Cricket
As evidence of eccentricity I submit to you that Whistlestop Bookshop’s website has a page dedicated to cricket, a worldwide bat-and-ball sport that is generally and comprehensively NOT understood in the United States. As with most interests, I came upon it in literature, which is why I include fiction titles here. I also became intrigued by the excellent cricket reporting in The Times and the Sunday Times of London. To a comical extent I can be mystified by the details, but the writing is superb — imagine being able to appreciate poetry while having only a brush of understanding of the language. Cricket, no surprise, is also a manifestation of history, both English and the British Empire, and of culture (the spinning creativity of countries affected by such history). It is rich and powerful in metaphors, which lends itself to literature — and thus we have returned to my continuing education. And I hope, perhaps, to yours. I am always on the alert for more good books on cricket — a bit challenging in the US but worth the effort.
Cricket Ball
Cricket Ball
No object encapsulates the subtle, mysterious richness of cricket as much as its most famous character, the cricket ball: the swinging, bouncing, spinning heart of the glorious game.
Gary Cox tells us the life story of the ball in its many guises: new ball, old ball, live ball, dead ball, no-ball, lost ball, swing ball and dot ball. He untangles the complexities of spin bowling (with a little help from Shane Warne), the tricks and cheats involved in ball tampering (including a look at the 2018 Australian scandal) and explores the multi-coloured future of a rapidly changing game.
A kaleidoscopic look at the ball through the lenses of everything from philosophy and science to history, politics and biography and the myriad facts and figures of the vast cricket universe, Cox brings you a brimming biography of this legendary leathern orb and the heroes, fools and villains it has created along the way.
Table of contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents of the Over
First Delivery: Loosener
Animated inanimate object
A regular Mad Hatter's tea party
Watching cricket on the radio
Second Delivery: Cricket Ball Surveyed
Ideal ball
Real ball
Perfect handful
Third Delivery: Cricket Ball Made
What is a cricket ball?
Evolution of the rolling globular body
Coriaceus orbis
Centres of excellence
Fourth Delivery : Cricket Ball Played
Bowling overarm, not underarm or throwing
New ball, old ball, live ball, dead ball, no-ball, lost ball, swing ball, dot ball
Ball tampering
Fast bowling – pace is nothing without control
Length
Line
Bodyline
Spin bowling – the art of confusion
Fielding – the art of attentiveness
Transcendental ball
Fifth Delivery: Cricket Ball Pain
Comedy and tragedy
Pitches, padding and cane handle bats
Death toll
Princes, umpires and pigeons
Sixth Delivery: Cricket Ball Fame
Great players, stats and performances
Botham rises from the ashes
Easeful Atlas
The Gatting Ball
The Strauss Ball
The Laker Ball
The Sobers Six Sixes Ball
Seventh Delivery: Umpire Miscounting
Bibliography
Index
Reviews
“Cox's style is delightful. General readers will find Cricket Ball a wonderful introduction to the game. Those more familiar with cricket writing will also enjoy his insights into its more technical aspects. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.” – Choice
“Gary Cox finds more angles on the cricket ball than Shane Warne!” – Gideon Haigh, author of 'The Cricket War',
“Curious, reflective, discursive, Cricket Ball is in part a philosopher's disquisition on the hard leather object, in part a devotee's meditation on the game itself.” – David Kynaston, co-author of 'Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket',
“One of the most original cricket books you'll ever read.” – Lawrence Booth, Editor of the 'Wisden Cricketers' Almanack' and cricket writer for The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday,
“Cricket ball is a thoughtful delight…It is infinitely more worthy than most of the cliche-ridden pap that crams the sports shelves in our bookshops.” – Roy Williams, The Australian