Hello, Calypso Cricket by Roland Fishman.

Calypso Cricket was released following the Australian cricket team’s 1991 tour of the West Indies. Fishman had previously released a cricket book entitled Greg Matthews: The Spirit of Modern Cricket, and he clearly had some form of established relationship with Matthews who was in the touring party. The nature of this relationship is somewhat unclear, as Fishman implied they were almost best friends, but Matthews afterwards pr??esented a very different viewpoint. Nonetheless, Fishman used this linkage to gain some level of access to the Australian team during their time in the Caribbean.

The focus of the book often appeared to be more about the author than the supposed subject, and how he tried to establish a personal relationship with the players on tour. While there were some attempts to “intellectualise” the work through references to philosophers such as Nietzsche, these came across as mere sophistry rather than a genuine attempt to analyse the sociological aspects of the cricketers’ touring life. Fishman does not seem to have any real knowledge or interest in the actual cricket matches, and therefore spends more time concentrating on less salubrious topics more worthy of a shabby tabloid newspaper. Upon release there was a considerable media storm surrounding the “revelations” of off-field misbehaviour.

There are some minor redeeming points to this book, and, in fairness to the author, it is quite well written and can be entertaining in a slightly “guilty pleasure” sort of way. Some of the sections around the players are interesting, but I remain somewhat sceptical about the impartiality of these profiles. For me, the book fails primarily because it is never entirely clear what it is trying to achieve. There appears to be a lack of clarity around its target audience, and it therefore doesn’t seem to hit the mark with any of them. One of the other reviewers on the team does not agree with me about this being the worst cricket book of all-time, and he professed that he actually quite liked it. So it is merely my opinion, but I have issued the challenge for him to review a worse one. And, before it is nominated, Greg Matthews: The Spirit of Modern Cricket is not eligible.

I find it very interesting that one of Fishman’s next books was nothing to do with sport, but still everything to do with Calypso Cricket. It was titled Creative Wisdom for Writers, and the blurb describes it as a book that “will inspire writers to reach their potential, trust and have faith in their craft, and stimulate their imaginations.” I cannot help think that Fishman’s imagination does not need any additional stimulation, but he may well be an ideal mentor for individual’s struggling in this department.

If Calypso Cricket had been released as a work of fict?ion, I actually think it would have worked better as Fishman does show some skill as an author. However it is my view that, unfortunately, this book simply does not w?ork as published.

On a positive note to fini??sh with; it? was agreed that this review was sufficient to redress our recent overly exuberant scoring, and therefore the recent status quo should resume next week.

While there have been a number of biographies of Imran over the years, they are now quite dated having been released more than 15 years ago and prior to his move into politics. Recent years have seen the release of two new analyses of his life. One was written by noted biographer Christopher Sandford, while the other was penned by Imran himself. It seemed appropriate to review them together, as they each bring a different perspective and viewpoint on Imran’s place both in history of cricket and his wider influence on the nation of Pakistan.

Imran Khan: The Cricketer, The Celebrity, The Politician
By Christopher Sandford

As a biographer, Christopher Sandford has published books on a who’s who of the entertainment world. Legendary figures such as Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen have all been the subject of Sandford’s analysis. However it is not just quantity that defines his work, with Rolling Stone describing him as the “pre-eminent author in his field today.” The obvious question of why he deviated from his usual subject area and focussed on Imran Khan in his most recent book is answered simply by the author: he is a lover of the game of cricket and a great fan of Imran.

Imran has long been seen as a polarising figure, with his strong personal beliefs and determination manifesting in an attitude that has been interpreted by some opponents as simply too hardline. Sandford reviews Imran’s life and understandably focuses upon key moments in his life such as his time at Oxford University, the 1992 World Cup and his forays into politics. It appears clear that Sandford is familiar with Imran’s cricketing prowess, as well as his after hours romantic exploits. Sandford describes both the private and public faces of Imran, which entails a careful analysis of his love life, the failed marriage to Jemima Goldsmith, charity work for his cancer hospital and his more recent political career. He examines Imran’s attempts to maintain a foot within both the Eastern and Western worlds, and how this has impacted upon his personal life.

