Your top 5 cricket books

[am Bays]

From the Steve Smith captaincy test thread I was inspired by Footy Smart's and Dogwatcher's comment on cricket books (of which I've got a few )

It got me thinking what are you're favourite cricket books? Borrowing from the move High Fidelity where Rob, Barry and Dick spent most of the time discussing their top 5 albums/songs for whatever; what are your top 5 cricket books in your collection?

Mine:

1. The Gloveman - Jack Pollard
As a 'keeper I'm naturally drawn to history of the trade I plied poorly on the cricket field but loved watching on the TV. My favourite bit of cricket footage is: Butcher St Healy b Bevan at Old Trafford in 1997. A brilliant legside stumping from a ball that just kept drifting down leg side by the best 'Keeper I've ever seen. To read of the likes of: Blackham, Carter, Oldfield, Duckworth, Tallon. Langley, Grout, Knott, Taylor, Marsh and Bari is just magic and Pollard has a good easy ready writing style. I love his other works too such as Six and Out which I couldn't find a spot for here.

2. Border and Beyond - Mark Ray
A critical look at the years of Border's captaincy by former first class cricketer Mark Ray who was able to get on the inside of the Australian team to an extent due to his playing background (doubled as a net bowler whilst he was part of the Poison Typewriters Club - nod to DK). This is a really good read as Australia rose from being an also rans in 1984 to the challenging the West indies for the title of dominant test nation in 1994. it illustrates Borders personal growth from reluctant test captain to the outstanding leader he was and how the likes of Boon, Marsh, Jones, and Healey would support him in his role.

3. Never a Gentlemans game - Malcolm Knox
As I said before if you think any of the current cricket controversies are new in the last 40 years think again. All been done before in the same period 100 years earlier. Got a bit hard to read at times due to Knox quoting and referencing multiple sources and at times I thought he was showing too much bias to the players argument against the then administrators. Still a damn good read though and made me more aware of what is referred to over in the home country as "The Golden Age of cricket. Malcolm also wrote one of my other favourite books Taylor and beyond which looked at the Mark Taylor years as test captain but not as well IMO as Ray looks at the Border years.

4. Golden Boy - Christopher Ryan
The unauthorised "biography" of Kim Hughes due to the fact he didn't want to dredge up old wounds that he had healed with Marsh and Lillee. Really looks at that turbulent 10 years of Australian cricket from 1977 to 1987 as he was seen as the Golden haired establishment boy who was thrust up against the big three WSC boys of Chappell, Marsh and Lillee. The book exposes the depth of ill-feeling at the time in WA and Australian cricket and culminates with the Rebel tours of South Africa and how Hughes became involved in it. A thoroughly good read that took me back to my time when I first started watching this game on the ABC (1978-79) and my first real cricket hero Rodney Marsh.

5. Extra Cover- Jack Egan
A book I read three times cover to cover when I first got it (well we were driving from Darwin to Adelaide for holidays in 1989) This book is a collection of interviews jack Egan did with various cricket identities in late 1988 and early 1989. it includes but is not limited to then current test umpires, players (M Taylor, M Hughes and T May to name but a few) Shield cricketers, Cricket Commentators, former players, journalists, administrators, coaches, Australian medical staff, fans and selectors. it is a good read and a bit of marker in history for what was happening in Australian cricket right before we started to dominate the cricket world through the 90s.

HMs to:
6. First Tests - Sam Connell
7. The Chappell Era - Mike Coward
8. Six and out - Jack Pollard
9. The Game is Not the Same - Norm Tasker with Alan McGilvray
10. Bowlology - Damien Flemming (semi autobiographical, self deprecating, anecdotal p!ss funny insight into Australian cricket during the Bowlologists playing era)

[RustyCage]

Any of the Warwick Todd series

[heater31]

Any of the Warwick Todd series

Almost wet myself reading these in year 9 silent reading....best 20 minutes of the day....

