Cricket: A Modern Anthology

“It would be a great shame if cricket writing became exclusively the domain of former first-class cricketers. While we bring insight, knowledge and experience of the game that can only be gained from actually having been out there and done it, there is much more to cricket writing than that.”

Indeed there is, and who better to present a new collection of the best cricket writing of the modern era than today’s ‘voice of cricket’. As a young boy watching his newly-discovered cricketing heroes on a grainy black-and-white television, Jonathan Agnew quickly fell in love with the game and went on to pursue a career as a professional player who represented his country before becoming one of the outstanding broadcasters of his generation.

Taking the infamous 1932/33 Ashes ‘Bodyline’ series as his starting point, Agnew or, as he is better known, “Aggers”, selects the most entertaining, crafted and varied cricket writing to illuminate his personal reflections on a series of topics that dissect and explore the modern game from the era of Bradman and Larwood up to the present day.

Cricket: A Modern Anthology features a wide range of contributors including John Arlott, Neville Cardus, Mike Brearley, Simon Hughes, Michael Atherton, Jim Maxwell, Marcus Berkmann, Richie Benaud and Geoffrey Moorhouse.

This is a book brimming with personality and depth that sheds considerable light on the enduring fascination with, arguably, the greatest game ever played.

About the Author

Jonathan Agnew was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire and brought up on a farm in Stamford, Lincolnshire. He went to Uppingham School before becoming a professional cricketer with Leicestershire. He went on to play 218 matches for his county, taking 666 first-class wickets, including five in an innings on 37 occasions. He played three Tests and three one-day internationals for England and was named one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year in 1988.

He retired in 1990 to become cricket correspondent of the Today newspaper and the following year succeeded Christopher Martin-Jenkins as the BBC’s cricket correspondent. He won the Sony Radio award for Best Reporter in 1992 and in 1994, following the death of Brian Johnston, became the presenter of Test Match Special, commentating and reporting on the England cricket team around the world. In 2010, the Association of Sports Journalists named Agnew Best Radio Broadcaster of the Year, the same year that Test Match Special also won Best Radio Programme.

Jonathan has toured the world for 22 years as a cricket correspondent. He lives in the Vale of Belvoir with his wife Emma, four dogs and a cat.

CRICKET

A Modern Anthology

Jonathan Agnew

This book is dedicated to the memory of

Christopher Martin-Jenkins, who, through

his skilful broadcasting, prolific writing

and boundless love of the game, was

cricket’s greatest friend.

Contents

About the Book

About the Author

Title Page

Dedication

The Illustrations

Foreword by Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH

Preface

Chapter 1: The Great Controversies

Sir Donald Bradman: Farewell to Cricket

Duncan Hamilton: Harold Larwood

Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 1934: The Bowling Controversy – Text of the Cables

Sydney J. Southerton’s Analysis

Christopher Douglas: Jardine, A Spartan Cricketer

Basil D’Oliveira: The Basil D’Oliveira Affair

Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2012: The Obituary of Basil D’Oliveira

Sir Derek Birley: A Social History of English Cricket

David Tossell: Grovel! The Story and Legacy of the Summer of 1976

Paul Nixon: Keeping Quiet: The Autobiography

Martin Johnson: Can’t Bat, Can’t Bowl, Can’t Field

Ed Hawkins: Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy: A Journey to the Heart of Cricket’s Underworld

Vaibhav Purandare: Sachin Tendulkar: The Definitive Biography

Gideon Haigh: Sphere of Influence: Writings on Cricket and its Discontents

Steve James: The Plan: How Fletcher and Flower Transformed English Cricket

Chapter 2: The Greatest Test Matches

Richie Benaud: A Tale of Two Tests: With Some Thoughts on Captaincy

Ray Robinson: The Wildest Tests

Denzil Batchelor: Games of a Lifetime

Rob Steen: 500–1: The Miracle of Headingley ’81

Mike Brearley: The Art of Captaincy

Chapter 3: The Professional

Leo McKinstry: Jack Hobbs: England’s Greatest Cricketer

Max Davidson: We’ll Get ’Em in Sequins: Manliness, Yorkshire Cricket and the Century That Changed Everything

John Arlott: Fred: Portrait of a Fast Bowler

Chris Waters: Fred Trueman: The Authorised Biography

Amol Rajan: Twirlymen: The History of Cricket’s Greatest Spin Bowlers

Geoffrey Boycott: Boycott On Cricket

Mike Brearley: The Art of Captaincy

Simon Wilde: Ian Botham: The Power and the Glory

Phil Tufnell: The Autobiography: What Now?

