‘He played that so late, it was almost posthumous.’ (John Arlott) For over fifty years, Test Match Special has provided the soundtrack to many cricket fans’ lives – now this book collects its greatest hits. Here are all the witty sayings, bons mots, doubles entendres, wise words and priceless moments from the whole TMS team past and present, and of course their many and varied celebrity guests. Whether it’s classic Test moments or hilarious asides from the boundary, you’ll find the perfect line for every occasion. Collecting over half a century of quips and quotes, and beautifully illustrated throughout, The Wit and Wisdom of Test Match Special is a cricket fan’s indispensable guide to bats, bowls, beards and bakes.

Collecting hundreds of quips and quotes, and beautifully illustrated throughout, The Test Match Special Book of Cricket Quotes is a cricket fan’s indispensable guide to bats, beards, boundaries and bowls. From witty sayings and wise words, to doubles entendres, and legendary moments from cricketing history, you’ll find the perfect line for every occasion. ‘I've never got to the bottom of streaking’- Jonathan Agnew ‘On the first day Logie decided to chance his arm and it came off' - Trevor Bailey ‘Bill Frindall has done a bit of mental arithmetic with a calculator’- John Arlott 'Strangely, in slow motion, the ball seemed to hang in the air for even longer' - David Acfield 'I'm not into caps with lots of diamonds on them, like KP' - James Anderson 'How can you tell your wife you are just popping out to play a match and then not come back for five days?' - Rafa Benitez on test cricket ‘I don't think we choked this time. We never played well enough to choke’ - Craig Matthews ‘Flintoff starts in, his shadow beside him. Where else would it be?’- Henry Blofeld ‘I once delivered a simple ball, which I was told, had it gone far enough, would have been considered a wide’ - Lewis Carroll

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.

Ey up, it's not only footie, pints and pies that are better up north - the humour also takes some beating. Whether it's comics like Peter Kay, Les Dawson and Victoria Wood, telly shows like Corrie and Open All Hours, or writers like Alan Bennett and Keith Waterhouse, the funniest and best-loved invariably hail from the land of perpetual drizzle (another thing they do better). This grand collection of northern wit is packed with these favourites and more. Likely lads and lippy lasses cast a wry eye on subjects close to the heart of every northerner, including - brass, grub, graft, courting, cricket, tittle-tattle and t'weather - adding up to a feast of northern hilarity.

A bumper collection of the funniest anecdotes, jokes and stories from cricket's best-loved personalities. Cricket is a funny old game -- even when rain stops play! Now you can read not only the most popular stories by five of the game's all-time great characters -- Richie Benaud, Dickie Bird, Henry Blofeld, Brian Johnston and Fred Trueman - but also the humour and insights of modern players including Michael Atherton, Andrew Flintoff, Darren Gough, Kevin Pietersen and Shane Warne. Crammed full of dozens of hilarious anecdotes about legendary Test cricketers such as Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Denis Compton, Michael Holding and Merv Hughes -- plus broadcasting gaffes, sledging, short-sighted umpires and the first male streaker at Lord's!

Sports Journalism is a comprehensive guide to the purpose, principles and practice of this unique profession. Now in a fully revised and updated second edition, including important new material on social media and the rise of on-line journalism, this is still the only book to explore the fundamentals of sports reporting across every media platform. Combining an introduction to practical skills, contextual discussion of the changing media environment, and important case studies, including the ground-breaking story of Lance Armstrong, the book covers key topics such as: essential relationships in sports journalism - networking and the Sports Desk print journalism for magazines, tabloids, broadsheets and the internet live action – news, radio and television sports journalism effective research – managing and accessing sources, information, statistics practical skills for managing schedules and meeting deadlines working with sports agents and PR professionals getting the best from press conferences and interviews. Laced with revealing anecdotes from the author's own thirty years’ experience of domestic and international sport journalism, and including questions in each chapter to encourage critical reflection and notes on further reading, Sports Journalism is the ultimate insider’s guide and an invaluable student companion.

Few things are as evocative of the English summer as Test Match Special, and in 2019 the team had a spectacular cricket season to cover, with the men's and women's Ashes series and the ICC World Cup all taking place. Now, in this brilliant and compelling account of the summer, we get to see behind the scenes to find out what really goes on. As well as covering all the key events on the field to ensure the reader can relive the dramatic action as Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Heather Knight's sides compete for glory, the TMS Diary takes the reader into the commentary box to join Aggers and the rest of the crew. From the guests who inspired them to the cakes that were irresistible, from the bloopers that had them in stitches to the stunning action that left them almost speechless - it's all here in this fascinating book. Filled with contributions from all the regulars in the TMS commentary box, including Jonathan Agnew, Geoffrey Boycott, Isa Guha, Alison Mitchell, Phil Tufnell and Michael Vaughan, along with some of the most obscure cricketing trivia from scorers Andrew Samson and Andy Zaltzman, this is a book that no fan of Test Match Special can be without.

For over 50 years, Test Match Special has provided listeners with every Test cricket ball, batting average, and plenty of views from the boundary, too. But how well do you know your cricket? Pit your wits against Aggers, Tuffers, Boycs and Johnners – and try not to get caught out! Can you identify the most famous players from history, name that ground or reel off well-known (and lesser-known) stats and facts. And of course, what Test Match Special would be complete without the gaffes, giggles, cakes and celebrity guests who make up a day at the cricket? With over 3,000 mind-bending puzzles about every aspect of the sport and beyond, this is the ultimate test of any cricket fan's true average.