The Cricket category has 40 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 14 ratings. The most-rated is No Spin.
Sunny Days
Summary
Sunny Days is the fascinating record of the growth of India's greatest batsman, one whose astonishing feats on the cricket field have had innumerable records rewritten and yet more difficult targets set. How did Sunil Manohar Gavaskar begin, and what were the early days like? It is not merely out of curiosity that one may ask the question; the knowledge of the shaping up of the process of greatness is essential for a true understanding of the greatness. Before we can ask the Little Master to tell us about the dizzying heights of his career, we need to know the beginning. And Sunny Days is all about it. The baby is switched after birth, luckily restored by an eagle-eyed uncle; he grows up and almost breaks his mother's nose with a mighty hit (a childhood habit persisting in later life); plays good cricket in school and college; graduates inevitably through university and Trophy cricket; is at times booed by the crowd as his uncle happens to be a Selector - in fact all that could happen does happen to make him reach the age of 21, when, at Port of Spain Gavaskar, he bursts upon the cricket scene with his Test debut. The year is 1971, Gavaskar's year, and sunny days have truly begun for Indian cricket. By the end of the 1975-76 season, Gavaskar has played 147 first class matches and amassed 11,574 runs and 38 hundreds. He has played in 24 matches in 8 Tests, with 2,123 runs and 8 hundreds. Still eight years to go for the great days of the Kotla and the Chidambaram Stadium; but as it is said, in the beginning is the end. Fluently written, with self-effacing modesty imparting a rare grace, Sunny Days is great to listen to.
©1976 Sunil Gavaskar (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
Cricketing Tales from The Dressing Room
Summary
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew introduces a new collection of anecdotes and reflections from some of the best-loved characters of Ashes cricket. Merv Hughes, Derek Randall, Ian Botham, Gladstone Small, Darren Gough and many more.
Bitter rivalries, slogging and sledging. Some of the greatest players from both England and Australia remember the classic encounters from over 50 years of Ashes history. Reflections from the dressing room include the pranks and the insults, as well as tales of angry fast bowlers, over-amorous fans, and fancy dress parties.
©2009 BBC Audiobooks Ltd (P)2009 BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Slipless in Settle
Summary
Slipless in Settle is a sentimental journey around club cricket in the north of England, a world far removed from the clichéd lengthening-shadows-on-the-village-green image of the summer game. This is hardcore cricket played in former pit villages and mill towns. Winner of the 2011 MCC Cricket Book of the Year, it is about the little clubs that have, down the years, produced some of the greatest players Britain has ever seen, and at one time spent a fortune on importing the biggest names in the international game to boost their battle for local supremacy. Slipless in Settle is a warm, affectionate and outrageously funny sporting odyssey in which Andrew Flintoff and Learie Constantine rub shoulders with Asbo-tag-wearing all-rounders, there's hot-pot pie and mushy peas at the tea bar, two types of mild in the clubhouse, and a batsman is banned for a month for wearing a fireman's helmet when going out to face Joel Garner...
©2010 Harry Pearson (P)2011 Hachette Digital
The Sound of Summer
Summary
For more than four decades, Jim Maxwell has called the cricket for the ABC. Since 1973 he has covered 285 Test matches, including over 50 Ashes Tests, six tours to the West Indies, seven to the subcontinent, and five World Cups. His distinctive voice, dryly understated humour and immense knowledge of the game have been part of the fabric of Australian cricket for generations of listeners. It's not too much to say that Jim has been the sound of our summer. In his long-awaited memoir he reflects on his life and career, on key cricket moments that he's witnessed, and on the many and varied characters he's met along the way. The Sound of Summer is a deep insight into one of our best-loved commentators, and a fascinating, warm, nostalgic and uniquely informed view of the game he loves.
