Customer Reviews (5)

Very informative
If you are an American who wants to learn about cricket, this book is for you. I checked it out from my university libary and I liked it so much, I bought it. Could use more in-depth instruction on acual bowling and batting techniques.

I didn't like it
I tired of this book very quickly, it was so boring to read that I didn't even finish it.

His Enthusiasm Is Obvious, But Not Infectious
As one of this book's target audience, I can testify that it is a first-rate primer on the ancient game of cricket.After reading it, I now know that bowling a maiden over is not salacious, how to distinguish a silly point from a frivolous argument and why it is disgraceful to make a duck.While the Daily Telegraph's cricket columns are still not an easy read, they at least no longer resemble pages of Swahili.

Tom Melville, an Englishman transplanted to Wisconsin, is a proselytizer for his favorite sport.In expounding its tenets, he is clear and concise, explaining the rules of the game, its inbred vocabulary, its organization in its strongholds (England, of course, but also India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, South Africa - indeed, practically every former British possession outside of North America) and its history.For the thoroughgoing student, he reprints the complete Laws of Cricket, as promulgated by the venerable Marylebone Cricket Club, and includes an extensive glossary.

What is lacking in this exposition is a vision of what makes cricket attractive to its devotees.Mr. Melville proclaims his love of the game but fails to impart it.He comes closest in a chapter describing the twists and turns of a one-day "limited overs" match, which conveys some feeling for the opposing strategies and shows how tension can mount as small gains and losses accumulate.He does not, however, extend the picture to multi-day matches.The out-of-place chapter on how to give cricket lessons to neophytes could profitably have been replaced by, say, an account of a test match.

Anyone who knows nothing about cricket and has a reason to learn should track down this volume.No one else is likely to be interested.

The most boring book I have ever read
This has to be one of the most boring and uninteresting books I have everread.If the game is as boring as the book then at least it has helped andpersuaded me to take up hockey instead.

The best introduction to cricket that's been written.
This book is without doubt the best introduction to cricket for readers unfamiliar with the game. Not only does the author present a clear, easy to follow explanation of the basic rules, he does this from the standpoint ofa baseball familiar readership. But the book offers much more.It haschapters onbasic strategy, umpiring, reading statistics even termonology.Also has a chapter on how to watch a cricket match and how to teach it toAmericans.Can't imagine how anyone can do a better job than this. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a practical book for everyone with an interest in cricket, from the schoolboy learning the basic techniques, to the experienced test player and followers of the game everywhere. It is a complete and up-to-date reference book for the game, with sections on batting, bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping, methods of play and common faults, field placing, players' attitudes, captaincy, coaching and the structure of cricket and its laws. This edition incorporates the achievements and statistics of seven cricketers; Allan Border, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, David Gower, Sir Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan and Viv Richards. It also discusses the next generation of cricketers, including Curtly Ambrose, Shane Warne, and Brian Lara. ... Read more

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Written from an American viewpoint of the sport. Designed for someone completely, unfamiliar with the sport. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

excellent, but SHORT,introduction to cricketfor yanks
As an American newcomer to cricket, I was looking for a book to introduce me to the rules of the game.And this one did it.In UNDER 45 MINUTES!This is an excellent book if you know NOTHING about cricket and want to understand what's going on on the TV screen.However, if you already know the rules you might want to look at something else.There's little in here in the way of strategy or any of the finer nuances of the game.But, as a general introduction, you can't beat it.The lovely hardbound book with green jacket makes it excellent to lend to friends!

Cricket primer
Finally, something that explains what the game is about for true novices.As an American who now lives in the West Indies and cricket is all the craze.I can now listen to the radio and watch it on television withlocals and understand the nuances of the game. Once you read this you'll beable to carry on a conversation with cricket fans all over the world andnot seem like an typical American when it comes to the game. ... Read more

Product Description
"The Complete Encyclopedia of Cricket" is a comprehensive, single-volume illustrated reference book, that will be required reading for all lovers of the game. Every major facet of cricket is covered in detail, accompanied by carefully chosen images to provided added impact. Complementing the text and photos is an in-depth records section, an integral part of cricket lore. Updated to include full coverage of England's 2008 Test series against South Africa. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

More than a chronology
For More Than A Game, John Major uses the same formula he used for his autobiography: he starts with a chronological account then switches to topical subjects.

In the first half he presents a chronology of cricket from the very early days when records reveal something called cricket was played but that was probably nothing more than hitting a ball with a stick, if even that. Major continues with successive chapters describing successive periods until he reaches the late 18th century by which time cricket had become something fans would recognize today.

