If someone were to say 'it's not tennis', or 'not football' of shabby behaviour in any walk of life, he or she would not be understood. If they said 'it's not cricket', they probably would be (though less reliably than a century ago). Is there some special spirit of cricket? The laws of cricket, like the laws of the land, aim at a sort of justice or balancing between different factions. The purpose behind cricket's laws, and behind changes in them, is often to calibrate the balance in the game between batsmen and bowlers, between attack and defence, between safety and risk. Cricketing lawmakers are interested in the overall appeal of the game to players and spectators alike. In Spirit of Cricket, Mike Brearley alternates between issues and examples within the game - from 'Mankading' and the 'Sandpaper' affair to sledging, mental disintegration and racism - as well as broader issues such as the spirit and letter of the law. Brearley examines the issue of how far what purports to be justice (in law or in spirit) may or may not be the expression of the powerful within the activity or within society. He also contrasts cheating and corruption, and reflects on the nature of penalties in regard to each. He discusses the significance of the notion of the spirit of the game for umpires, groundsmen, administrators, media and spectators - and, of course, for players. Intelligent and insightful, Spirit of Cricket points to qualities in cricket that enhance our development as people - including a sense of fair play, the embracing of striving both for our team and for ourselves and the important values of playfulness in life and professional sport.

The spirit of the game was first nurtured on the playing fields of the English public school, and in the pages of Tom Brown's Schooldays- this Corinthian spirit was then exported around the world. The competitive spirit, the importance of fairness, the nobility of the gifted amateur seemed to sum up everything that was good about Britishness and the games they played. Today, sport is dominated by corruption, money, celebrity and players who are willing to dive in the box if it wins them a penalty. Yet, we still believe and talk about the game as if it had a higher moral purpose. Since the age of Thomas Arnold, Sport has been used to glorify dictatorships and was at the heart of cold war diplomacy. Prime Ministers, princes and presidents will do whatever they can to ensure that their country holds a major sporting tournament. Nelson Mandela saw the victory of the Rugby World Cup as essential to his hopes for the Rainbow Nation. Mihir Bose has lived his life around sport and in this book he tells the story of how Sport has lost its original spirit and how it has emerged in the 20th century to become the most powerful political tool in the world. With examples and stories from around the world including how the sport-hating Thomas Arnold become an icon; how a German manufacturer gave Jessie Owens a pair of shoes at the Berlin games of 1936 and went on to dominate the world of sport; how India stole cricket from the ICC; how an Essex car dealer become the most powerful man in Formula 1; and who really sold football out. Praise for Mihir Bose: 'Mihir Bose is India's CLR James.' Simon Barnes, The Times. 'Mihir's insider knowledge is unsurpassed' David Welch. 'His Olympic contacts are second to none. He knows everybody.' Sue Mott.

In a readable, informed and absorbing discussion of cricket's defining controversies - bodyline, chucking, ball-tampering, sledging, walking and the use of technology, among many others - Fraser explores the ambiguities of law and social order in cricket.

Broadhalfpenny Down is the Mecca of cricket. The Bat and Ball Inn across the road is pavilion to the whole cricket world. This is the home of the legendary 18th-century Hambledon Club. Every cricketer wants to visit it because they know this is where cricket began. Only it didn't.That Broadhalfpenny Down is the birthplace of cricket is one of the most well-established myths in sporting history. Yet this ground still holds a unique place in the history of the game. It is where a simple country pastime evolved into a national sport; where the crude techniques of the first players evolved into subtler skills.Between the 1750s and late 1790s, Broadhalfpenny Down staged the biggest matches and fielded the most famous team, playing 'all' England 51 times and winning on 29 occasions - often in front of 20,000 spectators.Here for the first time since 1907 is a full account of the events of more than 200 years ago. Extensively researched and compiled, and updated for this 2015 ebook edition, its author Ashley Mote played competitive club cricket for more than 50 years. He is a non-playing member of numerous cricket clubs. A former journalist, scriptwriter, and businessman, he now writes non-fiction.

The most famous sports book in the world, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack has been published every year since 1864. The selected writings from the 161st edition contained in this eBook offer trenchant opinion, compelling features and an authoritative voice on the worldwide game. The Shorter Wisden is a distillation of what's best in its bigger brother – and the 2024 edition of Wisden is crammed, as ever, with the best writing in the game. Wisden's digital version includes the influential Notes by the Editor, and all the front-of-book articles. In essence, The Shorter Wisden is a glass of the finest champagne rather than the whole bottle. In an age of snap judgments, Wisden's authority and integrity are more important than ever. Yet again this year's edition is truly a “must-have” for every cricket fan. @WisdenAlmanack

“I’m in the team – can you come and watch me play?” If you will be sitting by a cricket pitch this summer, mystified by the antics on the field in front of you, this is the book for you. Not only will it help to explain what is going on from the spectator’s viewpoint – it will also raise you several notches in your loved one’s esteem. After reading this book you will be able to talk knowledgeably about spin and swing bowling, off drives, knocking in, and know the difference between a googly and an off-break. You might even enjoy the matches much more as a result. Just as well because they can take up a whole day at junior level, or up to five days for a Test match. The author, a mother who has spent many seasons at her sons’ playing fields, provides a complete guide to the intricacies of cricket for all those supporters to whom predominantly male sports are a complete mystery. She also includes valuable advice on supporter etiquette and preparing cricket teas as well as dealing with the inevitable washing mountain. This book is for all bemused supporters, male and female, who loyally turn out to cheer in all weathers.

Cricket is a sport which is currently undergoing a rapid and dramatic transformation. Traditionally thought of as an English summer game, limited in appeal to Britain and its Commonwealth, cricket has, in the past a few years, achieved a global profile. This is largely due to the development of a new TV-friendly format of the game: Twenty20 cricket. Indeed, through the economic and media interests promoting the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s richest Twenty20 tournament, cricket has belatedly ‘gone global’. The rapid rise of the IPL underlines that the economic and political characters within cricket are no longer the traditional elites in metropolitan centres but the businessmen of India and the media entrepreneurs world-wide who seek to shape new audiences for the game and create new marketing opportunities on a global scale. The contributions in this book fall into two broad categories. There are firstly those which explore the rapid growth of Twenty20, particularly the motors of change and the new directions that cricket is taking as a result of the Twenty20 revolution. Secondly, there are a number of contributions which chart the impact of Twenty20 on traditional elements of the game. This book was originally published as a special issue of Sport in Society.