The Worst of Cricket: Malice and Misfortune in the World's Cruellest Game (Worst of Sport) - Hardcover

Henderson, Nigel; Steel, Mark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1905411189 ISBN 13: 9781905411184

Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd, 2008

Synopsis

Unusual book

About this title

Review

Nigel Henderson's book concerns the explosion of interest in cricket following the 2005 Ashes series. After the number of texts written on the back of that fabulous summer, Henderson found himself as one of a clutch of writers endeavouring to 'be there' in 2006/7 for the rematch. So what does this author 'bring to the party', as Duncan Fletcher often asked? For one, this is a well-written and thorough account of that tour, and pacy enough to carry you through 50 pages in a blink; Nigel and his erstwhile companion Sue's travails are described in self-deprecating detail. Their dynamic is enjoyable throughout, Sue's reaction to Nigel's altercation with Aussie supporters in Perth particularly entertaining. In itself, to have seen the whole tour is an incredible effort. A three-week jaunt to Australia made a mess of my health, so I wasn't surprised to hear that Nigel spent a good while with pneumonia on his return. It was highly possible that this book could have become a turgid account of a terrible losing series. However, the author avoids this by doing a good impression of Bill Bryson. Bryson is a masterful and vivid storyteller who mixes travel with fantastic historical interludes, and Henderson borrows this nicely by mixing his journey with the cricket. It works and makes this a damn good read, reminding us all that there is more to Australia than the MCG,VB, prawns, barbies and the WACA --All Out Cricket Magazine

Good lines...present the author as a likeable companion and convey the tone and fun of a special adventure with its attendant humour. --Wisden Cricketer Magazine

Wonderful, entertaining book that will keep you amused from cover to cover. The humour is subtle throughout, not so in-your-face that you're sick of it by the time you get to Adelaide. Written in a flowing style, the book is incredibly easy to read and navigate. --Ashes Website 334notout.com

About the Author

Nigel Henderson has a love-hate relationship with cricket; he loves it, it hates him. After a number of middling performances for Surrey Young Cricketers in the early 1980s he was cruelly brushed aside in favour of more talented players and condemned to life in the club game, where countless dubious lbw decisions and the occasional trashed dressing-room later, he found something more constructive to do with his Saturday afternoons. Taking refuge in journalism, he initially worked for several local papers and the Press Association. He is a freelance writer for Inside Edge, Third Man and The Cricketer , regular contributor to the popular Test Match Sofa podcast and has covered the Wimbledon tennis championships for the BBC. He also spent two years as deputy sports editor of the Royal Gazette, Bermuda's daily paper.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1905411189
• ISBN 13: 9781905411184
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272