©2016 Jim Maxwell (P)2018 W. F. Howes Ltd
Penguins Stopped Play
Summary
It seemed a simple enough idea at the outset: to assemble a team of 11 men to play cricket on each of the seven continents of the globe - except that's not a simple idea at all. And when you throw in incompetent airline officials, cunning Bajan drug dealers, overzealous American anti-terrorist police, idiotic Welshmen dressed as Santa Claus, and whole armies of pitch-invading penguins, you quickly arrive at a lot more than you bargained for. Read by Julian Rhind-Tutt (Doctor Mac from BBC2's Green Wing), Harry Thompson's hilarious book tells the story of one of those great madcap enterprises that only an Englishman could have dreamed up, and only a bunch of Englishmen could possibly have wished to carry out.
© The Estate of Harry Thompson; (P) John Murray
Thanks, Johnners
Summary
Read by Jonathan Agnew with a foreword read by the magnificent Stephen Fry with surprise contributions from Jonathan's test-match special colleagues! Perfect for cricket fans everywhere, Thanks Johnners is a warm and witty tribute to Brian Johnston and his time at the helm of Test Match Special. The Test Match Special on-air incident, in which Jonathan Agnew's comment on Ian Botham's attempt to avoid stepping on his stumps – "He just couldn't quite get his leg over" - provoking prolonged fits of giggles, most notably from Brian Johnston, has been voted the greatest piece of sporting commentary ever. The friendship between "Aggers" and "Johnners" became immortalised through that broadcasting classic, but there was a far deeper bond between the two men, as this fascinating book reveals. Jonathan Agnew had grown up to the sound of Johnston, Arlott, and a young Martin-Jenkins et al on TMS as he followed his father around on the family farm, ear glued to the transistor radio, but the two men met formally only when Agnew joined the BBC team at Headingley in 1991. Thus began a great working partnership which, fuelled by a mutual passion for the noble game, bridged the generation gap and ended only with Johnston's sudden death in 1994. As this book demonstrates so convincingly, Johnners's wit, warmth and sense of fun was a feature not only of his cricket commentaries, but also in the way he lived his life. His influence on "Aggers" is clearly recognisable in the same amiable and informal manner in which his successor presents Test Match Special today. Thanks, Johnners is a rich blend of biography and anecdote, of antics and dramas on and off the pitch, in and out of the commentary box, filled with stories about the great names of cricket, including Fred Trueman, Geoffrey Boycott, Vivian Richards, Michael Holding, and Ian Botham. Just as TMS is the sound of summer, so Thanks, Johnners is the fresh breeze rippling the long grass of remembered pleasures.
©2010 Jonathan Agnew (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers
How to Play Cricket
Summary
If you want to learn how to play cricket then check out this guide. In this step-by-step guide, you will reap the following benefits: Learn the basics of playing cricket Learn the areas of the cricket field Become good in the fielding position in the ground Learn how to bat Learn how to catch the ball Learn how to bowl Learn how to field Learn how to do power play Learn the different formats of cricket And much more Download it now!
©2016 HowExpert (P)2016 HowExpert
80 Not Out
Summary
Highlights of a career in cricket from Britain's favourite umpire. Hardly a week goes by without Dickie Bird visiting a county or Test match arena where he can keep up to date with all that is happening in the cricket world, while at the same time taking the opportunity to reflect, in the company of old friends and acquaintances, on his own colourful contribution to the sport that lasted for over half a century. Dickie remains the most famous umpire of them all and is still highly respected throughout the world. A lovable eccentric with a joyful sense of fun, he has decided, as he approaches his 80th birthday, to recall the highlights of his life in cricket, while also providing an illuminating insight into what he has been up to since his retirement.
