‘Misguided, mishandled, criticised and crucified – and only because he’s different,’ said Brian Clough. ‘The ultimate perfectionist … he comes nearer to faultlessness than anyone else,’ said John Arlott. Captain of Yorkshire and England, yet discarded by both when still at his peak, Boycott was at the top for over twenty years. Here he tells his own story.He talks of his love-hate relationship with Yorkshire cricket, his many triumphs for England and his key partnerships with team-mates like Denness, Brearley and Botham. And he speaks for the first time about why he chose to opt out of Test cricket for three years in the mid-1970s.Many felt that Boycott was the greatest batsman of his time, and that, despite his achievements, he was unfairly treated. Known by a new generation as a pull-no-punches commentator, this is the story of one of our greatest, and most controversial, sporting heroes.

‘Misguided, mishandled, criticised and crucified – and only because he’s different,’ said Brian Clough. ‘The ultimate perfectionist … he comes nearer to faultlessness than anyone else,’ said John Arlott. Captain of Yorkshire and England, yet discarded by both when still at his peak, Boycott was at the top for over twenty years. Here he tells his own story.He talks of his love-hate relationship with Yorkshire cricket, his many triumphs for England and his key partnerships with team-mates like Denness, Brearley and Botham. And he speaks for the first time about why he chose to opt out of Test cricket for three years in the mid-1970s.Many felt that Boycott was the greatest batsman of his time, and that, despite his achievements, he was unfairly treated. Known by a new generation as a pull-no-punches commentator, this is the story of one of our greatest, and most controversial, sporting heroes.