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Cricket: A Modern Anthology
Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan “Aggers” Agnew, England’s voice of cricket, showcases some of the very best writings on the noble game, from the 1930s to the present day.In this wide-ranging and beautifully-produced anthology, Test Match Special’s Jonathan ‘Aggers’ Agnew, chooses a wide variety of writings on the sport that has consumed his life, from the 1932/33 Ashes (Bodyline) series right up to the present day. In a series of carefully considered, thematically organised reflections, he examines the importance of their contribution to our understanding and appreciation of cricket. With input from several eminent cricketing historians, including the librarian at Lord’s, the book contains a fascinating range of material, from renowned classics to books that have hardly seen the light of day in the United Kingdom (e.g. The Hanse Cronje Story by Garth King); from overseas fiction to modern day autobiographies (Marcus Trescothick, Simon Hughes, Mike Brearley etc.) that have attained classic status. With 75 seminal cricket images, original line drawings and a comprehensive index, this book is a must-have for any self-respecting cricket fan.
About the Book (#ulink_967fe240-9140-52da-b433-e9ffc58fe725)
“It would be a great shame if cricket writing became exclusively the domain of former first-class cricketers. While we bring insight, knowledge and experience of the game that can only be gained from actually having been out there and done it, there is much more to cricket writing than that.”
Indeed there is, and who better to present a new collection of the best cricket writing of the modern era than today’s ‘voice of cricket’. As a young boy watching his newly-discovered cricketing heroes on a grainy black-and-white television, Jonathan Agnew quickly fell in love with the game and went on to pursue a career as a professional player who represented his country before becoming one of the outstanding broadcasters of his generation.
Taking the infamous 1932/33 Ashes ‘Bodyline’ series as his starting point, Agnew or, as he is better known, “Aggers”, selects the most entertaining, crafted and varied cricket writing to illuminate his personal reflections on a series of topics that dissect and explore the modern game from the era of Bradman and Larwood up to the present day.
Cricket: A Modern Anthology features a wide range of contributors including John Arlott, Neville Cardus, Mike Brearley, Simon Hughes, Michael Atherton, Jim Maxwell, Marcus Berkmann, Richie Benaud and Geoffrey Moorhouse.
This is a book brimming with personality and depth that sheds considerable light on the enduring fascination with, arguably, the greatest game ever played.
About the Author (#ulink_77b3b7c5-6834-5b09-948c-54ce075c7118)
Jonathan Agnew was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire and brought up on a farm in Stamford, Lincolnshire. He went to Uppingham School before becoming a professional cricketer with Leicestershire. He went on to play 218 matches for his county, taking 666 first-class wickets, including five in an innings on 37 occasions. He played three Tests and three one-day internationals for England and was named one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year in 1988.
He retired in 1990 to become cricket correspondent of the Today newspaper and the following year succeeded Christopher Martin-Jenkins as the BBC’s cricket correspondent. He won the Sony Radio award for Best Reporter in 1992 and in 1994, following the death of Brian Johnston, became the presenter of Test Match Special, commentating and reporting on the England cricket team around the world. In 2010, the Association of Sports Journalists named Agnew Best Radio Broadcaster of the Year, the same year that Test Match Special also won Best Radio Programme.
Jonathan has toured the world for 22 years as a cricket correspondent. He lives in the Vale of Belvoir with his wife Emma, four dogs and a cat.
CRICKET
A Modern Anthology
Jonathan Agnew
This book is dedicated to the memory of
Christopher Martin-Jenkins, who, through
his skilful broadcasting, prolific writing
and boundless love of the game, was
cricket’s greatest friend.