©2013 Dickie Bird (P)2013 Hodder & Stoughton
281 and Beyond
Summary
A stylish batsman who could score against any kind of bowling, VVS Laxman played over a hundred Tests to aggregate more than 8,000 runs. Cricket fans still remember with awe his game-changing knock of 281 against Australia in 2001 at Eden Gardens. But playing for India was never easy. He was dropped as often as he was picked, and despite his vast experience and unimpeachable skill, he never made it to a World Cup team. All through his playing years, Laxman was known to be a soft-spoken man who kept his distance from controversy. Which is what makes this autobiography truly special. It’s candid and reflective, happy and sad by turns, and deeply insightful. He writes of dressing-room meltdowns and champagne evenings, the exhilaration of playing with and against the best in the world, the nuances of batting in different formats and on various pitches, the learnings with John Wright and the rocky times under Greg Chappell. In 281 and Beyond, Laxman lays bare the ecstasy and the trauma of being one of the chosen XI in a country that is devoted to cricket.
©2018 VVS Laxman (P)2019 Audible, Inc.
Cricket: England's Greatest Matches
Summary
There will have been times when you have decided you will never watch them again, only to go back on the vow the next time a Test comes along. But, for every crushing disappointment there have been triumphs that evoke utter euphoria. Moments when the pain you've suffered in the past all suddenly becomes worthwhile. So sit back and immerse yourself in England's finest moments.
©2015 Go Entertain (P)2016 Go Entertain
Firestarter
Summary
Ben Stokes is not cast in the same mould as the vast majority of English cricketers. Fiery, combative, gladiatorial - he plays the game hard and with great gusto. He is an all-rounder who bats, bowls and fields at full throttle. Stokes impresses with his physical stature and muscular brand of cricket. He doesn't back down, smashing the next ball for six, bowling his 90 mph 'chin music', or taking a breathtakingly full-stretch catch at backward point. Whether it's thrashing the fastest ever Test century at Lord's or the quickest ever Test double-hundred by an Englishman or destroying the Australian batting at Trent Bridge, Stokes plays the game he loves with his heart on his sleeve and with 100% effort and commitment. Cricket fans adore him for it. His very first book focuses on the pivotal moments in his life and career so far. These episodes are vibrant, emotional, poignant - revealing the man in three dimensions, red in tooth and claw. From being forged as a young boy in New Zealand, to moving to Cumbria at the age of 11, to playing county cricket for Durham and then onto the England team, this book provides a riveting insight into one of the most exhilarating figures in sport today.
©2016 BAS Promotions Limited (P)2016 Headline Digital
Second Innings
Summary
Fast bowler, six-hitter, popular hero, one of the lads, king of the jungle - Andrew Flintoff is all of those things. In Second Innings, his searingly honest yet uplifting autobiography, Flintoff reveals unseen, surprising sides to his career and personality. The restless need to push and challenge himself that led him to take up professional boxing. The complex and troubled relationship with discipline, alcohol and authority during his exhilarating cricket career. The search for an authentic voice as a player, free from the blandness and conformity of modern professionalism. Is Flintoff the last of his kind in any sport? Through all his highs and lows, triumphs and reversals, this book reveals a central tension. There is "Fred" - performer, extrovert, centre of attention. Then there is "Andrew" - reflective, withdrawn and uncertain. Two people contained in one extraordinary life. And sometimes, inevitably, keeping the two in balance proves too much. We are taken backstage, seeing the mischief and adventure that has defined Andrew Flintoff's story. Above all, we observe the enduring power of fun, friendship and loyalty - the pillars of Flintoff's career. At ease with his faults as well as his gifts, Andrew Flintoff has sought one thing even more than success: to be himself.
©2015 Andrew Flintoff (P)2015 Hodder & Stoughton
Being Freddie
Summary
Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff is one of the most exciting cricketers in the world and has improved out of all recognition during the last two years. In 2003, he was England's best player at the World Cup. Then, explosively, he lit up the second half of the summer in 2004, lifting spirits at Lord's with a bat-smashing 142. He walked off with the England man of the series award and averages to flaunt. This audiobook marks his story so far in his own words, taking us up to and including the summer of 2005. Freddie will highlight the moments and matches in his career that helped him dramatically on his way forward, and reveals what it is like to play for one of the most successful England cricket teams in recent times. This lively anecdotal account of a cricket star's life will inspire and entertain in equal measures.
