From Trott and Fowler opening up on their mental-health issues, to Gideon Haigh’s exposition of a Trumper stroke: a look at the best cricket books of the year
David Hopps09-Dec-2016
by Jonathan Trott with George Dobell (Sphere)
Jonathan Trott’s autobiography has been so highly praised that one can anticipate it will deservedly figure on awards shortlists in 2017. The anxiety-related illness that caused his departure from Australia is covered in full – books by Graeme Fowler and Michael Yardy trod similar ground this year – but there is so much more in this insightful and honest account that places this immensely intense sportsman into context in an England side that became No. 1 in the world before descending into rancour. An excellent ghosting job by ESPNcricinfo’s George Dobell.
by Tim Lane and Elliot Cartledge (Hardie Grant)
will not entirely succeed in ending the conjecture surrounding one of cricket’s most private figures, but it is a well-balanced and responsible study of an ultimately tragic existence. A thorough and disturbing examination of the tensions that led to his suicide with allegations of sexual assault about to rear their head.
Simon and Schuster in 2008. Graeme Fowler’s autobiography, though, has many facets, concerning itself not just with a searing introductory chapter on mental illness but also offering shrewd views on coaching and on the extraordinarily amateurish approach of English cricket in the 1980s. A valuable book from a much-loved figure.
by Gideon Haigh (Simon and Schuster)
Gideon Haigh is as learned as cricket writing gets and his study of Victor Trumper, one of the dominant figures of the Golden Age, is the culmination of a fascination that began in childhood. A wide-ranging, exemplary work that delves not just into Trumper but life itself, – reviewed by Haigh, as it happens, here.Hodder and Stoughton
by Scyld Berry (Hodder)
Scyld Berry’s paean to the game from its early days to now is an intensely personal work from one of cricket journalism’s most original thinkers, mixing serious historical research with the reveries and theories that have sustained him over a lifetime. A work of love.
by Stuart Rayner (Pitch)
Yorkshire were a shambles in the 1980s, more of a debating society than a cricket club, as an enraged captain of that era, David Bairstow, once observed. Stuart Rayner has produced an objective and authoritative account of the politicking in Yorkshire’s civil war that will serve as a reference for years to come.
Yellow Jersey
by Simon Lister (Yellow Press)
Inspired by the film of the same name, looks at the rise of the great West Indies team, alongside the battles of post-war immigrants from the Caribbean to gain acceptance in the UK. An epic tale of empowerment, as West Indies conquered cricket, and the depressing decline that followed.
The Meaning of Cricket
by Jon Hotten (Yellow Jersey)
is, to some extent, a repackaging of much of the work that has made Jon Hotten a leader among cricket bloggers, in his guise as the Old Batsman. Readers will discover insight and anecdote, an eye for a description and a great affection for the game in these entertaining, if loosely connected, musings.Hardie Grant BooksTest Cricket: The Unauthorised Biography
by Jarrod Kimber (Hardie Grant)
Readers of ESPNcricinfo will already be aware that Jarrod Kimber is one of cricket’s most zestful, creative and iconoclastic writers. Not only would they not expect this to be a traditional history of Test cricket, they would not want it to be. Here is a heady cocktail of anecdote and opinion, all told in Kimber’s revved-up style.
by Chris Rogers with Daniel Brettig (Hardie Grant Books)
ESPNcricinfo’s Daniel Brettig is the trusted hand for Chris Rogers in telling his extraordinary story. Rogers did not become a Test regular until 36, an age when many international players have long since retired. A player out of his time, whose autobiography provides a testament to keeping the faith.Allen and UnwinA Beautiful Game
by Mark Nicholas (Allen and Unwin)
Mark Nicholas has written a fascinating and engaging account of his life in cricket, firstly as a player and latterly as a commentator. This is an immensely readable but far from lightweight book, packed with anecdote, opinion and – a valuable gift – empathy. Nicholas’ approach does not suit the misanthropic, but he is an elegant, enthusiastic observer of the game and this book, and indeed his life in cricket, deserves plaudits.
by Bob Cattell (Charlcombe Books)
Many adults will never read a word of a book, but as a child my son did, and his love for the game blossomed as a result. The original comprised eight volumes of heartwarming tales about the sort of junior side any youngster should want to join. Fifteen years on, a team of 13-year-olds heads to Australia to play Woolagong CC in a three-day Ashes game. My son is adamant: if you know a child aged between eight to 13 who loves cricket, add it to the stocking.Headline
by Ben Stokes with Richard Gibson (Headline)
Ben Stokes, like many before him, has wisely trusted Richard Gibson to ghost the first of what will no doubt be several autobiographies as his England career progresses. Gibson conveys the honest desire and competitive edge that is at the heart of Stokes’ game, and lovers of the genre – they do exist – will find this another appealing offering.
edited by John Barclay and Stephen Chalke (Fairfield Publishing)
This is a gentle collection of essays about favourite team-mates, a reminder that the endless months spent together means that professional relationships naturally develop into lasting friendships. At its heart, this is an assertion of the value of team spirit, and it is no worse for that. All for the Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation too.
by John Fuller (Pitch)
A host of less publicised cricket books with strong local appeal are out there if you look hard enough. has bags of that recognisable Yorkshire characteristic – pride. In it, John Fuller spends a summer traversing the county to watch and reflect on the game, its glorious past and its problematic future, in 23 vignettes. In more photographic vein, (Silverwood Books) is another work of love, this time by another county cricket obsessive, Dave Morton.
