Mike Brearley was arguably one of England's finest cricket captains; not just for his outstanding record leading his country but also for the way he orchestrated, during the 1981 Ashes series, one of the most extraordinary reversals in sporting history.
In this collection of sparkling essays, Brearley reflects on the game he has come to know so well. He ranges from the personal - the influence of his Yorkshire father and the idols of his youth - to controversial aspects of the professional game, including cheating, corruption, and innovation, the latter often being on a borderline between genius and rebellion.
Brearley also evaluates his heroes (amongst them Viv Richards, Bishan Bedi and Dennis Lillee), the game changers, the outstanding wicketkeepers, the 'Indian-ness' of four generations of Indian batsmen and the important commentators (including Harold Pinter, John Arlott and Ian Chappell). The Ashes, the most sustained love-hate relationship in the history of sport and key to Brearley's test-playing career, are raked over. Central to the book is an important section on race and cricket, and the legacy of C. L. R. James.
Insightful and humorous, On Cricket is an intelligent exposition of the game's idiosyncratic culture and its enduring appeal.
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
ISBN: 9781472129468
Number of pages: 432
Weight: 340 g
Dimensions: 196 x 126 x 30 mm
Fascinating - Choice
Delightful new book . . . Brearley has a knack for paying respect to the past without denigrating the present and for calmly considering the future - Mail on Sunday
Brearley is at his best in these quirky, delightful essays when he is exploring the human qualities of humbler players . . . Brearley's admiration for his friends' decency, craftsmanship and modesty seems to recall a golden age of county cricket - The Times
Brearley speaks with understated authority on the matter. His words are all the more powerful for that - Sunday Express
A treasure of recollections and reactions, talking heroes, controversies and big themes - i paper
Brearley has a gentle, measured intellect that is warming and intriguing rather than intimidating or irritating . . . Brearley has a rare ability to read the game and its participants with delicacy and precision, like a tailor unpicking a collection of knotted threads - Wisden Cricket Monthly
His relaxed, dextrous, style achieves what most authors aspire to do: make their narrative sound as though they're speaking directly to the reader . . . His cumulative experience, humour and honesty make for a compelling read. Let's hope for a second volume of On Cricket - Dorset Echo
A book full of wisdom and sharp observation - Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians
Brearley is best when writing about character and thought processes - King Cricket
His cumulative experience, humour and honesty make for a compelling read - Birmingham Post
Mike Brearley is a cultured and intelligent man . . . able elegantly to assess his colleagues and predecessors, as he does with customary grace in his latest volume - Robert Crampton, The Times
A box of delights containing bitesize pieces on colourful individuals, burning issues and memorable events - Shomit Dutta, Times Literary Supplement
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