[FlyingHigh]

Good stuff am, might have to look a few of those up.

Some of my favourites are:
On Warne by Gideon Haigh
The original "Laughs on Us"
Australia: Story of a Cricket Country compiled by Chris Ryan
The Summer Game: Cricket in in 50's and 60's by Gideon Haigh
The Appeal of Cricket: the modern game by Richie Benaud
One for the Road by Doug Walters

Others I've enjoyed include:
The Cutting Edge by Chappelli
Time to Declare - Mark Taylor autobiography
Fierce Focus - Greg Chappell Autobiography
Border and Beyond - in addition to am Bays, as a teenager at the time, could never work out why we couldn't quite be the best in the world, and this book helped illuminate a few things, and is why I rate Taylor and Clarke's captaincy above Waugh, Border and Ponting.

Probably others I can't remember.

[Hazbeen]

If I have a few of Steve Waugh's books and rate him highly

[am Bays]

If I have a few of Steve Waugh's books and rate him highly

Yup got all of those. I rate his first one the best (1993 ASHES tour) as it is so different / less polished in the writing style. As he became more profficient in his writing he became more "run-off-the-mill" as per other cricket writers.

I also rated his 1995 tour dirary and 1997 ASHES tour diary. In addition to my comment above, after those and as captain, he became a little reserved I thought in what he said in order to possibly avoid controversy (The Australian Test Captain said.....)

Most of his books are are in my top 10-20 range and at the 1993-94 South African Adelaide test I amanged to get most of the 93 ASHES tourists to autograph photos of them in that book. So that one is especially a bit of a favourite for me.

Waiting for Dogwatchers top five

[RustyCage]

According to cricinfo

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/369211.html

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/magazine/author.html?genre=233

[RustyCage]

I rate all the different cricket diaries. Big fan of Steve Waughs books.

[FlyingHigh]

According to cricinfo

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/369211.html

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/magazine/author.html?genre=233

Thanks Rusty. How could I forget my favourite - Gideon Haigh's The Cricket War.

[westozfalcon]

1. Chappelli - The Cutting Edge: Ian Chappell - Typically candid book from Chappelli just after the 1992 World Cup. I still rate him as the most knowledgeable cricket pundit in Australia.
2. Calypso Cricket: Roland Fishman (about Australia's 1991 tour of the West Indies)
3. Hitting Across The Line: Viv Richards
4. Michael Parkinson on Cricket: Michael Parkinson (as name would suggest)
5. The Whole Hogg: Rodney Hogg (helped by Ando from the Herald Sun). Never going to rival Shakespeare but laced with typical knockaobout, self-deprecating Aussie humour.

[westozfalcon]

4. Golden Boy - Christopher Ryan
The unauthorised "biography" of Kim Hughes due to the fact he didn't want to dredge up old wounds that he had healed with Marsh and Lillee. Really looks at that turbulent 10 years of Australian cricket from 1977 to 1987 as he was seen as the Golden haired establishment boy who was thrust up against the big three WSC boys of Chappell, Marsh and Lillee. The book exposes the depth of ill-feeling at the time in WA and Australian cricket and culminates with the Rebel tours of South Africa and how Hughes became involved in it. A thoroughly good read that took me back to my time when I first started watching this game on the ABC (1978-79) and my first real cricket hero Rodney Marsh.

I enjoyed this one too. The only shortcoming was that Kim Hughes refused to be interviewed for it because he didn't want to open old wounds. Christian Ryan forged on ahead regardless and therefore, in my view, the book lacked a bit of legitimacy. The fact that Hughes didn't want to co-operate probably shows the degree to which he is still hurting over his treatment from the Australian cricket hierarchy. However I reckon he brought a lot of it on himself.

[FlyingHigh]

^ Yeah, that's pretty much my opinion of the book too.

[Lightning McQueen]

I was pretty fond of these sorts.

[stampy]

By Hook or By Cut by the late Les Favell was the first of dozens i have accumulated over the years.