©2005 Andrew Flintoff (P)2005 Hodder & Stoughton Audiobooks
Fibber in the Heat
Summary
Fanatical about cricket since he was a boy, Miles Jupp would do anything to see his heroes play. But perhaps deciding to bluff his way into the press corps during England's Test series in India wasn't his best idea. By claiming to be the cricket correspondent for BBC Scotland and getting a job with the (Welsh) Western Mail, Miles lands the press pass that will surely be the ticket to his dreams. Soon, he finds himself in cricket heaven - drinking with David Gower and Beefy, sharing bar room banter with Nasser Hussain, and swapping diarrhea stories with the Test Match Special team. Amazing! But struggling in the heat under the burden of his own fibs, reality soon catches up with Miles as - like a cricket-obsessed Boot from Evelyn Waugh's Scoop - he bumbles from one disaster to the next. A joyous, charming, yet cautionary tale, Fibber in the Heat is for anyone who's ever dreamt about doing nothing but watching cricket all day long.
©2012 Miles Jupp (P)2012 Random House Audiobooks
The Strangers Who Came Home
Summary
The Ashes cricket series, played out between England and Australia, is the oldest and arguably the most keenly contested rivalry in international sport. Yet the majority of the first representative Australian cricket team to tour England in 1878 in fact regarded themselves as Englishmen. In May of that year, the SS City of Berlin docked at Liverpool, and the Australians stepped onto English ground to begin the inaugural first-class cricket tour of England by a representative overseas team. As they made their way south toward Lord's to play the MCC in the second match of the tour, the intrepid tourists, or "the strangers", as they were referred to in the press, encountered arrogance and ignorance, cheating umpires, and miserable weather. But by defeating a powerful MCC side that included W.G. Grace himself in a single afternoon's play, they turned English cricket on its head. The Lord's crowd, having openly laughed at the tourists, wildly celebrated a victory that has been described as "arguably the most momentous six hours in cricket history" and claimed the Australians as their own. The Strangers Who Came Home is a compelling social history that brings that momentous summer to life, telling the story of these extraordinary men who travelled thousands of miles, risking life and limb, playing 43 matches in England (as well as several in Philadelphia, America, on their return journey) during a demanding but ultimately triumphant homecoming; how their glorious achievements on the field of play threw open the doors to international sports touring; and how these men from the colonies provided the stimulus for Australian nationhood through their sporting success and brought unprecedented vitality to international cricket.
©2015 John Lazenby (P)2015 Audible Inc.
The Wit of Cricket 2
Summary
Cricket is said to be a funny game and now you can hear why with another brilliant collection of humorous stories, jokes, and anecdotes from the world of cricket as told by five of the game's all-time great personalities: Richie Benaud, Dickie Bird, Henry Blofeld, Brian Johnston, and Fred Trueman. Recorded live in theatres and in the studio, here are dozens of hilarious anecdotes about England players such as Denis Compton, Len Hutton, Mike Brearley, and Ian Botham, not to mention broadcasting gaffes, sledging, short-sighted umpires, and the first male streaker at Lord's!
©1993 Brian Johnston; 1998 Dickie Bird; 2002 Henry Blofeld; 2005 Richie Benaud; 1997 Fred Trueman and Don Mosey (P)2007 Hodder and Stoughton Audiobooks
My A-Z of Cricket
Summary
Legendary cricket broadcaster Henry Blofeld takes the listener on a journey from A-Z through the world of cricket.
In his trademark charming style, Blowers goes through the alphabet, explaining some of the puzzling cricket terminology and regaling his favourite anecdotes from his 50 years in the sport, covering the most important moments in the sport's history as well as the most entertaining and amusing.
The book will also contain a glossary for those who want to make sure they know their googlys from their bouncers.
This audiobook is perfect for fans of cricket who want to understand the sport from Henry's unique point of view. It is a humorous and entertaining jaunt through the cricket landscape.