A biography has one significant advantage over an autobiography in that the author should be able to take a less personal view of events than the individual in question. However, the author also needs to walk a fine line in not becoming either overly critical or displaying too much adulation. Sandford manages this balance, and provides an engaging analysis of the complex character that is Imran. Ivo Tennant’s 1994 work, simply titled Imran Khan, was previously acknowledged as the definitive biography and is indeed still an excellent book. Sandford’s 2009 effort can now be considered superior to Tennant’s, primarily because it includes the events of the past two decades.

Rating : 4 stars

Pakistan: A Personal History
by Imran Khan

In contrast to Sandford’s biography, Imran’s own volume is presented as an ongoing journey of experiences. This book successfully mixes together Pakistan’s own tumultuous history with Imran’s life story. It considers the role cricket played in establishing Imran as a hero within his native country, the challenges that he had to face and overcome, and how these experiences led him to humanitarian and political aspirations. Perhaps a bit surprisingly though, cricket seems to often take a backseat to Imran’s spiritual and political beliefs.

Pivotal moments in his life are explored, with his examination of the impact that both the death of his mother and serious injuries had upon his self-belief being particularly interesting. Imran comments on his faith, and how he was inspired through the writings of key Islamic figures such as poet and philosopher Muhammad Iqbal. It reviews his time in England, but the book’s underlying theme of religion and belief are present with reference to his visits to a mosque. Imran devotes a considerable part of the book to describing his political ambitions and the founding of his own party called Tehreek-e-Insaf, which roughly translates to the Movement for Justice. One of the significant advantages of Imran’s book over that of Sandford’s relate to its perceptions of the political reality of Pakistan. An outsider will always struggle to clearly understand the complex interaction of social, historic and environmental factors, and Imran is ideally placed to provide a critical analysis.

However, there are a few flaws with this book. Cricket, which was Imran’s platform into public awareness, sometimes seems to be sometimes downplayed. As with every autobiography, the writer cannot be truly objective about events in which they were intimately involved. Throughout the text, Imran occasionally comes across as both naive and at times quite arrogant. Nonetheless, he does successfully manage to be self-critical, and his analysis of key events and Pakistan’s culture are fascinating. Imran’s previous autobiography All-Round View was published in 1988, prior to the World Cup victory in 1992. This 2011 book is a good combination of both personal recollections and analysis of Pakistan’s complex political environment, and is a worthy successor to All Round View.

Rating: 4 stars

Summary

It might seem excessive to read two books dedicated to the life of the same individual in rapid succession, however I found Sandford and Imran’s works to be complementary. The foci are not the same, and because of this differentiation, they manage to be highly readable concurrently. Both books are recommended reading for anyone interested in Imran’s cricketing career, and his ongoing part in the emergence of Pakistan on the world stage.

However, it is easy to focus purely on these events and forget that he stood in over 70 other largely uneventful Tests over 16 years, and was often rated over that period as one of the world’s best umpires by both his peers and team captains.

Hair released his first book titled “Decision Maker” in 1998 just after the ‘Murali affair’. He attempted to justify his position, which perhaps not unsurprisingly caused something of a commotion in world cricket circles and resulted in the ICC finding him guilty in 1999 of bringing the game into disrepute. With Hair’s somewhat involuntary retirement from officiating, he was released from the ICC’s rules that no active umpire could comment on the game, and therefore decided to release a follow-up work in 2011. The new autobiography is called In the Best Interests of the Game and a conscious decision was made?? by the review team? to let the inevitable heat die down a bit so that an objective review could be conducted.

