Cricket has been subject to a number of changes over the last twenty years. We can no longer talk of a sport particular to an out-dated English way of life. Cricket has become global and has to exist within the global environment. Primarily the world game has become commercialised. This collection of essays assesses the developments within major playing nations between the World Cups. Do we now live in a world where commercialism is the primary factor in determining sports, or are wider historical prejudices still evident? Seeking to answer these questions, Cricket, Race & the 2007 World Cup focuses on racial and ethnic tensions and their place in the new globalized, cricketing environment. This book was previously published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

This is an exacting social history of Indian cricket between 1780 and 1947. It considers cricket as a derivative sport, creatively adapted to suit modern Indian socio-cultural needs, fulfil political imperatives and satisfy economic aspirations. Majumdar argues that cricket was a means to cross class barriers and had a healthy following even outside the aristocracy and upper middle classes well over a century ago. Indeed, in some ways, the democratization of the sport anticipated the democratization of the Indian polity itself. Boria Majumdar reveals the appropriation, assimilation and subversion of cricketing ideals in colonial and post-colonial India for nationalist ends. He exposes a sport rooted in the contingencies of the colonial and post-colonial context of nineteenth- and twentieth-century India. Cricket, to put it simply, is much more than a 'game' for Indians. This study describes how the genealogy of their intense engagement with cricket stretches back over a century. It is concerned not only with the game but also with the end of cricket as a mere sport, with Indian cricket's commercial revolution in the 1930s, with ideals and idealism and their relative unimportance, with the decline of morality for reasons of realpolitik, and with the denunciation, once and for all, of the view that sport and politics do not mix. This book was previously published as a special issue of the International Journal of the History of Sport

Lost Histories of Indian Cricket studies the personalities and controversies that have shaped Indian cricket over the years and brings to life the intensity surrounding India's national game.
It may be true that that cricket today arouses more passions in India than in any other cricket playing country in the world. Yet, when it comes to writing on the history of the game, Indians have been reticent and much of the past has been obscured and lost. Majumdar here recovers this history and restores it to its rightful place in India's rich sporting heritage.

The 2003 World Cup was of vital importance to the participating countries. For India, a world cup triumph would make cricket the nation's leading industry; for the host, South Africa, a successful campaign might realize its dream of political unity.
Dealing with themes of racial/political unification, commercialization, the media and globalisation, this book explores the role of cricket and sport in each of the competing nations.
Looking at recent developments such as match-fixing, the abolition of the quota system and the performances of the South African national team, the collection examines the importance of the Cricket World Cup in providing a unified political, social and economic stage from which a united South African identity can finally emerge. The book also explores the role of the Cricket World Cup in relation to West Indian unity, Pakistani economic regeneration, Sri Lankan, Kenyan and Zimbabwean peace.

A study of how cricket in England between the Wars reflected the social relations and cultural values of the time. The authors explore English social and cultural history through the sport by analysing the relationships between classes, Church and society, as well as gender roles. They point out cricket's role as part of the national image and the influence it had on evaluating the 'English character'. They carefully outline how the sport demonstrates the tendencies and morals of the time; for example, in the game of cricket social and economic differences were made obvious. The game was intertwined with the convictions of whether a person's moral fitness for political and social leadership was a shown by prowess in the sport. Examining cricket playing among women and their support for the sport provides an unusual perspective upon gender roles between the Wars. The study the beliefs that cricket sportmanship expressed Christian teachings and how the Church's presence in recreational cricket established the role of Christianity in English social life and ethical values. The images of cricket and how far the world of cricket conformed to these ideas are essential for understanding English culture and society between the Wars.

Many books have been written about cricket, cricketers, the grounds they play on and the tours that the players and supporters undertake during the winter months. Writers on the English summer game have looked at the game's history and economic development, but one vital ingredient has been ignored: the game's geography, and how it has changed from a rural, meadowland pastime into a multinational sport and multi-million pound business, based largely in urban agglomerations.
This volume fills this void, looking at the fundamental geography of cricket, especially in England where the game is played by county sides. Besides looking at socio-economic influences, the book examines the physical geography of cricket, in particular, its interrelationship with the local environment and microclimate, and looks ahead to the likely impact that global warming and altered weather patterns will have on the county game.

