When he had just embarked on his international cricket journey, Justin Langer sought advice from the great Sir Donald Bradman. This helped set him on the pathway to a wonderful Test career. Now, just as he did for the Australian men's team, Justin has stepped in to help a struggling new kids' team -- the Kangaroos. JL takes the team through much more than skills training, as he honours the same spirit of Aussie cricket that he instilled into the national men's side. He shares with them the importance of mateship, pride in effort, fair play, honesty, integrity, patience, courage and modesty. JL encourages the eleven aspiring cricketers to embrace these ideals as they strive to become Team Kangaroo.
This is more than just a sports book, although the author is an accomplished Test cricketer. Justin Langer was a member of one of Australia's greatest sporting teams for nearly a decade?but the messages of this inspirational guidebook go far beyond the boundary rope. Many of the book's stories come from the sporting field?and its leading characters are high-profile champions, such as Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, and Matthew Hayden?but the lessons learned can be shared by all of us. A handbook for overcoming self-doubt, for reveling in success, and for aiming high, this book is.
He was top of the world, with numbers bettered only by Don Bradman – then captain Steve Smith led his Australian team into a cheating scandal that stunned cricket. Media exploded and million-dollar contracts were torn up. Australia’s prime minister expressed the public anger and disappointment: ‘Our cricketers are role models, and cricket is synonymous with fair play.’ But there was more to the story than the actions of a few young men. A tangle of personality, politics and culture had led them to this point. Geoff Lemon witnessed that story from commentary boxes and press conferences, and was there in South Africa for its final act. This is a frank, fearless and often humorous account of the path from Ashes high to Cape Town low, from someone who watched it all unfold.
Matthew Hayden was one of the most commanding batsmen the game has ever seen - and one of its great enigmas. A religious man and a ruthless on-field sledger. A brutal enforcer, and a soft-hearted family man. Australian record-holder for highest score in Tests and One Day Internationals, who was at times troubled by self-doubt and doubters. In Standing My Ground Hayden confronts these contradictions head-on. He talks frankly about the forces that shaped his journey from fringe international to a giant of the game, and takes us on a privileged tour inside the sporting machine that dominated all comers in a golden age of Australian cricket. This isn't a predictable ball-by-ball account of a stellar career. Instead, Hayden delivers a characteristically direct assessment of the matches and the people that mattered most. He opens up on umpires, the media, superstitions, teammates and opponents with disarming honesty and humour. The country boy from Kingaroy rose to greatness in the cricket world. Here is the superstar batsman, the surfer, fisherman and chef in a book as bold and powerful as the man himself.
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.
In May 1977, the cricket world woke to discover that a 39-year-old businessman called Kerry Packer had signed thirty-five elite international players for his own televised World Series Cricket. The Cricket War, now published with a new introduction and afterword, is the definitive account of the split that changed the game on the field and on the screen. In helmets, under lights, with white balls and in coloured clothes, the outlaw armies of Ian Chappell, Tony Greig and Clive Lloyd fought a daily battle of survival. In boardrooms and courtrooms, Packer and cricket's rulers fought a bitter war of nerves. A compelling account of top-class sporting life, The Cricket War also gives a unique insight into the motives and methods of the tycoon who became Australia's richest man.
Whack! There's a sound in the blue summer sky. The sun's coming out, as the ball soars high. Kids all over the world play cricket. Follow their game all around the globe.
Memorable, unpredictable and often hilarious, The Wrong 'Un is the inspirational story of a man who will never give the game away. At 45, George Bradley Hogg - cult hero of the Big Bash League, and in recent years a star of the international T20 circuit - is still in his prime. From his childhood cricket obsession in rural Western Australia to the day he donned the baggy green, Brad overcame numerous setbacks and bouts of self-doubt. During a seven-year gap between his first and second Test appearances, he turned his hand to a variety of jobs, most famously hitting the streets as a postie. Through persistence and enthusiasm he won his way back into the national team, and was twice part of Australia's champion World Cup sides. After retiring prematurely in 2008, he returned with a bang in 2011, starring in the BBL and once again being selected for Australia. For the first time, Brad reveals his remarkable journey - from the bush to the MCG and beyond, and from crippling insecurity to hard-won self-acceptance - all with the self-deprecating humour and honesty for which he is known and loved.