While his first book had a focus on Murali and throwing, this second work has much more of an emphasis upon the 2006 Test between England and Pakistan at the Oval. Naturally, Hair concentrates upon his side of the story. However he does make some persuasive arguments about the unfairness of his subsequent treatment, particularly when contrasted to that of his fellow umpire Billy Doctrove, who was equally responsible for the alleged ball tampering incident. The book does cover other issues including the ongoing saga of throwing, the introduction of a third umpire and technological reviews, his own personal cricketing pedigree, and Hair’s personal selections for World XI Test and One Day sides. These analyses are intelligently written and articulated from the perspective of someone as close to the action as you can be without actually being playing. As these sections are so interesting, it is slightly unfortunate that they take a back seat to the theme of the ‘2006 Oval Incident’ and subsequent fallout, which is more than 50% of the book.

As with any autobiography, the reader has to make a judgement as to how objective the writer can be, and how self-serving the resulting content may be. With this autobiography, the reader also has to determine how objective they personally are in respect to Hair’s motives and reasons. Consequently, it is quite hard in some ways to provide an overall mark for the book. If you feel Darrell Hair has been unfairly treated, victimised and scapegoated by the ICC, you will find that this autobiography confirms your viewpoint and I highly recommend you read it. If you think Darrell Hair is a “racist overbearing blowhard” (thank you forum chat rooms), I very much doubt reading this will change your opinion at all.

Overall, I found In the Best Interests of the Game an intriguing read, with Hair’s perspective and disclosures on many issues very informative. A final score of 3.5 stars, but with an asterisk for anyone with strong predetermined opinions regarding the author.

The same principle applies to literature, with reviewers often passionately endorsing a new release and then quickly forgetting it soon afterwards. Cricket books are no different, and as such, the review team sometimes make a decision to sit on a book for a while, so that the final rating is not unduly affected by external factors. This was the case with the posthumous publishing of Bob Woolmer’s The Art and Science of Cricket. However, a couple of years after the i?nitial 2008 release, it was felt appropriate to now provide a review.

There have been many cricket coaching manuals over the years. Some of the better known ones include James Pycroft’s 1851 book entitled The Cricket Field (or The History and the Science of Cricket), The Jubilee Book of Cricket by Ranjitsinhji (1897), Bradman’s 1958 classic The Art of Cricket (see Swaranjeet Singh’s review here ), Cricket Skills by Frank Tyson (1985), as well as a myriad of “How I Play Cricket” type titles over the years by every man and his pet dog. In order to differentiate the book from these previous options, Woolmer, in conjunction with his co-authors Tim Noakes and Helen Moffett, took a very scientific and modern approach to not just on-the-field technical and strategic issues, but also some more esoteric factors including fitness, psychology, physiology and, most importantly, how to sledge effectively.

Woolmer provides a wonderful examination of many established principles of the game, and re-evaluates whether they are truly important or not. While he provides a good description of the basics, such as how to bowl an in-swinger or play a cut shot, he also covers such diverse areas as what is the best stump to take guard on as a batsman, the physics of reverse swing, the affect of colour blindness, how much advantage you can gain by ‘chucking’ compared to bowling the ball, the impact of alcohol on your body, and much more. It is truly an in-depth review of how to play the game in the modern era. This is not a coaching manual for either the very young or the casual fan. It is close on 700 pages, and provides a lot of detail for keen followers of the game. However, it is not particularly difficult to read, as it is presented in small sections that assist in breaking up the content into manageable bites. It is far more comprehensive than Woolmer’s other work, Bob Woolmer on Batting, Bob Woolmer on Bowling.

It is noted that this book was ten years in the making, and that Woolmer was still working on it at the time of his death before it was finally completed by Noakes. The fact it was not completed by Woolmer is clear at times. There is an undercurrent that Woolmer is not entirely objective in his assessments of the players he coached. A number of descriptive errors are also evident, which I am sure that Woolmer would have spotted during a final editing process. While I accept that Brian Close was a very handy bowler, to categorise him as a ‘tailender’ is not particularly flattering. Particularly when it was used in the context of a Test match in which he actually opened the batting in both innings. Another example includes a description of Sarfraz Narwaz as a speed merchant of the same ilk as Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson and John Snow. These are but minor problems in the scheme of things, however, they are slightly off-putting in a book proclaiming to be the definitive text.

