Available Formats
The Art of Batting: The Craft of Crickets Greatest Run Scorers
By (Author) Jarrod Kimber
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Bloomsbury Sport
2nd September 2025
8th May 2025
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
History of sport
Biography: sport
Hardback
288
Width 153mm, Height 234mm
'Kimber is a 22nd-century cricket writer' TheGuardian
Colourful cricket history meets expert analysis in this richly researched exploration of the art of batting.
Most batters are trying to do their best, yet the top players are creating art. It is physically impossible to face an 80mph delivery and track it with your eyes, yet the greatest batters do more than just watch the ball, they predict where it will go. They can see into the future.
This book is about the batters who see what mortals dont. Javed Miandad purposefully made errors to manipulate the field, Sachin Tendulkar dug up a pitch to take on Warne, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was peppered by tennis balls on the beach until he created his bastardised technique and Joe Roots great play against spin is a confluence of three random events. Others, such as Smith, Pietersen and Richards, carried on the work of a man 100 years before their time, and Ranji changed cricket with a bucket.
Their methods and stories are different, but their currency is the same: runs. Through interviews with cricketing greats such as David Bumble Lloyd, Graeme Swann and Rob Key, this book shows you the science, skill and culture that made the 50 greatest batters of all time, and, ultimately, how these players conquered leather with willow.
Kimber is a 22nd-century cricket writer * The Guardian *
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know by now that Jarrod Kimber is the finest contemporary young cricket writer. * Cricketcountry.com *
Jarrod Kimber is an Australian-born cricket writer based in London who came to prominence as the founder of the cricketwithballs blog before working as editor of SPIN Magazine and then as a writer for ESPNCricinfo. Jarrod is a three-time British Sports Journalism winner and has been a regular guest on Test Match Sofa.