'An astonishing work of research, detail and revelation. Bulging with information, packed with nuggets.' John Etheridge, Sun 'Superbly researched... His eye for detail never wavers. It's a pleasure to read.' Vic Marks, Observer 'The Cricket Book of the Year: Dauntingly comprehensive and surprisingly light-footed.' Simon Briggs, Daily Telegraph England: The Biography is the most comprehensive account of the England cricket team that has ever been published, taking the reader into the heart of the action and the team dynamics that have helped shape their success, or otherwise. It is now 140 years since England first played Test match cricket and, for much of that time, it has struggled to perform to the best of its capabilities. In the early years, amateurs would pick and choose which matches and tours they would play; subsequently, the demands of the county game - and the petty jealousies that created - would prevent many from achieving their best. It was only in the 1990s that central contracts were brought in, and Team England began to receive the best possible support from an ever-increasing backroom team. But cricket isn't just about structures, it depends like no other sport on questions of how successful the captain is in motivating and leading his team, and how well different personalities and egos are integrated and managed in the changing room. From Joe Root and Alastair Cook back to Mike Atherton, Mike Brearley and Ray Illingworth, England captains have had a heavy influence on proceedings. Recent debates over Kevin Pietersen were nothing new, as contemporaries of W.G.Grace would doubtless recognise. As England play their 1000th Test, this is a brilliant and unmissable insight into the ups and downs of that story.

The Nine Waves is a tour de force. The most entertaining and up-to-date history of Indian cricket ever published, it tells the story of the nine great waves of the game from 1932 to the present day. Each wave in Indian cricket was chock-full of mesmerising stars, thrilling moments, great victories, heartbreaking losses and significant turning points. The first wave of Indian cricket rolled in against the backdrop of momentous changes in the country and the world: Gandhi's civil disobedience campaign, World War Two and Indian independence. Through each of the waves, India strengthened its position in the cricketing firmament. By the end of the 20th century, it was the most powerful nation in world cricket. Award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author Mihir Bose brings together his first-hand experience of some of the most seminal moments in Indian cricket, his encyclopaedic knowledge of the game and his unrivalled ability as a chronicler of the sport to create a magisterial history of Indian cricket.

The most up-to-date and in-depth book on the business of professional team sports Pro team sports are the biggest and most important sector of international sport business Strong focus on applied analysis and performance measurement, invaluable real-world skills Covers sports, teams and leagues all over the world from the EPL to the NFL Addresses key themes from ownership and competitive balance to media revenue and the role of agents

Welcome to The Wicked Wit of Cricket, a compendium packed with the game’s greatest stories from both on and off the field. ‘The English,’ as George Bernard Shaw once remarked, ‘are not very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity.’ Some might call it eternity. Others might instead regard it as heaven. The world of cricket is nevertheless one that is filled with larger than life characters – be they the great players, the unforgettable commentators, the legendary umpires or the most enthusiastic and barmiest fans. The contest between leather and willow is, after all, only challenged by soccer as the world's most popular sport. The Wicket Wit of Cricket is a sumptuous feast of cricket’s greatest tales, legends and anecdotes all spread out across the clubhouse table in bite-sized pieces. Bringing together the sport’s most famous quips, insults, pranks, mishaps, incredible facts, outrageous incidents, plus all those great moments of commentary where the words did not come out quite as intended. This is a book packed not just with wicked wit but with wicket wit as well!

Laker and Lock is the first dual biography of Surrey and England 'spin twins' Jim Laker and Tony Lock, who helped their county and Test teams to an unparalleled run of dominance in the 1950s. Besides their peerless achievements on the field, the two men had little in common. Laker, the elder by seven years, was Yorkshire born, cool, phlegmatic, known to sulk, and not greatly enamoured with the class distinctions then inherent in English cricket and society as a whole. Lock, a southerner, was dynamic, ebullient, indefatigable both on and off the field, and tended to wear his heart on his sleeve, an attitude no less at odds with the prevailing social order. Both men courted controversy. Laker's post-retirement autobiography caused such a furore that he was made unwelcome at Lord's and the Oval for years afterwards. Lock suffered the stigma of being labelled a 'chucker' and ultimately moved to Australia, where his retirement was clouded by allegations of sexual abuse. This is the full story of the pair's uneasy partnership.