Following its release in 2008, most reviews of The Art and Science of Cricket were particularly complementary, and predicte?d it to immediately assume the place as the pre-eminent? coaching book. Three years down the track, it is possible to ask whether these sentiments were accurate. It would be easy to argue that many of the early reviews were overly sympathetic, considering the tragic death of Woolmer prior to its publication. However, this would be to downplay the value of this book. Part of its great charm is the fact that it is willing to not just present the standard ideas, but completely stand many of them on their head in order to see what happens.

It is not perfect, but it is certainly the best modern coaching book available.? Will it stand the test of time? Yes. 4.5 st??ars.

Jim Young played for a team called Naughten’s Old Boys in the 1970s and 80s. The team?s name was derived, as is commonplace in Australia, from the pub that the majority of players frequented. The Naughten’s Old Boys, or Nobs, played in the Northern Combined Churches cricket competition in Melbourne. As Young points out, the grade they officially participated in D-1, as the players considered it too humiliating to admit it was actually E grade. The fact that they were a pub team competing in a Churches competition sets the scene well for the escapades and events that follow. There is little relationship between good Christian ethics, the antics of the team and their perpetual struggle to get a full contingent of players onto the ground. However, their opposing Church teams don?t seem to provide a much better example either.

Young covers a large variety of the staple elements of less serious cricket; self-umpiring, struggling to get numbers, the volunteers who somehow manag??e to organise everything at the last minute, the ring-ins who play under assumed names and so on. He is a fine writer, and manages to draw the reader into the story exceptionally well. Young was an English teacher, and his writing style is both refined and easygoing. I have friends that have no interest in cricket whatsoever, but they still read this book with great enjoyment. It is a genuinely funny book in many parts. Thankfully, unlike some similar efforts, this book does not fall into the trap of forcing the humour too much. Young manages to let it happen naturally, but also succeeds in reminding many of us of the fun we had in the lower grades.

It is interesting that the forward to this book is provided by one of the best current cricket writers, Gideon Haigh. Sadly, Any Old Eleven has not been a massive best-seller, in spite of the fact that it is exceptionally well written and very entertaining. It was not published by any of the major book companies, which no doubt contributed to its relatively poor sales and is a real shame. Perhaps my biggest compliment to Young is that I rate Any Old Eleven higher than Haigh?s own effort in this genre, The Vincibles. This is not to denigrate The Vincibles at all, but merely to highlight what an excellent book Any Old Eleven is. Any Old Eleven is essential reading for all fans of cricket, and comes highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a well written and humorous?? book.

John Michael (Mike) Brearley was educated at the City of London School, which also can boast other famous former pupils including British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith and Daniel Radcliffe, the actor best known as playing Harry Potter. Brearley went to Cambridge and studied philosophy and the moral sciences. It was while he was still at Cambridge that Brearley’s captaincy potential was first noted, with his selection to lead an MCC Under 25 side to Pakistan. While he was recognised as a promising batsman and keeper during these early days, Brearley ultimately did not have a Test career that could be considered as successful purely in terms of on-field performances. He scored 1442 runs at an average of just 22.88 in 39 Tests; figures that could never be used to justify his place in the side. It was, however, his ability to manage players and lead teams that was his strongest point. In fact, he captained England in 31 of his 39 Tests, a remarkable ratio for a cricketer in the 20th Century.

Brearley had published a number of tour diaries in the late 1970s and early 80s, such as Phoenix from the Ashes, Ashes Retained, and The Ashes Returned, which were all co-written with Dudley Doust. However, he is best known for his book, The Art of Captaincy, which was first released in 1985. It is somewhat surprising for a game like cricket, in which the captain can play such a large role in the direction of the match, that there are so very few comprehensive books on captaincy. It is possible to argue that instinctive captains, such as Keith Miller, could not accurately detail how they led their teams (other than Miller’s wonderful approach to setting the field by telling his players to ‘scatter’), and that more conventional captains who led ‘by the book’ therefore had no new insights to share. Nonetheless, it seems strange that, prior to Brearley, there was very little literature on the topic.

