(Part 3) Top products from r/Cricket

Context: This is from Kevin Pietersen's Autobiography.

> During the Bangladesh series I'd worked hard to adapt my game to the increased threat to left-arm spinners. The IPL was a safe haven in that regard, as India has never adopted the DRS system. I think they see human error as part of the fabric of cricket.

> The guy I spoke to the most about the problems I was having was Rahul Dravid. Rahul was a great and heroic Indian batsman in his day. He is also a genius at dealing with spin bowlers. Our conversations and emails were a private masterclass from a genuine guru. Rahul improved my cricket and helped me develop the way I think about the game. His generosity will stay with me always.

> In that spirit, I'll share something and hope my friend doesn't mind: an email Rahul sent me some time ago as part of our conversation about playing different spinners.

> Can you treasure en email? I treasure this..

> <Email by Rahul follows>

> Help through encouragement and wisdom? He had me at Champ. If you love cricket you'll know why I often read that email and smile to myself.

>But i personally feel that India should not invite Pakistan after mumbai attack.

This is the accepted opinion. But the accepted opinion is a bit problematic because it suggests isolation is a solution, not an issue. Isolation reinforces divisions. Looking long-term, and not as a temporary fix, these two countries will get along better if two things happen together: if they develop stronger social and economic ties.

Cricket as a goodwill gesture between these two sides would emphasize overlaps in language, culture, food, and perspective in addition to wonderful cricket. That's a message worth repeating, because you don't bomb people if you share kinship. It's easier to isolate than establish ties but history shows only the latter leads to sustainable peace. That's the social side.

There's also the economic side - if the two countries are selling to each other in large quantities, they wouldn't want to bomb their own companies' markets or factories. It would also help economic growth in both countries.

I'm not just saying this in vague terms - research suggests this has been the case. This is a good read if you're interested.

More generally, South Asia's powerful - it just needs to get its shit together as a bloc.

What life as an England cricketer is really like
Ever wondered what it's like playing Test Cricket?

What really goes on tour and beyond the boundary rope?

Here, for the first time, the world of a pro-cricketer is revealed, and the man pulling back the dressing room curtains is one of England's greatest ever cricketers: James 'Jimmy' Anderson. 565 Test Wickets and counting.

Written with Felix White: musician, cricket enthusiast and Anderson's co-host on BBC Five Live's phenomenally popular podcast 'Tailenders', Jimmy invites us all into his world of cricket. Full of test-match sized stories and 20/20 anecdotes, this book contains everything you've dreamed of asking a top cricketer. And Jimmy provides the answers and insights into this world on and off the pitch.

We tackle the big questions. And, importantly, the small ones;

Do cricketers really watch Countdown instead of the Test whilst waiting to bat?

What are those conversations in the slip cordon?

And what does he eat as a tailender?

The link for anyone looking to preorder on Amazon

The link for anyone looking to preorder on Apple Books

Friday Night Lights (H.G "Buzz" Bissinger) is excellent. It follows the 1988 Permian Panthers - an Odessa, Texas high school american football team. It inspired a movie and TV series of the same name.

The Jordan Rules (Sam Smith) follows the 1990/91 Chicago Bulls and highlights Michael Jordan's competitive nature and often dick-ish behaviour towards team mates - e.g. punching Will Purdue and deliberately throwing hard/difficult passes to Bill Cartwright to highlight his weaknesses

Serious (John McEnro) a great read that looks at all aspects of McEnroe's life. You get some great insights into his mindset during his career.

Has anyone else read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Right-Off-Bat-Baseball-Literature/dp/1589880692

"Are baseball and cricket two sports divided by a common language? Both employ bats, balls, and innings. Fans of both love statistics, revel in nostalgia, and use baffling jargon. In Right Off the Bat, baseball nut Evander Lomke and cricket buff Martin Rowe explain "their" sport to the other sport's fans--through anecdotes, diagrams, photographs, and a curve (or dipper) or two.

Cricket and baseball share a parallel and occasionally intertwined history (the first international cricket match was played in the United States). Indeed, they have mirrored their countries' struggles with identity and race, and have expanded beyond the shores of their founding countries to become multinational sports commanding global followings that are, even now, challenging the future of both sports. Right off the Bat is the perfect present for fans of either sport, as well as a handy introduction to those who want to divine the deeper rhythms of play.

The book is illustrated with forty pictures covering the history of both games, not only in England and the United States, but from around the world, and includes two glossaries: one for baseball and one for cricket."

I got this book as a gift from colleagues not long ago, All in a Day's Cricket, which is a really nice collection of essays and articles from across different eras.

Aside from that, there are some current writer whose prose I really enjoy reading; Kamran Abbasi, Saad Shafqat, Osman Samiuddin (someone posted this article just the other day, as just one example of his excellent writing) & Rob Steen.

Here's a favourite of mine: Wings of Gold, Feet of Clay, posted not too long ago here

Bob Woolmer's book is your best bet by far: https://www.amazon.com/Bob-Woolmers-Art-Science-Cricket/dp/1770076581

/thread

It's great for that. 13kgs in 3 months for me. /r/keto for that. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Performance/dp/0983490716 and /r/ketogains for sport. Mostly bodybuilders there though.

Pundits from Pakistan

This is in my to-read list, has got good reviews:

It's a great book.

Kimberley still looks the same as described in that book.

Edit: Hero of the Empire is about Churchill during the Boer War - if you enjoyed Diamonds, Gold and War, you may enjoy this too.

Let's. The above book is a lovely read by the way, I highly recommend it if you haven't read it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisdom-Crowds-Many-Smarter-Than/dp/0349116059 - would thoroughly recommend this

let's have a competition for most obscure reference involving a cricketer's name.

I'll go first: the main character of Bret Harte's novel The Ship of '49 is named Captain Renshaw (foreshadowing?)

Check [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Cricket-National-Identity-Postcolonial-Age/dp/0415363489).
Contents and sample chapter here

I have not read this book, so can't comment on how good it is but looks informative.

Tuffers' autobiography and Penguins Stopped Play: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguins-Stopped-Play-Village-Cricketers/dp/0719563461

Bring this book 5 Reasons Cricket is more American than Baseball. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0983638233?pc_redir=1403299682&robot_redir=1)

The Legend of Pradeep Mathew by Shehan Karunatilaka

and

Psmith in the City by P. G. Wodehouse

http://www.amazon.in/AB-Autobiography/dp/1509842764/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471513296&sr=1-1&keywords=ab+the+autobiography

I ordered the paperback.

The story is in Michael Parkinson's, "Parkinson on Cricket"

ISBN-10: 0340825081
ISBN-13: 978-0340825082

I can not find my copy to get you the page number though.

Parkinson tried all his working life to met "The Don" and never succeeded.

I assume from this book where some English journalist researched into illegal betting in cricket.

http://www.amazon.in/Bookie-Gambler-Fixer-Spy-Underworld/dp/1408169967