Posted by We don’t often review cricket books these days because reading about cricket is not generally what we want to do once we’ve finished reading about cricket for the day. King Cricket reader Sam Blackledge has read one though and he sent us this review.
Journalism has come a long way in recent years. The old toxic culture of nepotism, favours for favours and ‘It’s all about who you know’ are consigned to the rubbish bin, like so many copies of the News of the World and Piers Morgan’s autobiography.
We cancelled our expense accounts, cleaned up our collective act, and now everything is totally above board and completely fine.
So, with that in mind, here is my entirely impartial review of a new book by a pair of promising young writers, which I happened to stumble across while idly browsing the internet for Christmas gifts and have no previous connection with, honest.
The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments by Dan Liebke and Alex Bowden is a witty, clever and highly detailed book, taking what PR people would no doubt term a ‘sideways glance’ at everyone’s favourite/most painful cricketing rivalry*.
All of your favourite nonsense is here: Botham’s Headingley heroics; Waugh’s career-saving ton; Broad not walking; Broad shouting at a robot; Broad adjusting a sightscreen for 15 minutes before getting bowled for a golden duck.
Leafing through the pages, I was transported back to watching the Top of the Pops chart rundown circa 1996. As each entry ticked by, and we got closer to the summit, the permutations narrowed. Either ‘Return of the Mack’ by Mark Morrison had made it to number one, or he hadn’t placed at all.
Suffice to say, readers will not be disappointed by what Messrs Liebke and Bowden have chosen to nominate as the most ridiculous Ashes moment of the past 50 years.
Cricket books are ten-a-penny in my house, particularly over the festive period. For every Art of Captaincy by Mike Brearley, there’s a Year in the Sun by Michael Vaughan. (Summary: I was really good at batting for a bit.)
Early January is boom time for my local Oxfam branch, volunteers gasping with delight as canvas bags filled with multiple untouched copies of Tuffers’ Cricket Tales are dumped at their feet. (Summary: I smoked some fags and got told off by Goochie.)
The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments is different. This is a book which will sit proudly on my shelves, despite the fact that – as previously stated – I have no connection with the authors whatsoever.
As demonstrated this winter, wherever The Ashes goes, nonsense inevitably follows. This book will be surely be called into action repeatedly over the coming years, whenever a friend or family member exclaims, upon seeing another England batter sashay down the track and spaz one to deep extra cover, ‘That is absolutely ridiculous’.
All hail Liebke and Bowden, whomsoever they may be. Apparently they have a podcast, too. I wonder if it’s any good?
* Delete as appropriate depending on whether your chosen country is currently holding the urn or carrying out another post-series root and branch structural review.
If we were a little less lazy, we’d have put together a STAR BUY! or RECOMMENDED! logo together with some 5/5 style imagery to go with the above impartial review. But we are lazy, so we haven’t.
We will however include this link so that you can buy the book and support (a) UK independent bookshops and (b) us. Sam for some reason fails to mention how shiny and full colour it is and how it’s therefore definitely worth £19, even from an unbiased point of view.
At last, a truly independent book review. By Sam Blackledge – whomsoever he might be.
He can string a sentence or two together. He might even consider a career in journalism.
But idly browsing the internet for Christmas gifts? Sithee lad – buck up – has thee nowt better to do?
Meanwhile, on Amazon, Philip Wharton says the book is, “Difficult to understand,” and gives it 1/5. Although he does concede, “my brother might eǹjoy it, he lives and breaths cricket, he would have got up at 4.00 am to watch the Ashes, no wonder he is single.”
Subtext – this book is highly suitable for people who like to read witty books about cricket. This book is not suitable for people with the attention span of a flea, whose idea of a cricket book is a list of jokes, quips and short anecdotes about cricket.
It’s a badge of honour to get a one star review of that kind.
When Clean Business Cuisine came out (25 years ago), a marketing guru friend suggested that we should engineer at least one or two “terrible” reviews. All 5* & 4* reviews doesn’t help much. Lots of mediocre reviews would be bad, but a minority of strong anti opinion makes the book look more intriguing and more worth buying to many potential buyers.
A few more good ones from fans who bought the book on Amazon wouldn’t hurt though, now you have a juicy naysaying one up there!
Agree with Ged. Speculating how Mr Wharton came to read the book in the first place…
“What shall I get my arsehole brother for Xmas?”
“He’s always mocking your interest in cricket, and he can barely read, get him a cricket book.”
“Brilliant, he’ll hate it and I’ll get to read it”
Philip Wharton reminds me of a comment left on this site 15 years ago.
Wow! What are the chances of finding a review of the exact same book I also got given for Christmas, despite never having heard of any of the authors, or their pseudonyms! Strange how these strange coincidences come about.
While this Sam guy (whoever he is) is right to say that all our favourite Ashes nonsense is here, I think the book’s strength is in reminding me of all the ridiculous Ashes moments that I’ve followed over the last 15 years that haven’t become part of of national legend a la Botham, Bradman or Flintoff but are nevertheless, ridiculous. You won’t find a detailed breakdown of Chris Rogers lbw to Graeme Swann off a full toss anywhere else, and the book is all the stronger for it.
One of our favourite chapters.
Time for some ODI cricket!
Oh, it’s on TNT and TalkSport. Never mind.
Oh we’ve just cancelled TNT.
I had the misfortune of watching India vs NZ T20 today (the less said about NZ’s poor captaincy decisions in the first two matches of the series, the better, or the dogmuck bowling, the even betterer). TNT’s ad breaks did not infrequently impinge on the cricket, the worst being that they came back just in time for the 3rd ball of an over to be bowled.