The Art of Captaincy has stood up remarkable well to the test of time. Brearley’s background in academia is evident, with the text well written and easy to understand. The prose is both clear and elegant. He cannot be said to over-simplify matters though, and he accurately details how and why decisions are made. Much is made in the media of Brearley’s background as a psychoanalyst, and how this training was an essential component of his captaincy. As psychology is my own field of employ, I feel appropriately placed to describe this as complete rubbish and note that this belief actually downplays Brearley’s personal attributes. I know a lot of psychologists, and very few are what I would describe as captaincy material. Brearley clearly has an analytic mind, but he also must have the necessary personality to allow him to work well with many different types of people. The Art of Captaincy lays out many of the principles and concepts of leadership, and outlines how anyone can apply them. Training in psychology is optional, and definitely not essential.

On the downside, while the book was re-released in 2001, there appears to have been only a marginal attempt to update it. This is best underscored in the long treatise about the dying art of leg-spin, which is slightly off-putting when you consider that Shane Warne had been bowling out England without even trying for nearly a decade. There is also no mention of Twenty20, which is hardly surprising as the game wasn’t yet in the public consciousness. I do also feel, perhaps cynically as an Australian, that Brearley’s reputation as a captain extraordinaire is somewhat inflated by the fact that he carefully managed to avoid captaining England against the all-conquering West Indies, and also by the fact that people forget he led England to a 3-0 Test series loss in Australia in 1979/80. However, I accept that this viewpoint is probably more due to sour grapes than anything else, and none of this alters the overall value of this book.

In summary, this is a book well worth tracking down for anyone who is interested in cricket. While the topic is captaincy, it covers many different concepts and would appeal to anyone who loves the game. The??????????????????????????re have been few books on captaincy, good or otherwise. It is possible to consider that as Brearley did such a good job, no-one else has bothered to try and compete.

Fulton’s credibility as a judge of these Ashes skippers is supported by his own career as both a fine first class batsman and as Kent captain. Interestingly, he reveals in the book that he was actually picked to make his Test debut against Australia in 4th Test of the 2001 Ashes at Headingly. However, the selectors back-flipped before publically announcing the side and re-instated Mark Butcher. While we may all criticise selectors at times, this decision was a masterstroke as Butcher played the innings of his life in winning the Test for England with 173 not out. Unfortunately for Fulton though, his name was never again pencilled in for an England side.

The profiles and analysis of the captains are based both upon Fulton’s experiences with the individuals during his time on the field, and also through interviews. There are some genuine moments of insight into the thought processes of great leaders, but just as interesting are the reflections of the captains that history does not remember well. The internal and external problems that faced Kim Hughes during the 1981 Ashes are fascinating to contemplate, and to then wonder how some of the other captains would have coped with that same situation.

There are, however, some frustrations with the book. The very first chapter on Mike Brearley didn’t start the book particularly well. It didn’t actually reveal anything more than could already be gleaned from Brearley’s own masterpiece The Art of Captaincy. In fact, this chapter quoted directly from Brearley’s works, and this approach was slightly off-putting. However, the remainder of the book improved, and did not appear to again suffer from this problem. The only other real issue is that at times the information that Fulton reveals is more accepted wisdom than anything really new and exciting. Nonetheless, there is still enough original content to keep the reader engaged to the end.

Fulton has done a good job in examining the role of captains in the recent Ashes battles. The importance of leadership is often overlooked in cricketing circles, and this book is one of the few that specifically focuses upon this issue. While it probably would not be considered essential reading for all cricket fans, particularly for supporters from countries other than Australia or England, The Captains’ Tales i?s still highly worth tracking down for any?one with an interest in captaincy.