Out of my Comfort Zone by the mighty Steve Waugh is a brilliant

Spun Out by Paul Barry i thought was pretty good as well.

countless others including slats, merv, gilly, mark waugh, symonds, ponting, hussey, jenner, skull, you name it and my wife has got it for me

[am Bays]

I was pretty fond of these sorts.

Topical book there LM, one of the current umpires in Brisbane is on the cover.

[Lightning McQueen]

I was pretty fond of these sorts.

Topical book there LM, one of the current umpires in Brisbane is on the cover.

Gould?

[am Bays]

Gould?

Yup, don't think Erasmus played for England. Yeah but he is the 'keeper

Anyone else want to name all the other players on the cover? Where is Adelaide Hawk when you need him?

[Dogwatcher]

Working on my list.

[whufc]

Having Jamaican grandparents most of the books I read as a kid were based around West Indies.

But my bible was the 'Viv Richards Masterclass Book'

Was a mixture of Vivs experiences as a cricketer combined with lots of photos and pictures of techniques both batting and bowling. Vivs take on batting to the pace bowlers was amazing.

My favourite Oz book is my Don Bradman Collection, amazing how much of the old Bradman stuff was collected over his time.

Loved David Boons 'in the firing line' as well

[Rik E Boy]

1. WG Grace - Simon Rae

This is a brilliant book about the Great Cricketer that I have read and reread on many occasions. This book does not diefy WG and presents a 'warts and all' look at perhaps the most controversial figure in Cricket history. When you read this book you will soon learn how WG Grace was perhaps the first sport 'superstar'. He was bigger than the game itself and his dominance over his peers almost rivals Bradman. Brilliantly written with some excellent cricket and non-cricket photographs and with a solid statistical summation as well.

2. Jack Fingelton: The man who stood up to Bradman - Geoff Growden

Growing up I thought of Jack Fingleton like many others did at the time, just one of many jealous peers of the incomporable Don who were making whine with sour grapes. However after reading this book it is clear there are not only two sides 'to the story' but there were also two sides to the Australian dressing room at the time in relation to religous divisions as in Catholics and Church of England. A massive bone of contention between Jack and Don over the many decades was the infamous press 'leak' at the Bodyline test in Adelaide. Both men (journalists) strenously denied that they were the source of the leak and it something that Fingleton never forgave Bradman for an vice versa. A fascinating read and a comprehensive inside look at the dressing room of a bygone era.

3. Calling all Cricketers - The NSWCA Coaching Manual.

I first read my Grandfather's copy of this book on school holidays. Why oh why didn't I pay attention! A very thorough book with step by step photos of where your body should be and how to perform the correct techniques of various skills of the game showing pictures of the star players of the day such as Keith Miller and Ray Lindwall and Lindsey Hassett. It also has what seems to be a quaint chapter today on crickett ettiquette which is worth the read alone. Not many manuals are good reading but this one is. As a junior coach I still refer to this volume today.

4. The Reasons Why - Bob SImpson

After Greg Chappell, Rod Marsh and Dennis Lillee quit, Australia were shit. Allan Border was the last one standing and a bit like Bomber at Geelong before the flags came, we had one man trying to do everything. Enter, and not for the first time when we were in trouble, RB Simpson. Bobby didn't don the whites like he did during the WSC days but his legacy was even more enduring this time around. He became out Cricket coach. Bob's methods soon gave us our swagger back and this book is an excellent depiction of the period from when Simpson first got the gig to the successfull Ashes tour of 1989 and the confrontational series against the West Indies in 1991. Allan Border has been rightly recognised for his efforts to bring Australia back to where they should be but Bob Simpson's role in our resurgence cannot be underestimated. One downside of this book is he is a bit on the defensive at times as you can see by the title.