WINNER OF THE WISDEN BOOK OF THE YEAR As a young boy of eight, Jonny Bairstow was dealt a cruel blow. His father David 'Bluey' Bairstow, the combative and very popular wicketkeeper and captain of Yorkshire, took his own life at the age of forty-six. David left behind Jonny, Jonny's sister Becky and half-brother Andy, and his wife Janet, who had recently been diagnosed with cancer at the time of his death. From these incredibly tough circumstances, Jonny and his family strived to find an even keel and come to terms with the loss of their father and husband. Jonny found his way through his dedication to sport. He was a gifted and natural athlete, with potential careers ahead of him in rugby and football, but he eventually chose cricket and came to build a career that followed in his father's footsteps, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the sport and breaking the record for most Test runs in a year by a wicketkeeper. Written with multiple-award-winning writer Duncan Hamilton, this is an incredible story of triumph over adversity and a memoir with far-reaching lessons about determination and the will to overcome.

While women's cricket, and women's sport in general, has gained enormously in popularity in terms of both spectators and TV audiences, comparatively little is known about it and its participants, and there are few, if any, quantitative assessments of the game. The Economics of Gender and Sport: A Quantitative Analysis of Women's Cricket fills that gap. The work analyses the different forms of cricket - Test cricket, One-day, T20 - and is based on the latest sets of available data. It seeks to answer questions such as how well female cricketers play, how well they are paid, who the superstars are, and how competitive women's cricket is. It also examines more general issues which affect men's cricket too, with the over-arching theme of this book being inequality. First, the chapters discuss inequality in the distribution of luck. The book discusses the importance of luck in cricket and suggests a way of distinguishing between luck and ability in determining match outcomes. Second there is access inequality, which means that players from certain groups have an advantage in terms of being chosen to play in representative teams. Third, there is inequality in tournament outcomes, and this carries implications for the degree of competitive balance in contests between teams. Fourth is the issue of inequality in the quality of umpiring in men's and women's cricket. Fifth, there is inequality between men and women in their respective remunerations as cricketeers. Lastly, there is inequality in performance between players: the book explains how batting and bowling averages can be adjusted to better reflect player performance. The volume will find an audience among advanced students and researchers in sports economics, sports-related and gender studies. More generally, it will appeal to lovers of cricket who wish to read about the game in terms which are more than simply anecdotal.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM CRICKET'S HUGELY POPULAR COMMENTATOR With his infectious enthusiasm for the game, David 'Bumble' Lloyd blends immense knowledge and experience with an eye for the quirky detail and an unending fund of brilliant stories. This definitive autobiography recalls his childhood in Accrington, Lancashire, when, after a long day playing cricket in the street, he would get his chance to wash himself in his family's bath - but only after his parents and uncle had taken their turn first. From being last in the tin bath, he moved on to make his debut for Lancashire while still in his teens, eventually earning an England call-up, when he had to face the pace of Lillee and Thomson - with painful and eye-watering consequences. After retiring as a player, he became an umpire and then England coach during the 1990s, before eventually turning to commentary with Sky Sports. After spending more than 50 years involved with the professional game, Bumble's memoir is packed with hilarious anecdotes from the golden age of Lancashire cricket through to the glitzy modern era of T20 cricket. He provides vivid behind-the-scenes insight into life with England and on the Sky commentary team. Last in the Tin Bath is a joy to read from start to finish and was shortlisted for the British Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year.

*Largt-format hardback edition* The 160th edition of the most famous sports book in the world - published every year since 1864 - contains some of the world's finest sports writing. It reflects on the extraordinary life of Shane Warne, who died far too early in 2022, and looks back at another legendary bowler, S. F. Barnes, on the 150th anniversary of his birth. Wisden also reports on England's triumph at the T20 World Cup, to go alongside their 2019 ODI success, and on their Test team's thrilling rejuvenation under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. Writers include Lawrence Booth, Gideon Haigh, James Holland, Jonathan Liew, Emma John, David Frith, Simon Wilde, Jon Hotten, Robert Winder, Tanya Aldred and Neil Harvey, the last survivor from Australia's famous 1948 Ashes tour of England. As usual, Wisden includes the eagerly awaited Notes by the Editor, the Cricketers of the Year awards, and the obituaries. And, as ever, there are reports and scorecards for every Test, together with forthright opinion, compelling features and comprehensive records. "There can't really be any doubt about the cricket book of the year, any year: it's obviously Wisden" Andrew Baker in The Daily Telegraph @WisdenAlmanack