A quick count has revealed that there are nearly two hundred (193 to be exact) different books each individually rated by the Review Team for CricketWeb. And if there is one lesson that we have learned over time, it is that you usually run away screaming from self-published works. While it is accepted that some great books are mistakenly rejected by all the mainstream publishing houses, it is normally a pretty good sign that a lot more work is required before it reaches an appropriate standard. However, every now and again, a book comes along that defies that trend. Happily, Cricket Dreaming – The Rites of Summer by Barry Nicholls is an example of this rare e?vent.

Nicholls is a former school teacher and journalist in the mediums of both radio and newspaper. He was also a very handy cricketer with Kensington in the Adelaide grade competition. His?? book reviews both his own cricketing journey as player and coach, and the wider impact of the main matches and personalities of the 1970s and 80s. Nicholls covers the main themes of the period from the perspective of a bit-player who briefly glimpsed the inner workings of the game at the highest level, without ever quite reaching those heights p?ersonally.

Happily the book is largely devoid of any spelling errors, statistical blunders or even simplistic omissions. This achievement is a rarity in modern publishing. Even more joyously, Nicholls is able to write coherently and sustain the interest of the reader throughout the 199 pages. He reflects upon the changes in the game over the past 30 years, and examines the rise of new phenomenon such as 20/20 matches and ‘limited edition’ memorabilia. The book is presented as a memoir, however, at times it reads more like a series of unconnected essays. This is the only significant flaw with the book, as there is a lack of continuity between the chapters that is slightly off-putting.

I have to admit that I was very pleasantly surprised by Cricket Dreaming. Its production values are perhaps not up to the standard of the main publishers, but it doesn’t lack for much in comparison. It is a well written, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable book. This was the first time I have read a work by Nicholls, however, I will certainly purchase any further cricketing books he produces. There is a brief but tantalising chapter regarding the former Test cricketer Edgar Mayne that showed Nicholls’ considerable potential for producing a dedicated biography on one of our former greats. I will watch with interest to see Nicolls’ follow-up books.

Archie’s Effort

For those who grew up in the 70s and early 80s this book will bring back – as the name suggests – dreams of playing for Australia, and memories of amongst other things; Dougie Walters hitting Bob Willis for six to bring up his ton off the last ball of the day, or Kim Hughes, down on one knee, driving the mighty Windies fast bowlers through the covers on a brute of an MCG pitch. A pitch that these days would, in all likelihood be described as too dangerous, and result in an investigation, or at least condemnation.

It was not just the two innings mentioned above that bring back memories, it was the authors reminiscences of listening to radio broadcasts or watching TV from En?gland of the Ashes and the inaugural World Cup. These were the days before you could set the video recorder and go to bed and watch the rest of the match the following day.

Barry Nichol?ls captures the brutal innings of Clive Lloyd in that first World Cup of 1975, and reminds us that the whole competition lasted just two weeks. He also writes about the 1981 Ashes series, which took place while he was in England, he reminds us that even now almost 30 ??years later, all the Australian cricket fans who remember that series still avoid reading, watching or even thinking about it.

The descriptions of past matches and experiences are vividly depicted and thought provoking, the book is easy to read, the author possessing a flowing style. This is the type of book you intend to read a quick chapter and find yourself reading half a dozen, as the kids’ whinge for their dinner.

Apart from the descriptions of past matches and heroes, the book, while not being eclectic as such, covers a number of different cricketing subjects; from Barry Nicholls’ favourite Australian writers on the game (and it was good to see some of CWs favourites amongst the list), to some fascinating fresh information on forgotten old-time cricketers Edgar Mayne and Bill Whitty.

The author also provides heartfelt memories of the aggressive opener Les Favell who was taken at a rel?atively young age, and the tragic loss of Ben Ho?llioake. Again the information and anecdotes provided on both will be unfamiliar to the vast majority of readers.