Simon Hughes: A Lot of Hard Yakka

Matthew Hayden: Standing My Ground

Chapter 4: Gentlemen and Players

Geoffrey Moorhouse: The Best Loved Game

Harry Pearson: Slipless in Settle: A Slow Turn Around Northern Cricket

Harry Thompson: Penguins Stopped Play

Marcus Berkmann: Rain Men: The Madness of Cricket

Marcus Berkmann: Zimmer Men: The Trials and Tribulations of the Ageing Cricketer

Michael Simkins: Fatty Batter: How Cricket Saved My Life (Then Ruined It)

R. Chandrasekar: The Goat, the Sofa and Mr Swami

Chapter 5: The Pen is Mightier Than the Bat

Sir John Major: More Than A Game: The Story of Cricket’s Early Years

R. C. Robertson-Glasgow: 46 Not Out

Sir Neville Cardus: Days in the Sun

Richie Benaud: Willow Patterns

John Arlott: Indian Summer

Timeri N. Murari: The Taliban Cricket Club

Gideon Haigh: Sphere of Influence: Writings on Cricket and its Discontents

Christopher Martin-Jenkins: CMJ: A Cricketing Life

Picture Section

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

Also by Jonathan Agnew

Read on for an extract from Thanks, Johnners. Out now

Copyright

About the Publisher

Foreword Rt Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

The words ‘cricket’ and ‘Jonathan Agnew’ have become synonymous to cricket lovers, and there can be no better guide to the evolution of the modern game.

It is a big story that deserves – and, in these pages, has – a sure guide.

By 1930, although cricket had matured from the country-house pastime of the pre-Grace years, it was still far from the game we know today. Since then, many more countries have entered the Test arena, and the administration of the game has passed into professional hands and away from gifted amateurs. Out-of-date class distinctions on the field have faded away – but only slowly, with reluctance – and the top-class game has become fully professional. New and shorter forms of cricket have emerged to attract millions of new supporters, alongside the grumbling disapproval of traditionalists.

To them, and to most cricket lovers, the spirit of the game – the way in which it is played – has always been at the heart of its charm. It is a rude shock when controversy enters the arena, and far worse when corruption is uncovered.

Jonathan Agnew’s story begins with the Ashes series of 1932–3. It was on-field cricket at its most distasteful, as the English fast-bowling attack targeted ‘bodyline’ bowling at the Australian batsmen instead of their stumps. It was an unscrupulous tactic to curb the mammoth run scoring of Don Bradman. Today, with television tracking every ball, such a tactic would never survive, but ‘bodyline’ soured a whole series and scarred cricket.

Later, the English cricketing authorities – with an arrogance that, eighty years on, is scarcely believable – ordered Harold Larwood, their fast-bowling spearhead, to apologise. Larwood was entirely right to refuse, saying that he was upholding the instructions of his team captain, Douglas Jardine. But Jardine was a ‘gentleman’ and Larwood was not – and so it was he who was pilloried. It was, in every way, an ugly and shameful episode.

As a fast bowler, Larwood was one of the heroes that cricket throws up in every generation: their reputation becomes enshrined in the folklore of the game, and lasts long after they have left the field of play. Among the most cherished names, Bradman and Sobers may stand alone on their pedestal, but I fancy Shane Warne might one day join them on it. Most of these great cricketers are a credit to the game.

But not all: some heroes have revealed a dark side and been seduced and corrupted by money. Their names need not be repeated here but match-fixing poses a threat the authorities cannot ignore. Some cricket authorities have reacted vigorously to curtail this evil – but all need to do so. The ‘Spirit of Cricket’ is important to lovers of the game, and where that is flouted, they may turn away in disgust. The extent of corruption induced by betting scams is unknowable but, if it is tolerated by any authority, the damage will be acute.

Over recent decades, cricket has been broadcast to a global audience by radio and television. To the avid listener or viewer, the players representing teams on the far side of the world have become as familiar as the stars of their own country. The media coverage is comprehensive, and generally superb.