'A highly entertaining read, deftly melding social history with sporting memoir and travelogue' Mail on Sunday A history of Latin America through cricket Cricket was the first sport played in almost every country of the Americas - earlier than football, rugby or baseball. In 1877, when England and Australia played the inaugural Test match at the MCG, Uruguay and Argentina were already ten years into their derby played across the River Plate. The visionary cricket historian Rowland Bowen said that, during the highpoint of cricket in South America between the two World Wars, the continent could have provided the next Test nation. In Buenos Aires, where British engineers, merchants and meatpackers flocked to make their fortune, the standard of cricket was high: towering figures like Lord Hawke and Plum Warner took star-studded teams of Test cricketers to South America, only to be beaten by Argentina. A combined Argentine, Brazilian and Chilean team took on the first-class counties in England in 1932. The notion of Brazilians and Mexicans playing T20 at the Maracana or the Azteca today is not as far-fetched as it sounds. But Evita Burned Down Our Pavilion is also a social history of grit, industry and nation-building in the New World. West Indian fruit workers battled yellow fever and brutal management to carve out cricket fields next to the railway lines in Costa Rica. Cricket was the favoured sport of Chile's Nitrate King. Emperors in Brazil and Mexico used the game to curry favour with Europe. The notorious Pablo Escobar even had a shadowy connection to the game. The fate of cricket in South America was symbolised by Eva Peron ordering the burning down of the Buenos Aires Cricket Club pavilion when the club refused to hand over their premises to her welfare scheme. Cricket journalists Timothy Abraham and James Coyne take us on a journey to discover this largely untold story of cricket's fate in the world's most colourful continent. Fascinating and surprising, Evita Burned Down Our Pavilion is a valuable addition to cricketing and social history.

Geoffrey Boycott is one of the most outspoken and knowledgeable voices on cricket - but this book opens up a whole, new personal side to his life. Thirteen years ago, he received the diagnosis that tore his world apart: he had cancer of the tongue. Having faced down the fastest bowlers during his career as one of England's greatest-ever batsmen, he now had to take on an even more daunting foe. In this fascinating new book, his first autobiographical work for more than 15 years, Boycott not only relives his terrifying battle with cancer but also writes movingly about his long-time love Rachael, and their daughter Emma. He talks about his many other interests and friendships beyond cricket, with a great chapter on Brian Clough as well as revealing some surprising enthusiasms: Boycott and Katy Perry? But Boycott has devoted his life to cricket, and his insights on the game, its players and those who write and talk about it are never less than frank, revealing, entertaining and very honest. He assesses the modern generation of players: how does he rate England's prolific captain Alastair Cook? And is Kevin Pietersen a batting genius or a player who has frittered away his talent? His opinions come with the authority of someone with profound knowledge of and love for the sport. In commentary, he refers to the 'corridor of uncertainty' for a batsman - but with Geoffrey Boycott there is never any room for that, which is why this book is such a compelling and entertaining read.

*Standard hardback edition* The 158th edition of the most famous sports book in the world - published every year since 1864 - contains some of the world's finest sports writing, and reflects on an unprecedented year dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Writers include Lawrence Booth, Sir Garfield Sobers, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Gideon Haigh, Andy Zaltzman, Tom Holland, Duncan Hamilton, Robert Winder, Matthew Engel, Scyld Berry, Derek Pringle, Jack Leach and James Anderson. As usual, Wisden includes the eagerly awaited Notes by the Editor, the Cricketers of the Year awards, and the famous obituaries. And, as ever, there are reports and scorecards for every Test, together with forthright opinion, compelling features and comprehensive records. "There can't really be any doubt about the cricket book of the year, any year: it's obviously Wisden" Andrew Baker in The Daily Telegraph @WisdenAlmanack

The story of global sport is the story of expansion from local development to globalized industry, from recreational to marketized activity. Alongside that, each sport has its own distinctive history, sub-cultures, practices and structures. This ambitious new volume offers state-of-the-art overviews of the development of every major sport or classification of sport, examining their history, socio-cultural significance, political economy and international reach, and suggesting directions for future research. Expert authors from around the world provide varied perspectives on the globalization of sport, highlighting diverse and often underrepresented voices. By putting sport itself in the foreground, this book represents the perfect companion to any social scientific course in sport studies, and the perfect jumping-off point for further study or research. The Routledge Handbook of Global Sport is an essential reference for students and scholars of sport history, sport and society, the sociology of sport, sport development, sport and globalization, sports geography, international sports organizations, sports cultures, the governance of sport, sport studies, sport coaching or sport management.