Major then switches to topical chapters which are still in a loose chronological order but with considerable overlap. He has a chapter on the evolution of bowling from under hand to round arm to over hand. One chapter describes how troups of players began being paid to tour the country while another describes the slow controversial ascendancy of these professionals. Major even devotes one whole chapter to the people who keep game records, and manages to keep it interesting! The last chapter ends with how the Great War killed many promising young cricketers.

The book is wonderfully well written. Major's prose is clear direct and forceful; it's not perfect and he waxes a little too lyrical on occasion and quotes poetry that only a cricket lover could forgive. And the editor should really have insisted on a better title.

Again, John Major shows himself to be a pragmatic conservative. As he valued the Tory party above the issues that tore it apart (e.g. Europe) Major values the institution of cricket above any single characteristic. He sees the game isn't now what it was at the beginning of the 20th century, but he recognizes that the game needs changes like one-day cricket if it is to maintain its place among other sports. While his book is about cricket's past, readers may feel cricket has a great future lying ahead.

Vincent Poirier, Dublin ... Read more

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Entertaining and clear!
With ex-pat family in Britain, I had to find out why they'd be so hot for cricket after years of baseball.This well-illustrated guide takes one carefully through the complexities of the game, along with classic British witticisms and acknowledgement of its idiosyncracies.After reading it, I called family and said, "I now know what a googly is."They didn't, so I sent the book on.I also can read sports articles on games and understand them.You too can learn about mid silly and off leg.Have fun! ... Read more

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In the Ashes of 1981 John Emburey has come round-the-wicket and got one to pop: although Australian captain Alan Border has tried to play it with soft hands, the ball was dollied to Mike Gatting at short leg who is about to pouch it, watched by Ian Botham and Graham Gooch. These terms and more than 500 others feature in The Language of Cricket, traced from first mentions in the sixteenth century to the language used by today's commentators, writers and aficionados. The history of the game and how it came to England, how the Ashes started, the mysteries of swing and reverse swing, ball-tampering, the bodyline story, bouncing, are explained. The reasons behind such laws as lbw and how they are applied are clearly unfolded. `Cricket is an art,' says West Indian writer C.L.R. James. John Eddowes's ground-breaking book seeks to increase enjoyment of the art. A long-time player and a passionate advocate, Eddowes does not limit himself to first-class cricket: he explores picturesque and forceful archaic usage. He has discovered through the language of cricket a controversial new history of the game and its early development. ... Read more

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As a widely respected cricket historian, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game, and also a writer with a great sense of fun, Henry Blofeld is the ideal man to select the great characters of cricket who have livened up the sport. We learn of the exploits of the legendary Ian Botham, a man who made up his own rules and has been at the centre of controversy on countless occasions; Garry Sobers, an immensely popular all-round great; and Dennis Lillee, the temperamental fast bowler who once held up a game with a tantrum when ordered to change his aluminium bat. Henry Blofeld regales us with marvellous - sometimes mischievous - stories to add to the "Boy's Own" nature of the book, and highlights those players who would make cricket lovers cancel their appointments to see them, even on a cold April day. ... Read more

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Coaching Youth Cricket features explanations, photos, and illustrations depicting the various drills and skills of cricket, including fielding, bowling, and batting. Also included are chapters devoted to helping coaches communicate with players, understanding rules and equipment, keeping practices fun and motivating, ensuring safety, and teaching cricket skills. Written by renowned cricket expert Ian Pont, Coaching Youth Cricket will enable coaches at all levels to fulfill their responsibility to nurture and develop young cricketers and help them foster a lifelong passion for the game.   

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With a fascinating collection of vintage photographs, and stunning action shots from the modern era, Gerard Siggins tells the story of cricket in Ireland, from the earliest days up to the ICC Trophy final in July 2005. It is the story of a sport buffeted by the enormous social and political changes of the last 200 years, with war, famine, revolution, independence, and economic boom and bust all impacting on Irish cricket. Ireland's cricket history is an extraordinarily colourful one; peopled by writers such as Joyce, Shaw and Beckett; statesmen such as the Duke of Wellington, Parnell, John Redmond and John Hume; and personalities such as Lady Gregory, Thomas Andrews and Colin Farrell. Gerard Siggins was born in Dublin in 1962. He founded and edited "Irish Cricket Magazine" (1984-87) and has written on cricket, since 1985 in the "Sunday Tribune", where he is assistant editor. He is a regular contributor to the Cricket Ireland website and other publications. He was president of Dublin University CC from 1992-97; for whom his senior career consisted of one match in 1988. He did not bat or bowl, but while fielding stopped one cracking drive by Brian Gilmore.He wishes he had more to say about his cricket career, but is more than happy with that. Ireland recently qualified for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. This book includes over 100 top quality pictures of past and present. It is an interesting narrative on the history of cricket in Ireland. ... Read more