A History Of Cricket

For backyard cricketers, aspiring national heroes - and everyone in between. For millions of fans worldwide, cricket is the world. But how did this game that has too many rules and can take days to play, take hold in every corner of the globe? This is the updated history of the quirkiest sport on the planet. Any other sport is just not cricket!

Acclaimed as a magisterial, classic work, A Social History of English Cricket is an encyclopaedic survey of the game, from its humble origins all the way to modern floodlit finishes. But it is also the story of English culture, mirrored in a sport that has always been a complex repository of our manners, hierarchies and politics. Derek Birley’s survey of the impact on cricket of two world wars, Empire and ‘the English caste system’, will, contends Ian Wooldridge, ‘teach an intelligent child of twelve more about their heritage than he or she will ever pick up at school.’ In just under 400 pages Birley takes us through a rich historical tapestry: how the game was snatched from rustic obscurity by gentlemanly gamblers; became the height of late eighteenth century metropolitan fashion; was turned into both symbol and synonym for British imperialism; and its more recent struggle to dislodge the discomforting social values preserved in the game from its imperial heyday. Superbly witty and humorous, peopled by larger-than-life characters from Denis Compton to Ian Botham, and wholly forswearing nostalgia, A Social History of English Cricket is a tour-de-force by one of the great writers on cricket.

A fantastic history of cricket which portrays the game's progress from Grace to Warne. It charts the development of Test matches and the influence of successive world record holders and it traces the history of the Ashes from their conception to England's epic triumph in 2005.

THE WISDEN BOOK OF THE YEAR and THE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS CRICKET BOOK OF THE YEAR. 'The most complete, best researched, roses-and-thorns history of cricket in Pakistan' Independent 'As good as it's likely to get' Guardian The nation of Pakistan was born out of the trauma of Partition from India in 1947. Its cricket team evolved in the chaotic aftermath. Initially unrecognised, underfunded and weak, Pakistan's team grew to become a major force in world cricket. Since the early days of the Raj, cricket has been entwined with national identity and Pakistan's successes helped to define its status in the world. Defiant in defence, irresistible in attack, players such as A.H.Kardar, Fazal Mahmood, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan awed their contemporaries and inspired their successors. The story of Pakistan cricket is filled with triumph and tragedy. In recent years, it has been threatened by the same problems affecting Pakistan itself: fallout from the 'war on terror', sectarian violence, corruption, crises in health and education, and a shortage of effective leaders. For twenty years, Pakistan cricket has been stained by the scandalous behaviour of the players involved in match-fixing. After 2009, the fear of violence drove Pakistan's international cricket into exile. But Peter Oborne's narrative is also full of hope. For all its troubles, cricket gives all Pakistanis a chance to excel and express themselves, a sense of identity and a cause for pride in their country. Packed with first-hand recollections, and digging deep into political, social and cultural history, Wounded Tiger is a major study of sport and nationhood.

In 1975, the West Indies became the first winners of the cricket World Cup. Their style of cricket has always been ideal for this type of game; exhilarating, stroke-making batsmen; penetrative, wicket-taking bowlers and dynamic, athletic fielders. For 15 years between 1976 and 1991, the West Indies ruled the cricket world in imperious style. This book will highlight the sad demise of West Indian cricket, as the accessibility of cable television has shown youngsters in the Caribbean other sports, ones which offer untold wealth to even those of moderate professional standard.

208 p. : ill.

In this book, Mihir Bose examines the rollercoaster nature of India's cricket history, from its early days in the time of the British Raj to the present day period that has been characterised by both the sublime (the batting mastery of Sachin Tendulkar) and the ridiculous (the match-fixing scandals associated with the nefarious activities of certain Indian bookmakers). Mihir Bose's lively, informed, and always entertaining text is supported by a full statistical appendix.