England: The Biography: The Story of English Cricket

(Hardback)

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Description

'An astonishing work of research, detail and revelation. Bulging with information, packed with nuggets.' John Etheridge, Sun
'Superbly researched... His eye for detail never wavers. Itsa pleasure to read.' Vic Marks, Observer
'The Cricket Book of the Year: Dauntingly comprehensive and surprisingly light-footed.' Simon Briggs,Daily Telegraph

England: The Biography is the most comprehensive account of the England cricket team that has ever been published, taking the reader into the heart of the action and the team dynamics that have helped shape their success, or otherwise.

It is now 140 years since England first played Test match cricketand, for much of that time, it has struggled to perform to the best of its capabilities. In the early years, amateurs would pick and choose which matches and tours they would play; subsequently, the demands of the county game - and the petty jealousies that created - would prevent many from achieving their best. It was only in the 1990s that central contracts were brought in, and Team England began to receive the best possible support from an ever-increasing backroom team.

But cricket isn't just about structures, it depends like no other sport on questions of how successful the captain is in motivating and leading his team, and how well different personalities and egos are integrated and managed in the changing room. From Joe Root and Alastair Cook back to Mike Atherton, Mike Brearley and Ray Illingworth, England captains have had a heavy influence on proceedings. Recent debates over Kevin Pietersen were nothing new, as contemporaries of W.G.Grace would doubtless recognise. As England playtheir 1000th Test, this is a brilliant and unmissable insight into the ups and downs of that story.

Reviews

'An astonishing work of research, detail and revelation. Bulging with information, packed with nuggets.' -- John Etheridge * Sun *
'Superbly researched piece of work by Simon Wilde. His eye for detail never wavers; he never cuts any corners. Its a pleasure to read but also works as a reference book.' -- Vic Marks * Observer *
The Cricket Book of the Year: 'At once dauntingly comprehensive and surprisingly light-footed.' -- Simon Briggs * Daily Telegraph *
'He has done a fabulous job with this book. Inevitably, history reveals historical patterns.' -- Simon Barnes * The Cricketer *
'A meaty book, and it has to be. Wilde tells the story with clarity and a pleasing lack of bias.' -- Michael Henderson * The Times *
'Another wonderful sports book on theshelves this summer is a brilliantlypresented history of English cricket writtenby Simon Wilde.Not only does it cover all the majormatches, issues and controversies of ournational summer game, it is also speckledliberally with fascinating lists and statistics... The book is simply a treat.' -- Jim Holden * Sunday Express *
'Fellow [cricket] tragics willlove this book, issuedin the summer ofEnglands 1,000th Testmatch. Even the title England: The Biography deserves a round ofapplause for presumingthat the nation issynonymous with cricket... The books greatest joys areits footnotes.' -- Francis Wheen * Mail on Sunday *
'This book, indispensable to any serious cricket lover, is an important work of scholarly synthesis which establishes Wilde as one of our foremost cricket historians.' -- Peter Oborne * The Spectator *
'An impressive and comprehensive gem...superbly researched and brilliantly delivered. It is going to...be indispensable. It needs to be read, and it deserves to sell well.' -- Huw Turbervill * The Cricketer *
'A collection of 35 thematic chapters rather than a chronological narrative and is packed full of stats and fascinating details.' * Mail on Sunday, Sports Books of the Year *
'His story of the England cricket team's development is not just highly informative but offers a valuable and lasting perspective... Here is a book that all those writing about the game will want in their laptops as well as their libraries. The book that Wilde was destined to write, a reminder that he is surely the finest editor thatWisden Cricketers Almanacknever had; perhaps there is still time.' -- David Hopps * Cricinfo *
A well-written, engaging, analytical narrative rich in opinion and revealing facts -- Roderick Easdale * Country Life *

Author Bio

Simon Wilde is a journalist and author. He has written for The Times and Sunday Times since 1998, and is currently the latter's cricket correspondent. Three of his books have been shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, and his most recent book was the acclaimedEngland: The Biography. He lives in Hampshire.