It is the fresh information and unique prospective that the author consistently produces in the book, that raises thi?s publication above the average, and makes it recommended reading for all cricket fans.

The only disappointment with this book was that although the author was kind enough to send me a copy to review, I forgot to ask him to sign it first. I?f I am fortunate to receive a copy of his next book which I believe will be a biography of former Test wicket keeper Barry Jarman, I will be sure not to make the same mistak??e twice.

Fletcher played for England for fourteen years between 1968 and 1982, including captaining his nation on a tour of India in 1981. He also led his county side Essex to three championships during the 70s and 80s and coached England during the 1990s. Derek Pringle, the former England all-rounder, describes Fletcher as ‘the best, most successful and influential captain I ever played under, winning untold riches for his adopted county’. The forward written by Michael Atherton comments on Fletcher’s standing on the game by labelling him as ‘cricket’s most loyal and highly regarded of men, having a deep knowledge of the game and a tactical grasp bettered by few’. The book cover further informs me that Keith Fletcher was the first man to both captain and coach the England cricket team.

This duality of focus as both a player and coach over the past three decades would appear to place Fletcher into an ideal position to comment upon the evolution of cricket in England over the past three decades. Sadly, all of these positive factors are largely irrelevant as the book is an almost non-stop whinge fest. To his credit, Fletcher doesn?t avoid discussing controversial issues, however, he fails to adequately explore his own role in these events and instead simply blames everyone else for everything that went wrong. His relationship with Chairman of Selectors Ray Illingworth is discussed in some det??ail, but with no real insights into how communication and interaction could be improved between the coach and selectors.

Fletcher comments and reviews his peers and opponents over the past thirty years. Once again though, there is little in here that is either new or surprising. As an example of this, Graham Gooch?s commitment to training is discussed, as is Ian Botham?s aversion to it. Fletcher was clearly scarred for life by his experiences in the 197??4/75 Ashes series, and he reveals an underlying antipathy towards Australia throughout the book. Some sections of the book do show Fletcher?s genuine insight into the players and the game, however, the book is characterised more by Fletcher?s insecurities and bitterness. Overall, this is a shame because there was considerable potential for this autobiography to be a very good work.

I remember being pleasantly surprised by Duncan Fletcher?s autobiography. I had a strong negative perception of Duncan being a whinger and complainer. His autobiography managed to convince me that there was far more to him. However, Duncan?s predecessor as English coach and his namesake, Keith, has managed to achieve the exact opposite in his autobiography. I went in expecting an interesting review and analysis from a widely respected and knowledgeable cricketing guru. Essex team-mate Pringle, in his review of this book, commented that ‘There is, to those who don’t know him, a danger the book could be seen as an extended whinge’. I do not know Keith Fletcher, and I agree, the book is a little more than an extended whinge. Very disappointing.

2.5 stars (when it could have been so much more).

It’s probably a pretty fair bet that all Australian Test cricketers grew up playing a version of backyard cricket. However, the impact that these games have had upon the development of their technique has never been seriously evaluated or considered. Steve Cannane, an Australian journalist, has attempted to achieve this goal in the recently published book, “First Tests – Great Australian Cricketers and the Backyards That Made Them” .

Steve Cannane is not an established cricketing writer, being far better known as a news journalist and current affairs reporter. Cannane worked for the Triple J radio station for a number of years, reporting for and hosting the current affairs program called Hack. Cannane?s quality as an investigative writer and researcher is demonstrated by his winning the 2006 Walkley Award for Broadcast Interviewing. The Walkleys are considered to be the premier recognition of journalistic merit in Australia, and Cannane’s stories “Petrol Sniffing, Pill Testing and the Cost of War” mea??nt he joined an elite club of winners including Jim Whaley, Kerry O?Brien, Andrew Denton and? Monica Attard.