The first Australian cricket tour to India possesses an inherent intrigue that, for inexplicable reasons, has fallen into obscurity. Megan Ponsford rectifies this through her investigation of the uneasy relationships between Australia, British India and Indian nationalism during the interwar period, using the 1935/36 tour as a case study. The unique liaison between the entrepreneurial tour manager Frank Tarrant and the Maharaja of Patiala, who financed the exercise, led the way. From the palaces of the Raj to the foothills of the Himalayas, the evolving racial consciousness of the ragtag team of Australia cricketers defines the tour. The cricket establishment was also challenged as the tour defied the amateur game with participation encouraged by the Maharaja's deep pockets. Employing a unique methodology, this book interprets the material culture located in the archives of the Australian and Indian cricketers. In the absence of first-hand accounts, these artefacts enable insight into the forgotten and overlooked sportspeople who are finally given the voice and acknowledgement they deserve. It is a brilliant new contribution to the study of both cricket and history, and will be a great resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of History, Politics, Sports, Sociology, and Cultural Studies. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

*Large-format hardback edition* The 159th edition of the most famous sports book in the world - published every year since 1864 - contains some of the world's finest sports writing, and reflects on a year when Azeem Rafiq forced the sport to examine, more painfully than ever, its attitude to racism. The launch of The Hundred gave a huge boost to the women's game while raising many questions about the men's. Then, in the last two months of the year, Australia's men won the World T20 and retained the Ashes. Writers include Lawrence Booth, Stephen Fry, Mike Atherton, Gideon Haigh, Henry Blofeld, Vic Marks, Tanya Aldred, Andy Bull, Tim de Lisle, Emma John and Scyld Berry. As usual, Wisden includes the eagerly awaited Notes by the Editor, the Cricketers of the Year awards, and the famous obituaries. And, as ever, there are reports and scorecards for every Test, together with forthright opinion, compelling features and comprehensive records. "There can't really be any doubt about the cricket book of the year, any year: it's obviously Wisden" Andrew Baker in The Daily Telegraph @WisdenAlmanack

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was first published in 1864, and a new edition has been published every year since then. While limited-edition reprints of every edition of Wisden from 1864 to 1946 have been published over the past few decades, collecting these limited-edition reprints is not cheap as each one has normally been priced between GBP50 and GBP100. Now, for the first time, John Wisden & Co is offering a bundle of the print-on-demand reprints of the editions between 1916 and 1919, to allow cricket lovers more affordable access to this historic book which forms such a significant part of the game's great heritage.

The Outcasts CC always set off to their matches with the best intentions (so they say) - so why do their matches always bring the game into such disrepute? Now the mayhem goes global. From small town Australia to a country house somewhere in Hertfordshire, cricket's most notorious club becomes ever more entangled with the most deplorable behaviour. In "Accidentally Cricket", village cricket meets the world of celebrity - supposedly. The result is neither pretty nor excusable.

This book investigates the complex relationship between embodiment, identity and disability sport, based on ethnographic research with an international-level visually impaired cricket team. Alongside issues of empowerment, classification and valorisation, it conceptualises the sensuous dimension of being in disability sport and challenges the idealised notion of the sporting body. It explores the players' lived experiences of participating and competing in an elite disabled sport culture and uses an embodied theoretical approach drawing upon sociology, phenomenology and contemporary disability theory to examine aspects of this previously unexamined research "site," both on and off the pitch. Written in a way that values and accurately represents the participants' traditionally marginalised voices, the book analyses the role that elite disability sport plays in the construction of identity and helps us to better understand the relationships between disability, sport and wider society. Embodiment, Identity and Disability Sport is essential reading for any student, researcher, practitioner or policymaker working in disability sport, and a source of useful new perspectives for anybody with an interest in the sociology of sport or disability studies.