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December 3, 2008

Write in the thick of things

Posted 1 day, 20 hours ago in Books





Trescothick's triumph means similar books would no longer be condemned as second-class books © Getty Images

Ghostwritten memoirs are the pariahs of sports literature and and are often judged by critics who have to stifle the urge to squeeze the words "pap" or "vapid" into their reviews. Rob Bagchi in his blog on the Guardian website believes Marcus Trescothick's Coming Back to Life winning the William Hill Sports Book of the Year is a triumph for the particular genre.

There have been so many produced with the titles 'My Autobiography' or 'My Story' over the past 10 years that I have started to suspect that it's gone beyond a claim for definitiveness and has become the crudest Amazon search engine optimisation strategy. Pretty soon all autobiographies will just be called 'The Book'.

November 5, 2008

McMillan's autobiography well worth a read

Posted 4 weeks, 1 day ago in Books

Paul Holden reviews Craig McMillan's autobiography, Out of the Park, in his blog, Sideline Slogger, and credits him for a comprehensive and straightforward take on the various subjects raised in the book.

There are fascinating chapters on the formation of the NZ Cricket Players’ Association, the bomb in Karachi, his move to the non-establishment Indian Cricket League and the 2004 tour of England (the “nightmare on the road” - who knew!). He also offers some intriguing insights into the player contract process, and its weighting in favour of Test players. With the rise of Twenty20, and the increased lip service paid to the five-day game, one wonders how much longer this can continue to be the case.

October 1, 2008

Shane Warne's century

Posted on 10/01/2008 in Books





Warne:"There is no doubt in my mind that Kevin Pietersen can become the best batsman in the world" © Getty Images

Shane Warne includes Graeme Smith at number 44 in a list of his top hundred cricketers. Aside from his immense talent as a batsman, Warne believes Smith, as captain, is “on the verge of something special” as he heads a formidable South African outfit; a team that can potentially challenge Australia. Warne also feels Kevin Pietersen (no.33 in his list) has the all the makings of becoming the best batsman in the world. Read Warne’s Top 100 List in the Times.

At Test level, I reckon Smith could now be on the verge of something pretty special. South Africa have the makings of a side that can challenge Australia. I am still not convinced by their spin options, but in the seam department Dale Steyn has had a lot of success over the past 12 months, and Morne Morkel is genuinely brisk and is going to be a handful in Australia.

............................

There is no doubt in my mind that Kevin Pietersen can become the best batsman in the world. There will be no doubt in his mind, either. He's not far away now! He has bags of confidence, and, let's be honest, he has a lot to be confident about. Not many batsmen can average almost 50 in Test cricket but still look as though they are capable of better.

September 6, 2008

A joyless tale

Posted on 09/06/2008 in Books

Marcus Trescothick's ghosted autobiography, Coming Back to Me, belongs to an increasingly popular genre, one that admits to the notion that cricket and the cricketers themselves are not inherently interesting enough to sell, writes Mike Atherton in the Times.

To invest the pages with more bite and, no doubt, more marketability, the player admits to some previously unrevealed trauma, or, in Trescothick's case, a trauma that had been only half-revealed ... Other than moments of dark humour, such as when Peter Gregory, the England team doctor, tried his hand, unsuccessfully, at acupuncture, and when Trescothick was taken in by a fraudster of a hypnotist, this is a joyless book. There is little of the thrill of playing sport at the highest level, none of the humour, nor the fascinating details or character sketches of dressing-room figures that make a sporting life worthwhile.

In its Ashes Heroes countdown, the Times lists Craig McDermott as No. 45.

Meanwhile, the Independent's Brian Viner attends a black-tie dinner at Lord's Taverners to celebrate cricket's 10 surviving centurions – the men who made at least 100 first-class hundreds.

Geoffrey Boycott had other tactics for staying in all day. The scorer of 151 first-class hundreds recalled the advice of his Uncle Algy, that "when two people get involved in a run-out, one of t'buggers is going to be unhappy. Make sure it isn't you." Amid much knowing laughter, he added: "I followed that advice all my life until I met that bastard Amiss." I don't know how Dennis Amiss, another of the centurions, reacted to being called a bastard. And I couldn't quite see whether the mother and grandmother of a young lad at the table next to mine winced at such salty Boycottian language.


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