The goal of Cannane’s book is to bring together the stories and experiences of a disparate group of Australian Test cricketers, and to examine how their backyard cricket battles resulted in them becoming international players. He works chronologically through the history of Australia, commencing with greats such as Trumper, Mailey and Bradman before moving through the likes of Miller, Benaud, the Chappells and Border and reaching current stars such as Mike Hussey and Brett Lee. Cannane deserves special commendation for also including female cricketers such as the legendary Betty Wilson and the more recent Belinda Clark in this analysis.

One of the more interesting aspects of the book is the personal evaluation that the subjects give on how their backyard games affected and influenced their eventual technique. Some examples such as how Doug Walters developed great footwork to combat the spinners as his? homemade antbed pitch spun excessively are well known, however, Allan Border, who was also known for his skill against the slow bowlers, similarly describes how his brother exacted vicious spin in their backyard battles. Greg and Ian Chappell, both well known for their hook shots, also recount childhood matches in which they peppered each other with bouncers designed primarily to maim.

These examples made me consider my own (admittedly poor) b?atting technique and whether I had been similarly influenced. Surprisingly, I realized that one of my most productive shots in serious cricket, a flick off my toes over square leg for six, was probably due to the fact that our backyard pitch was dominated by nearby bushes on the legside, and as such, the only way to score on the on-side was by chipping it high over these close-in fielders (shrubs really). That made me think that Cannane might be onto something interesting here, and it is an issue I had not previously considered while playing with my own kids in our backyard.

Overall, the book does not contain many great secrets or unexpected surprises. A fair amount of the information has been previously contained in other well known autobiographies or cricketing books. Nonetheless, the concept is in itself interesting, and Cannane’s writing style is polished enough to pull it off. Not an essential purchase, but certainly worth a read. I will be interested to see if Cannane continues to write about cricket, as his investigative journalist background could lend itself to some truly fascinating work in the future. 3.5 stars.

Archie Says

The first time I read David Frith’s By His Own Hand I remember thinking “what a great idea for a cricket book, there can’t be many original ideas left.” And since then there have been some original ideas but not many memorable ones, until Steve Cannane released his first cricket book First Tests.

Although the title is a little misleading, as the first Test that the book refers to is that of a n?umber of famous Australian players and their early cricketing experiences before they played competitive cricket.

Some of the players and events covered are well known to cricket followers such as a young Don Bradman with his ?stump and golf ball, or the Chappell family home pitch with extended fences and chicken wire over the house windows (although it seems these precautions did not stop the Chappell boys from smashing around 150 windows). Other players covered whose exploits are not so well known such?? as Bob Simpson and Betty Wilson are also included.

First Tests would be best described as an easy read, with the author not including any surplus details and possessing a great ability to constantly bringing the story back to its brief. It ma?kes for fascinating reading to learn just how dedicated the eventual Test stars of tomorrow were in their childhood. The word that comes to mind is fanatical, with the young champions seemingly at practice every available moment with no??t even rain stopping their imitation Test matches.

The front cover which features a young Neil Harvey (he was already in the Test team) defending a wooden box in the back lane of his tough Melbourne suburb, encapsulates the whole ambience of the book. It is hard to imagine the buddi??ng cricket stars of today with their full kit and $500.00 dollar bats, playing in a narrow lane way surrounded by houses and a bevy of young crew cut fielders.

Steve Cannane also expounds on the theory that the layout of a young players backyard dictates the Test players strength, for instance if Kim Hughes play??ed a leg side shot in his backyard it was automatically out so he rarely played the pull or hook but he possessed a magnificent cover drive.

Steve Cannane has also compiled an impressive bibliography, derived from the obvious amount of research that the author has undertaken. Although if you have read the biographies of those cricketers covered you will be familiar with their boyhood exploits the book is written in such an entertaining manner that prior knowledge does not affect the reader’s enjoyment.

The book is also impressively free of errors (although there are one or two typos), about the only thing that was annoying was the author constantly using ‘t’ instead of ‘T’ as in tests instead of Tests. That and the lack of any colour illustrations throughout the book are the only tiny criticisms of an otherwise quality read. Four Stars from the Mac.