5. Lambs to the Slaughter - Graham Yallop

Graham Yallop is perhaps one of the saddest cricketers in history. Not in the tragical Hughes or broken hero Larwood sense but here was a man with immense talent who was literally fed to the English Lion. Graham Yallop's 'Lambs' were slaughtered 5-1 by a full strength English team in 1978-79 as Australia went in without the gun WSC players. Even worse, Yallop did a 'Glen McGrath' and predicted a whitewash. With only five tests in three years prior to being made Captain Yallop was hopelessly out of his depth and this book is a cry of anguish from a very frustrated man who did not command the respect of his players. I recommend this one to any English Cricket fan who is still hurting from the whitewash last year.

6. Spun Out: The unauthorised (Warne) Biography - Paul Barry

Shane Warne is perhaps the finest cricket brain we have seen in the last three decades. The way he thinks about the game is almost clinical without sacrificing the love of the sport which he still clearly has. He also loves mobile phones, blondes and himself but I'm not sure about the order. Don't bother with the authorised biography of Warne, that will be just the Shane Warne show and you can get that by watching Test Cricket this summer. Barry's book has been described as 'a hatchet job' but I don't think this is entirely fair. Barry paints Warne as a flawed genius. He praises his achievements, his aura and his knowledge and love of the game but pulls no punches about Warne's indiscretions. A great read about a great cricketer who might be a shit bloke. Personally, I think he's a good bloke who shit in his nest.

7. Hitting accross the line - Viv Richards

Viv Richards was the most attacking batsmen I can remember from the West Indies and his personna was a macho tough exterior..not wearing a helmet facing Lillee and Thomson man what balls. However, this book is a bit defensive. Leave our team alone, you should have seen what we copped in Australia, what do you mean Grovel Tony? I don't think Viv needed to defend anyone, he should have stayed on the attack. However, his genuine love for the game and his nation come through. An honest book about an honest bloke who made genuine friendships with blokes in the other dressing room. Viv always gave his best no matter what cap he was wearing and his editors should have suggested that he omitted the 'leave our team alone' stuff out of this book. A very good read.

8. The Gloves of Irony - Rod Marsh

Loved Marshy growing up. Still miss seeing him behind the stumps today. There hasn't been a better keeper to the fast bowling for Australia that I can remember since. In his early days he was called 'Iron Gloves' which suggests he had a rocky start. Imagine keeping wicket to Thomson though. He didn't know where the balls were going so good luck to the batsman and wicketkeeper. This book is a one sitting job. Not all that many pages but the reason I like this one is it gives an insight to the 1981 Tour of England, one of the most gutwrenching losses that an Australian Test team has had in my forty years of watching the game. In at least two tests we had the Poms done and dusted. In this book Rod said 'Botham's 5/1 made me cry' . I made me realise as a teenager that the players feel the losses much tougher than the kids at home listening on the radio.

9. Beyond Ten Thousand - Allan Border

This is a good read from Pugsley and a top summation of the gutsiest player I have ever seen play for Australia. Yeah, Rick McCosker faced up to the Poms with a busted face and Bruce Laird, Steve Waugh and David Boon's courage was legendary but give me AB if I wanted someone to bat for my life. Unlike some cricketers, AB doesn't appear to have a big ego and he readily acknowledges others. Ten thousand runs was a massive achievement when Border first did it. This one tends to stick to 'just the facts' and isn't as well written as the other books in this list but it is a must for AB fans and for anyone who is old enough to remember Border's part in Australian Cricket History.

10. Boycott - The Autobiography

Boycott is an arsehole. Worse he is a boring arsehold. Worse again he's an boring English arsehole. But loathe him or hate him he was a massive obstacle for anyone playing England for many years. In an era when England weren't exactly rolling out class players (apologies to Underwood, Knott and Botham) Boycott was literally an immovable object. And man what an ego this bloke has. Read this and you can see that he came from a shit background and the reason he was like a rock is because he was one tough bastard who literally batted for his life. At times he shows real charm but resentment and ego and unintentional comedy are sometimes never far away. Worth a read.


regards,

REB