Contents
About the Book (#u642b86d9-f18b-5b3c-b3be-e0e6430943d5)
About the Author (#u4874273d-ed18-56fc-91d3-b7872b463cf6)
Title Page (#u194e8a1f-6c14-509b-9668-827f1c8d461b)
Dedication (#ub9e4bb3d-1bc4-569b-b2fd-dbb72b7ad6b4)
The Illustrations (#u2a842151-4ee2-5348-8ebe-8845fd76921c)
Foreword by Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH (#u76f7f648-d4e2-5fad-b4b8-c66adf76e50f)
Preface (#u25288334-fb68-57fe-92ed-58fdc370536f)
Chapter 1: The Great Controversies (#u92de654f-639d-529e-97b9-6e62137c641c)
Sir Donald Bradman: Farewell to Cricket (#ulink_0de0c12f-0171-5724-9ef4-5a2f689ee03b)
Duncan Hamilton: Harold Larwood (#ulink_5daf69b5-b1a4-5ac4-8f7d-dcd3ad0719f2)
Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 1934: The Bowling Controversy – Text of the Cables (#ulink_3356434c-72f3-5d7a-989f-c9ffeb0644ba)
Sydney J. Southerton’s Analysis (#ulink_ff9cd549-781a-5f20-8469-0e9995befd74)
Christopher Douglas: Jardine, A Spartan Cricketer (#ulink_f24c323f-ebfd-50f2-9a4a-6a2d0f6dddcb)
Basil D’Oliveira: The Basil D’Oliveira Affair (#ulink_0ae323a3-7edf-5f1d-939c-b0f920beafcd)
Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2012: The Obituary of Basil D’Oliveira (#ulink_ced3313d-42be-5f48-9528-549e8050f8c2)
Sir Derek Birley: A Social History of English Cricket (#ulink_bd43b505-0c84-5bf3-96f6-ac66e0d6adf0)
David Tossell: Grovel! The Story and Legacy of the Summer of 1976 (#ulink_f98d6922-295a-567b-8511-f5c734f92889)
Paul Nixon: Keeping Quiet: The Autobiography (#ulink_4edbc1bd-7535-50bf-b05e-13e9437dcfe2)
Martin Johnson: Can’t Bat, Can’t Bowl, Can’t Field (#ulink_c5604470-ebf8-5ff0-8caa-db0ec2591b57)
Ed Hawkins: Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy: A Journey to the Heart of Cricket’s Underworld (#ulink_b750a68d-446a-530a-8e48-442704325e49)
Vaibhav Purandare: Sachin Tendulkar: The Definitive Biography (#ulink_a97c093d-023f-5ba9-a454-b6a7809e0a94)
Gideon Haigh: Sphere of Influence: Writings on Cricket and its Discontents (#ulink_df5dc1e1-5eb0-554f-a950-90f4eb9337e5)
Steve James: The Plan: How Fletcher and Flower Transformed English Cricket (#ulink_b80453f4-c4fa-5c67-9303-53730eaaec64)
Chapter 2: The Greatest Test Matches (#u8c786daa-8cb0-5275-af89-66abda644ddd)
Richie Benaud: A Tale of Two Tests: With Some Thoughts on Captaincy (#ulink_2bff2f9f-33c4-573a-a266-ee9a6d87d91e)
Ray Robinson: The Wildest Tests (#ulink_8dbb5ad3-73ee-5239-9b0b-95c7380ca8ef)
Denzil Batchelor: Games of a Lifetime (#ulink_97727d12-2302-51c6-b25d-6f5593065727)
Rob Steen: 500–1: The Miracle of Headingley ’81 (#ulink_fa94e3c9-d2e4-5a58-9aa8-a51b34f4d835)
Mike Brearley: The Art of Captaincy (#ulink_60d1eac3-7665-54e6-aea3-eca784079140)
Chapter 3: The Professional (#uc3f48e0b-eb23-52eb-b7de-7ea8f5a6116b)
Leo McKinstry: Jack Hobbs:England’s Greatest Cricketer (#ulink_fae518d8-5240-59b6-8f4c-5cb5a0e314e9)
Max Davidson: We’ll Get ’Em in Sequins: Manliness, Yorkshire Cricket and the Century That Changed Everything (#ulink_3f19dbdc-6ef3-5db1-aa44-bbf47fafaad5)
John Arlott: Fred:Portrait of a Fast Bowler (#ulink_5fc40fc3-91e9-5a99-abfa-7a527785d2ce)
Chris Waters: Fred Trueman: The Authorised Biography (#ulink_341faf58-540a-5aec-8df7-6f1a8036fc13)
Amol Rajan: Twirlymen: The History of Cricket’s Greatest Spin Bowlers (#ulink_3ac8b09e-6cba-51e9-a040-24a6277a319b)
Geoffrey Boycott: BoycottOn Cricket (#ulink_c5db68b5-5d0b-5f33-b9be-7a84f38a1c31)
Mike Brearley: The Art of Captaincy (#ulink_69fae72b-6e7a-5042-a33d-6addb5e860fd)
Simon Wilde: Ian Botham: The Power and the Glory (#ulink_59a10025-aaf2-5bc2-9d1d-882e90cb5724)