But cricket is more than a game. For countless millions, it is part of their lives, and given added drama and charm by the skill of the broadcasters. For me, cricket has always been pure pleasure when described by the likes of Rex Alston, John Arlott or Brian Johnston and – more recently – Henry Blofeld, Christopher Martin-Jenkins and the author of this book, Jonathan Agnew – that valuable hybrid of Test cricketer and professional broadcaster. Their sheer love of the game – and the romanticism, sentiment and sheer fun of it that they impart – has woven them into the warp and weft of cricket: it would be sad, indeed, if the contributions of such men were banished from the game.

And, to this observer, that seems a risk. Increasingly, the commentators and summarizers of top-class cricket are former eminent Test players. I welcome their arrival at the microphone because, to this particular cricket lover, they have added an extra dimension of understanding about the game. Their contribution is unique – but I hope it will never be exclusive: a mixture of broadcasters, cricketers and writers may offer the best depiction of the game to listeners and viewers.

In its infancy, cricket spread outwards from England as the British Empire was built. It took root and, as it did so, ceased to be an English game; each country played it in their own distinctive style. As the game spreads further, the focused aggression of the Australians; the Caribbean swagger of the West Indies; the suppleness of the Indians, may yet be joined by the national characteristics of the Afghans and the Chinese. If so, cricket will be the stronger for it.

The question that now arises is – whither cricket? The present growth of the game suggests confidence about its future from the grass roots upwards, with one reservation. The huge appeal of the shorter forms of the game – and the huge money-spinner it has become – means that cricket at the very highest level, five-day Test cricket, must be protected and cherished. It is, to my mind, the finest expression of the game, the peak of its art and, if it were diminished – or even crowded out – by mercenary considerations, then the game itself would surely suffer.

In its long history, cricket has been blessed with great literature: no game has ever attracted so many authors, or so much magnificent writing. In this book, Jonathan Agnew adds to this great canon, and draws on it to illustrate the evolutionary changes of recent decades.

This book is for every lover of cricket who wishes to dig deeper into the history of the game, through the words and sentiments of those who shared – or still share – their passion for it.

March 2013

Preface

Cricket, more than any other sport, has always lent itself to expressive colourful writing alongside intelligent debate – in the sports pages of our daily newspapers, over the broadcasting airwaves, through the pages of Wisden dating back to 1864 or, indeed, around the bar in the village pub. Such is the depth and complexity of cricket – spanning its history, politics and characters – that a single, universal view is extremely rare. Even such momentous events as Bodyline, the D’Oliveira affair and World Series Cricket were all strenuously argued about, usually from diametrically opposed positions.

The beauty of assembling an anthology such as this is that those opinions, assessments and descriptions can all be brought together in one place. So this is where we are able to read about and compare the lifestyles and characters of two of England’s finest fast bowlers, Harold Larwood and Fred Trueman; savour the deeds of opening batsmen Jack Hobbs and my old friend Geoffrey Boycott; consider first-hand reflections on Bodyline by Sir Donald Bradman; and enjoy a graphic description of the first tied Test between Australia and West Indies by Richie Benaud, who lost his wicket to the second ball of that frantic final over delivered by Wes Hall.

To be given the opportunity to sit, read and select extracts from the works of some of cricket’s finest writers and players has been a most rewarding experience. The modern game is so time-consuming – with matches coming thick and fast and increasingly demanding deadlines to hit – that it is difficult sometimes to sit back, take a breath and reflect properly on what has just taken place. However, a book provides the opportunity to include additional information that was not available at the time and that vital element of context, which can only properly be given with the passing of the years. I have frequently found myself surprised as new light is shed on a subject I thought I knew reasonably well. For the first time, for instance, we learn that Basil D’Oliveira was the selectors’ third-choice replacement for the injured Tom Cartwright in 1968; he was definitely not rushed into the squad for that ill-fated tour as the South African government believed.

I am delighted that this book has offered me the chance to explore, and now share, some of the most joyful, illuminating and elegant writing ever produced about cricket – without doubt the best sport in the world.

Jonathan Agnew, March 2013

THE GREAT CONTROVERSIES

‘I have sacrificed cricket’s most coveted job for a cause which I believe could be in the interests of cricket the world over.’

Tony Greig on his transition to Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket

Tearful Batsman (after defying Umpire’s ruling). ‘All right, I’ll go! But it ain’t cricket. They wouldn’t do that at Lord’s.’