©2019 Henry Blofeld (P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
The Great Romantic
Summary
The 2019 William Hill Sports Book of the Year. The Sunday Times best seller. Duncan Hamilton is already a multiple award-winning sports writer, but it is hard to imagine he will write a better book than this superb, elegiac portrait of the sociable, feted, but ultimately unknowable man who virtually invented modern sports writing.... Neville Cardus described how one majestic stroke-maker 'made music' and 'spread beauty' with his bat. Between two world wars, he became the laureate of cricket by doing the same with words. In The Great Romantic, award-winning author Duncan Hamilton demonstrates how Cardus changed sports journalism for ever. While popularising cricket - while appealing, in Cardus' words to people who 'didn't know a leg-break from the pavilion cat at Lord's' - he became a star in his own right with exquisite phrase-making, disdain for statistics and a penchant for literary and musical allusions. Among those who venerated Cardus were PG Wodehouse, John Arlott, Harold Pinter, JB Priestley and Don Bradman. However, behind the rhapsody in blue skies, green grass and colourful characters, this richly evocative biography finds that Cardus' mother was a prostitute, he never knew his father and he received negligible education. Infatuations with younger women ran parallel to a decidedly unromantic marriage. And, astonishingly, the supreme stylist's aversion to factual accuracy led to his reporting on matches he never attended. Yet Cardus also belied his impoverished origins to prosper in a second class-conscious profession, becoming a music critic of international renown. The Great Romantic uncovers the dark enigma within a golden age.
©2019 Duncan Hamilton (P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
The Last Flanelled Fool
Summary
Michael Simkins is the ultimate Sunday cricketer - passionate, obsessive, technically inept and hopelessly deluded. When an injury rules him out, he decides to set off on an odyssey across the counties of England. It's a journey that begins at the birthplace of cricket, takes in the burial site of his favourite ground and even stops along the way to flirt with the love child of WG Grace and Kerry Katona that is Twenty20. It ends with the ultimate cricketing zenith - returning to the field of play to bowl an over to Freddie Flintoff in fading light in front of a capacity crowd. So can cricket still bring comfort and meaning to his life or is Old Father Time about to call for Michael's bails?
©2011 Michael Simkins (P)2012 Soundings
Pushing the Boundaries: Cricket in the Eighties
Summary
The '80s was a colourful period in English cricket. As a member of the most successful team in Essex's history and an England side capable of extraordinary highs and lows, Derek Pringle was lucky enough to be in the thick of it. Now, with the perspective of more than 20 years as a journalist, he lays bare the realities of life as a professional cricketer in a decade when the game was dominated by a cast of unforgettable characters whose exploits became front-page news. Picked for the Test side while still an ear stud-wearing student at Cambridge, he was as surprised as anybody to find himself playing alongside the likes of David Gower, Allan Lamb and Phil Edmonds. He also had to contend with being hailed as the new Ian Botham, even though the old one was still going strong - and playing in the same team. For England, it was a time of mixed fortunes, as Ashes victories alternated with humiliation by a dominant West Indies. The chop-and-change policy of the selectors - culminating in the summer of four captains in 1988 - made cricket such an insecure profession that some players chose to go on rebel tours of South Africa while others relished every opportunity the game provided - on and off the field. The hard slog of domestic cricket, meanwhile, had never seen so much talent, with counties boasting overseas players like Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall and Javed Miandad. A coach-free zone, it was left in the hands of canny old pros such as Keith Fletcher and John Lever, who guided Essex to multiple Championship and one-day successes. But cricket was changing, and not necessarily for the better. By the end of the decade, as the new coaching culture established itself, it became clear that the days of the maverick cricketer were numbered. Few players ended the '80s wealthy, but as Derek Pringle's eye-opening memoir reveals, all left rich in experience, with enough stories to last a lifetime.
©2018 Derek Pringle (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited