The Cricket War: The Story of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket

(Paperback)

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Description

One of The Times' 50 Greatest Sports Books

In May 1977, the cricket world awoke to discover that a thirty-nine-year-old Sydney Businessman called Kerry Packer had signed thirty-five elite international players for his own televised World Series. The Cricket War is the definitive account of the split that changed the game on the field and on the screen.

In helmets, under lights, with white balls, and in coloured clothes, the outlaw armies of Ian Chappell, Tony Greig and Clive Lloyd fought a daily battle of survival. In boardrooms and courtrooms Packer and crickets rulers fought a bitter war of nerves.

A compelling account of the top-class sporting life, The Cricket War also gives a unique insight into the motives and methods of the man who became Australias richest, and remained so, until the day he died. It was the end of cricket as we knew it and the beginning of cricket as we know it.

Gideon Haigh has published over thirty books, over twenty of them about cricket. This edition of The Cricket War, Gideon Haighs first book about cricket originally published in 1993, has been updated with new photographs and a new introduction by the author.

Reviews

A tremendous read its brimful of classic reportage, held together by a terrific storyline -- Mike Atherton * The Times *
A fascinating account in masterly detail of an extraordinary episode in Australian cricket. Highly recommended -- Peter Roebuck
There are various claimants to the title of worlds best cricket writer, yet no dispute about who, today, is the best writer on cricket. This is the Australian, Gideon Haigh -- Ramachandra Guha
Haigh shows a supreme gift for old-fashioned journalistic foot-slogging and the art of telling a great story with a brisk, unfussy narrative. -- Richard Whitehead * The Times *
Haigh towers over the cricket writing landscape in Australia * Guardian *
The most detailed history of the 'war' so far -- Michael Davie * The Age *
Superbly researched and written -- Ashley Browne * The Age *
The reverberations of the war are still being felt in Australia and in world cricket. This book will be timely for all those who want to understand what took place in the still recent past - and what could well happen in the near future -- Richard Cashman * The Australian *
Haigh writes with wit, perception and a pace that rivals Roberts ... The Cricket War is an example of what can be done with fine writing, thorough and imaginative research and a mature approach to sports book publishing -- Mark Ray * The Sunday Age *
Arguably the best cricket book yet written -- Cricket Web Net
The Cricket War has been rightly acclaimed as a masterpiece of research -- Ron Reed
Informative and insightful * Choice Magazine *

Author Bio

Gideon Haigh is an award winning independent journalist, who has written for many publications including the Age, the Australian, The Times, the Telegraph, Wisden Cricket Monthly, the Cricketer, Observer Sports and World Cricket Watch to name a few. He has published over thirty books, over twenty of them about cricket.

Born in London, Haigh went to school in Geelong, and now lives in Melbourne.