Welcome to the world of The Grade Cricketer. Described as the most original voice in cricket, The Grade Cricketer represents the fading hopes and dreams of every ageing amateur sportsman. In this tell-all 'autobiography', The Grade Cricketer describes his cricketing career with unflinching honesty and plenty of humour, in turn providing insights into the hyper-masculine cricket 'dressing room'. This one-time junior prodigy is now experiencing the lean, increasingly existential years of adult cricket. Here, he learns quickly that one will need more than just runs and wickets to make it in the alpha-dominated grade cricket jungle, where blokes like Nuggsy, Bruiser, Deeks and Robbo reign supreme. Through it all, The Grade Cricketer lays bare his deepest insecurities - his relationship with Dad, his fleeting romances outside the cricket club - and, in turn, we witness a gentle maturation; a slow realisation that perhaps, just maybe, there is more to life than hitting 50 not out in third grade and enjoying a few celebratory beers afterwards. Or is there? * * * The Grade Cricketer book is based upon the popular Twitter account, @gradecricketer, which has received critical acclaim for its frighteningly honest portrayal of amateur cricket. Now, the time has finally come for this middling amateur sportsman to tell his story in full. 'The Grade Cricketer is the finest tribute to a sport since Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, and the best cricket book in yonks. It's belly-laughing funny but it's also a hymn to the grand and complex game delivered with a narrative pace and ability I'm afraid most Test players don't have. For anyone who ever dreamed of excelling at a sport but never quite made it but still gave it your life, this is the story. A great read!' - Tom Keneally AO.

The Shorter Wisden is a compelling distillation of what's best in its bigger brother – and the 2017 edition of Wisden is crammed, as ever, with the best writing in the game. Available from all major eBook retailers, Wisden's digital version includes the influential Notes by the Editor, all the front-of-book articles, including Matthew Engel looking back at 60 years of Test Match Special, Derek Pringle revealing the secrets of ball-tampering, and Gideon Haigh exploring the evolution of the six. There are also superb pieces by Rob Smyth, Vic Marks and Tanya Aldred, plus reviews, obituaries and all England's Tests from the 2016 season. In an age of snap judgments, Wisden's authority and integrity are more important than ever. Yet again this year's edition is truly a “must-have” for every cricket fan. "There can't really be any doubt about the cricket book of the year, any year: it's obviously Wisden" Andrew Baker in the Daily Telegraph @WisdenAlmanack

Few other team sports can equal the global reach of cricket. Rich in history and tradition, it is both quintessentially English and expansively international, a game that has evolved and changed dramatically in recent times. Demonstrating how the history of cricket and its international popularity is entwined with British imperial expansion, this book examines the social and political impact of the game in a variety of cultural sites: the West Indies, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. An international team of contributors explores the enduring influence of cricket on English identity, examines why cricket has seized the imagination of so many literary figures and provides profiles of iconic players including Bradman, Lara and Tendulkar. Presenting a global panoramic view of cricket's complicated development, its unique adaptability and its political and sporting controversies, the book provides a rich insight into a unique sporting and cultural heritage.

This book focuses on the development of cricket in Australia, with a focus on the commercial and professional aspects of the game. It takes a historical approach and analyses the reasons behind the ebbs and flows of commercialisation in the game. It also applies economic analysis to help provide it with some original insights into the way in which the game is structured and has developed in Australia. The book would be of interest to a range of people both in Australia and abroad, who are interested in the manner in which sport in the modern world has become a commercialised pursuit.

The Shorter Wisden is a compelling distillation of what's best in its bigger brother – and the 2022 edition of Wisden is crammed, as ever, with the best writing in the game. Wisden's digital version includes the influential Notes by the Editor, and all the front-of-book articles. In an age of snap judgments, Wisden's authority and integrity are more important than ever. Yet again this year's edition is truly a “must-have” for every cricket fan. In essence, The Shorter Wisden is a glass of the finest champagne rather than the whole bottle. @WisdenAlmanack

Bowler's Name is a tale of a life in cricket's margins. Tom Hicks is no household name, but he often rubbed shoulders with cricketing royalty, going from the village green to walking out as captain at Lord's. As an ambitious youngster, Hicks dreamed of reaching the top. But trying to make it big and balance the demands of university, family, a full-time job and a penchant for post-match fun was no easy feat. Settling for an unglamorous life as a minor county player, cricket took him to all corners of the country, and then across the globe, getting an insight into the nether regions of a cricketing world that was rapidly vanishing. Through the eyes of a cricket nut, Bowler's Name takes us on a journey of success, failure, hilarity and often sheer madness. If you've ever wondered what it's like to face 90mph bowling, to have lunch with Mike Gatting or to infiltrate an England post-match party, Hicks is your man. Bowler's Name is for fans of cricket idiosyncrasies, lovers of the underdog and anyone who has tried and failed.

Many years ago I was lucky enough to meet well known cricket Sports Psychologist Sandy Gordon. At that meeting Sandy indicated that it was important for all teams and team members to continue to look to improve in all they do. Later I was fortunate to attend a Junior Cricket meeting where Mike Hussey spoke. Mike indicated that Sandy Gordon had impressed on the West Australian Team there was a genuine need for all to work together as a team. Sandy had suggested to Mike that he and the team needed to remember the following acronym: Together Each Achieve More The WISE quickly understand that there is a genuine need for all to continue to work to improve in all that is done. The WISE also better understand that so much more can be achieved when all in a TEAM work together. Over many centuries of human existence, the WISE have used these important ideals to achieve unbelievable and sustained SUCCESS. Many examples of these outstanding achievements have been included to provide impetus for the reader to apply WISDOM in all that is done.

Ken ploughed through the book of Job looking for answers but found only questions. He knew his loss was small compared to the loss of many but his pain was just as deep. A one in a million medical condition had left him paralysed and his life in turmoil. There was no coping manual he could turn to eitherKen would have to write his own. He had entered a dark place not knowing how he would come through it or whether looking into the mirror of his soul would reveal a complete stranger looking back at him. Ken had a happy childhood. He played competitive sports, went to church, and believed that learning from past failures could ultimately lead to success. He was excited by life and pressing on to the prize, whether it be a match won, an exam passed, or a girl he liked going out with him. But all too soon it ended, hope turned to despair, and loss of identity led to isolation. But what followed was a time of restoration, of self-discovery, of letting go and accepting that he was a small part of a much bigger picture. So he laughed when others cried, he got up when he fell, and soon realized that a more complete person could be emerging from the dark place than the one who had gone into it. He found strength to press on from loved ones, but more importantly he found the faithfulness of God.

From the moment he first stepped onto a test pitch, cricket fans around the world were dazzled by Doug Walters' red-blooded strokes, his immaculate timing and his great enjoyment of the game. But they also loved him because he refused to be a star. He drank, he smoked, he loved a punt. The boy from Dungog was one of us. In One of a Kind, the ma...