Kit Harris – författare

The first book to pull together into a single volume the ground-breaking events of 1864 that changed cricket forever.There have been a great many watershed years in cricket history. The year overarm, rather than underarm, bowling was introduced. The year first-class cricket began to be organised in countries other than England and Australia. The year WG Grace, the greatest player of all time, first arrived on the sporting stage. The year a group of Indian architects began constructing the world’s largest stadium, at Eden Gardens in Calcutta. The year the English press hit upon the notion of a County Championship. And, of course, the year John Wisden launched his world-famous Cricketers’ Almanack.All these years were, in fact, one year: 1864.Using contemporary newspaper and magazine reports and letters as its source, 1864: The Year That Changed Cricket takes a thematic journey through six significant turning points in cricket history, with numerous stops along the way, offering a flavour of sporting, cultural and social life in Victorian Britain. Among the curiosities are: cricket on ice amid a harsh winter; the introduction of lacrosse as a potential threat to the summer game; the use of cricket as a treatment for lunatics in Scotland; cricket in numerous court cases involving murder, plunder and fraud; and the second England cricket tour to Australia.

Imagine if you had been watching Test cricket, in person, for 66 years. You’d have seen Mankad taking on Trueman and Laker, Compton and Edrich in their golden summer, and Lindwall and Miller showing off their sublime skills. You’d have watched the typhoon Tyson, the stoic Cowdrey, Dexter and May, the genius of Sobers and the great Indian spinners. You’d have witnessed those great classic batsmen, Richards, Gower and Cook scoring centuries. You’d have seen Hadlee, McGrath, Warne and Anderson steaming in. Under her gaze are the famous Englishmen of the 50s, piling on the runs and dominating with spin in perfect home conditions. Here are the controversies of the 60s: the throwing debate, the lethal pitch at Lord’s, the banishment of the South African team. Here are the snarling Australians of the 70s, bouncing and bruising their way to the Ashes with Lillee and Thomson unleashed. Here are the wondrous West Indians of the 80s, sweeping all before them. The Queen witnessed it all – and this Christmas, you can relive every moment as she saw it.