research and where he sees his long-term future.

'Plenty of indiscretion, malice and comedy'
DAILY TELEGRAPH

'Catches the authentic flavour of the man'
INDEPENDENT

'The juggernaut of sports autobiographies'
EXPRESS

In 1932, England's cricket team, led by the haughty Douglas Jardine, had the fastest bowler in the world: Harold Larwood. Australia boasted the most prolific batsman the game had ever seen: the young Don Bradman. He had to be stopped. The leg-side bouncer onslaught inflicted by Larwood and Bill Voce, with a ring of fieldsmen waiting for catches, caused an outrage that reverberated to the back of the stands and into the highest levels of government. Bodyline, as this infamous technique came to be known, was repugnant to the majority of cricket-lovers. It was also potentially lethal - one bowl fracturing the skull of Australian wicketkeeper Bert Oldfield - and the technique was outlawed in 1934. After the death of Don Bradman in 2001, one of the most controversial events in cricketing history - the Bodyline technique - finally slid out of living memory. Over seventy years on, the 1932-33 Ashes series remains the most notorious in the history of Test cricket between Australia and England. David Frith's gripping narrative has been acclaimed as the definitive book on the whole saga: superbly researched and replete with anecdotes, Bodyline Autopsy is a masterly anatomy of one of the most remarkable sporting scandals.

Mike Brearley was one of England's greatest cricket captains. He thrice won the Ashes, including the unforgettable series of 1981, when his leadership helped England to snatch victory from defeat. Yet there was nothing inevitable about his rise. A spell out of the game in his mid-20s stymied his progress and when he returned full-time to captain Middlesex, his innovative approach found little favour with the old guard. In this first-ever biography of Brearley, award-winning cricket writer Mark Peel reveals how Brearley overcame his critics to lead Middlesex to four county championships and two Gillette Cup wins. His rise to the England captaincy was fast, but his unrivalled leadership skills contrasted with his repeated failures with the bat. Away from cricket, Brearley possessed a range of cultural interests along with a sharp intellect, which saw him achieve eminence as a psychoanalyst. Drawing on interviews with friends and team-mates, Peel assesses the many facets of this complex man to explain his phenomenal success as a leader.

Alastair Cook forced his way into the record books in 2006, becoming one of the few England players to score a hundred on debut. By going on to become the only Englishman to hit seven Test centuries before his twenty-third birthday, Alastair found himself in the company of the greatest players in cricketing history. STARTING OUT is Alastair's personal account of this speedy climb to stardom. Equally gifted at music, he opted for cricket as a schoolboy and the young left-hander broke record after record as he progressed to become the first-choice opener for Essex. Now an integral part of the England team with over forty caps, Alastair is perfectly placed to describe the highs and lows of life within the England cricket camp during one of the most exciting and turbulent periods of their history, both on and off the field. Updated to include the full story of the 2009 Ashes series, STARTING OUT amounts to a fascinating insight into life as one of the rising stars of English cricket.

Across six of the seven continents on which cricket is played, there are some remarkable cricket grounds. From a tidal strip of sand outside the Ship Inn at Elie, in Fife, to the monumental Melbourne Cricket Ground with its 100,000 capacity, this book features the extraordinary places and venues in which cricket is played. Many grounds have remarkably beautiful settings. There is the rugged Devonian charm of Lynton and Lynmouth Cricket Club set in the Valley of the Rocks, not far from the North Devon coast. Then there is the vividly-coloured, almost Lego-like structure of Dharamshala pavilion in Northern India where local resident the Dalai Lama has watched a match. Many of England's greatest players have come from public schools, and there are some wonderful examples of their cricket grounds such as Sedbergh and Milton Abbey. Country houses such as Audley End and Blenheim Palace form the backdrop to many cricket pitches, or castles, such as Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, or even Portchester Castle, where there is a cricket ground inside the castle walls. Sri Lanka's test ground, Galle, has a fort looming above it, while Newlands Stadium in Cape Town, has the unmistakeable Table Mountain as the backdrop. Some of the stunning imagery has a modern feel. Queenstown cricket ground has international jets taking off just yards from the playing action, while Singapore Cricket Club is an oasis of lush green set against a 21st century array of high-rise towers. Then there are cricket grounds in unusual places; Hawaii, Corfu, Berlin, Slovenia and St Moritz to name but a few.

Who played the best pranks on his fellow team-mates? Which member of the TMS team terrorised his teachers in the annual staff-pupil game? And the truth behind 'the greatest sporting commentary of all time'... Between them, Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell have probably watched more cricket than anyone alive, and they have many stories to tell, both as players and as commentators for Test Match Special. From their days as schoolboy cricketers, learning the ropes, to the shenanigans of the county circuit, and now their careers as commentators, they have seen it all. Joined by colleagues from TMS such as Isa Guha, Ebony Rainford Brent, Alison Mitchell, Carlos Brathwaite and Aatif Nawaz, Aggers and Tuffers share the highlights, mishaps and moments of brilliance and emotion that they have witnessed and experienced on pitches around the world.

Cricket is blessed with quality prose and gifted writing. The nobles and gentlemen who brought the game of cricket from England's villages to the pavilion at Lord's were often as equally blessed with the gift of wit and banter as they were with leather and willow. Their turns of phrase, intellectual insights and outlandish observations were as likely to knock you for six as to leave you stumped. The Little Book of Cricket encapsulates their often hilarious, sometimes sombre and occasionally downright bizarre quotes as the greats of the game, from Don Bradman to Steve Waugh and Ian Botham to Freddie Flintoff, all describe their beloved sport in their own words. 'He's got it, England have won the World Cup by the barest of margins... Absolute ecstasy for England, agony, agony for New Zealand.' Ian Smith, New Zealand commentor, calling that crucial final ball of the super over. 'He lifted the game from a state of conventional excitement to one of unbelievable suspense and drama and finally into the realm of romantic fiction.' Henry Blofeld, on a then 18-year-old Ian Botham, 1974.

For the first time in 20 years, the Cricket World Cup returns to England and Wales and with our National team close to the top of the one day rankings, expectation and enthusiasm for this event is bound to be high. Each of the eleven tournaments have been written up that include records of matches and individual performances, as well as a brief setting of the scene. Clear and concise, these chapters include the relevant statistics (highest and lowest totals, match aggregates, highest partnerships, top individual batting and bowling performances and biggest and smallest victory margins etc). Quirky findings such as the lowest team total to include a century partnership, birthday performances, most batsmen bowled out in an innings, as well as many more, are revealed in the miscellany section, and which are sure to delight cricket lovers. A History & Guide to the Cricket World Cup is informative, factual and engaging, and is sure to make the perfect companion for attendees of this year's tournament.

From English cricket's embarrassing failure at the 2015 World Cup to their heart-stopping victory four years later, Nick Hoult and Steve James vividly describe the team's dramatic journey from abject disappointment to finally lifting the trophy. Morgan's Men reveals how the team became the most aggressive limited-overs side in the world, led by their inspirational captain Eoin Morgan, whose vision and determination to succeed captured the imagination of the nation. Hoult and James follow England's journey from Bangladesh to Barbados, from Melbourne to Manchester, to present the inside story of the team's rebirth. They tell us how players dealt with the Ben Stokes court case, the sacking of Alex Hales for a drugs ban, and reveal the innovative new strategies and tactics that helped them become the best in the world, culminating in a World Cup final that was arguably the greatest one-day match of all time.