Phil Tufnell: The Autobiography: What Now? (#ulink_85c2372a-8776-5d8b-8803-895cc470ca95)
Simon Hughes: A Lot of Hard Yakka (#ulink_16d90c59-b94a-5f2c-95ab-6f95eba5d31e)
Matthew Hayden: Standing My Ground (#ulink_2b37309e-8d86-562a-8803-15276b38ee40)
Chapter 4: Gentlemen and Players (#u5a8c30d6-efbb-5b27-aad8-2cdbe9cf71c6)
Geoffrey Moorhouse: The Best Loved Game (#ulink_055815e4-0a25-508f-942b-55b706800ca7)
Harry Pearson: Slipless in Settle: A Slow Turn Around Northern Cricket (#ulink_6434aa29-dba4-51b1-ba7c-ff7d70a3307e)
Harry Thompson: Penguins Stopped Play (#ulink_b7d4a086-4a38-528a-beb6-f83b25cd94a9)
Marcus Berkmann: Rain Men: The Madness of Cricket (#ulink_0e7c3073-ffe8-5c3f-9ea9-71f0a60fb42d)
Marcus Berkmann: Zimmer Men: The Trials and Tribulations of the Ageing Cricketer (#ulink_e02c6ea2-698c-5ef4-a9bc-acb5c802824b)
Michael Simkins: Fatty Batter: How Cricket Saved My Life(Then Ruined It) (#ulink_a150ac60-d957-5b3e-b0a7-f20b5a7602a3)
R. Chandrasekar: The Goat, the Sofa and Mr Swami (#ulink_fb740243-b4af-5544-a321-ef12fb86e163)
Chapter 5: The Pen is Mightier Than the Bat (#u1dd2af3e-6ba2-57d9-951f-9159700b638f)
Sir John Major: More Than A Game: The Story of Cricket’s Early Years (#ulink_5411a998-d3b5-5637-bdf9-79c777767394)
R. C. Robertson-Glasgow: 46 Not Out (#ulink_2f7d9075-8dc9-57c0-acee-b41d1f52edfc)
Sir Neville Cardus: Days in the Sun (#ulink_dcae89cd-a67f-5a74-94ca-8082baf83208)
Richie Benaud: Willow Patterns (#ulink_a27b27af-efe3-55cf-ab51-ff2652c4df4d)
John Arlott: Indian Summer (#ulink_5a38353c-f40d-5ad4-a4a8-e6e7d0a51370)
Timeri N. Murari: The Taliban Cricket Club (#ulink_1915852f-3ef1-58c6-b3e3-1088fe0ea64d)
Gideon Haigh: Sphere of Influence: Writings on Cricket and its Discontents (#ulink_3b462c0a-b209-5854-aaff-ecb35059ed11)
Christopher Martin-Jenkins: CMJ: A Cricketing Life (#ulink_54ee0fcd-d45c-5583-a8be-5628333d3f42)
Picture Section (#u06bda96a-c182-51a5-b6e7-9f7998f1f601)
Footnotes (#u5e5ebae7-c285-55c8-9cf5-bb67127d9c62)
Acknowledgements (#uc15f1ffc-3f34-5bb5-a7a3-0af4ccf64caf)
Also by Jonathan Agnew (#ud6b57347-5653-56ca-89e4-1018ebdaecd3)
Read on for an extract from Thanks, Johnners. Out now (#udfafd2b7-3e25-5f79-b39f-775f5abed267)
Copyright (#u16708ebd-ed2e-5f1d-8a13-d029a5b42abd)
About the Publisher (#ua0f8a584-f4eb-5b20-af07-7219f4d314e4)
The Illustrations (#ulink_f1c2588d-d079-583a-b10e-23d77a8705e7)
Section 1
The scoreboard at the end of England’s first innings of the opening Test, Sydney, December 1932
Harold Larwood bowling to Bill Woodfull during the Fourth Test, Brisbane, February 1933
Basil D’Oliveira batting for England against Australia in the Fifth Test at the Oval, August 1968
Henry Olonga bowling for Zimbabwe against India in the World Cup in England, May 1999
Australia’s Jeff Thomson bowling to Tony Greig during the Fourth Test, Sydney, January 1975
Michael Holding of West Indies bowling to Brian Close during the Second Test at Lord’s, June 1976
Kerry Packer and Tony Greig outside the High Court in London, September 1977
Cricket under lights at the World Series Grand Final, Sydney, February 1979
Captains Alec Stewart of England and Hansie Cronje of South Africa toss up before the Second Test at Lord’s, June 1998
Allan Donald stares down Michael Atherton during the Fourth Test at Trent Bridge, July 1998
The first ever tied Test, Australia v West Indies, Brisbane, December 1960
Mark Boucher celebrates as the scoreboard shows South Africa have overtaken Australia’s record ODI score of 434, Johannesburg, March 2006
