Comments on: Help a clueless American understand what's so fascinating about cricket

Question: Help a clueless American understand what's so fascinating about cricket

craichead — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:40:05 -0800

Help me find good cricket literature for a total cricket neophyte.

Upon returning from a business trip to India, my father expressed a desire to learn more about cricket: the sport, not the insect. Being a dutiful daughter as well as a crappy gift-chooser, I quickly realized that this might provide an answer to the perennial question of what to get as a Father's Day present for a guy who is, I swear, the hardest person to shop for in the world. I'm utterly clueless when it comes to cricket-related literature, so I'm throwing myself on the mercy of the global AskMe community.

Sports-type books about cricket would be awesome, but so would books that discuss the social, cultural, political or economic aspects of the sport. Academic books would be ok, as long as they aren't too jargony. The one thing, though, is that books have to be suitable for someone who doesn't know anything about cricket. If you need to know what a googly and a sticky wicket are to enjoy the book, then my dad is not going to enjoy the book.

Thanks in advance, MeFites!

By: sk381

sk381 — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:59:19 -0800

This is a good introduction to the game, before moving on to heavier fare

By: allen.spaulding

allen.spaulding — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:09:13 -0800

I enjoyed Anyone but England by Mike Marqueee - more of the historico-cultural elements and fine for someone with no bckground (which describes me)

By: murtagh

murtagh — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:50:23 -0800

You should definitely get your dad a copy of 'Penguins Stopped Play' by Harry Thompson. Brilliantly written book. Review here.

By: mooders

mooders — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:13:27 -0800

I can highly recommend anything by Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Henry Blofeld or Brian Johnston. All excellent commentators on the game, the players, the characters, the viewers/listeners, the history and the politics.

All wonderfully written and quintessentially english in nature.

By: sagwalla

sagwalla — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:26:09 -0800

I would recommend Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. It's a novel about a Dutchman who comes to NY and falls in with a crowd of mostly West Indian and Asian cricketers who keep the game and culture alive in the US. It's also quite a meditation on post-9/11 New York. You definitely don't need to know the game.

By: hydatius

hydatius — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:37:28 -0800

Seconding Netherland. It's quite an astonishing novel. It's written by somebody who deeply loves and understands the sport, and because the novel's events take place almost wholly in New York, it also consciously reflects on cricket's apparent obscurity to 'outsiders' who have not grown up with it in their culture. It is, therefore, an acute reflection on exactly the kinds of things you're looking for, the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of the sport, as well as being a rattling good thriller-type read and a somewhat melancholic consideration of aspects of masculinity and loss.

By: mattn

mattn — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:57:51 -0800

I enjoyed reading Cricket, Lovely Cricket?. It's written by the author of The Spin, a popular and very witty weekly cricket email newsletter, and would make a good non-technical introduction to the culture of the game.

Beyond a Boundary by C.L.R. James is often described as 'the greatest book about cricket ever written'. It would make a great follow-up present.

By: mattn

mattn — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:04:16 -0800

Further to my previous comment: Joseph O'Neill writes about Beyond a Boundary

By: rodgerd

rodgerd — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:31:06 -0800

Yeah, I liked (self-link) Penguins Stopped Play, although some of the cricket terminology proper may not be totally accessible. I also really enjoyed Ranji: The Strange Genius of Ranjitsingji, which has the bonus of exploring aspects of the English/Indian relationship.

By: Electric Dragon

Electric Dragon — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:40:18 -0800

Lawrence Booth's other book, Arm-Ball to Zooter, is a light-hearted glossary of cricket terms such as "googly" and "silly mid-on".

I also recommend Bodyline Autopsy to see exactly how England's 1932/3 tour of Australia became so controversial.

By: lungtaworld

lungtaworld — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:21:04 -0800

"Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man" by Siegfried Sassoon.

The title is misleading, as the book is mainly concerned with a series of landmark events in the author's youth including a cricket match. A major incident in the narrative is "The Flower Show Match", which has sometimes been published separately as a short story. It is humorously written and very "English". It's a classic.

By: Kerasia

Kerasia — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:40:43 -0800

For accurate historical data, a plethora of lingo lessons and blow-by-blow inside commentary on Australian cricket [heh] commentary, you can't dismiss the Twelfth Man.

By: unsliced

unsliced — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:31:24 -0800

Rain Men by Marcus Berkmann is an entertaining read.

I would heartily second Netherland, Anyone but England and Booth's Cricket, Lovely Cricket (or his earlier, Is it cowardly to pray for rain?).

By: craichead

craichead — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:48:55 -0800

Wow. You guys are seriously amazing. I didn't expect so many recommendations!

I'm going to stew on this a bit more before I mark best answers. Thanks so much for giving me such great choices!

By: aflatoon

aflatoon — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:48:12 -0800

Being a huge Indian cricket fan , I would recommend two books: One Day Wonders by Sunil Gavaskar. The book describes an Indian tour of Australia but I think it would be enjoyable even for someone who does not know much about cricket. The other book is Pundits from Pakistan by Rahul Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya is a cricket journalist who follows the Indian cricket team to Pakistan in 2004. This was after the two countries came very close to war. I would describe the book as a travelogue with cricket as a backdrop.

Lastly, this is not a book (or, alas, about Indian cricket) but if you can get a hold of DVDs for a TV series called Bodyline in the US, it would be a great gift for someone who would enjoy watching an excellent cricket-themed TV show. The show recounts the notorious events of the 1932-33 England-Australia series.