Art of Batting: The Craft of Cricket's Greatest Run Scorers

Colourful cricket history meets expert analysis in this richly researched exploration of the art of batting. Most batters are just trying to survive, yet the top players are creating art. It is physically impossible to face a delivery at 80 miles per hour and track it with your eyes. And yet the greatest batters do more than just watch the ball, they predict where it is going. They can see into the future. This book is about the batters who see what mortals don’t. Javed Miandad would purposefully make errors to manipulate the field. Sachin Tendulkar dug up a pitch to take on Warne. Joe Root’s great play against spin is a confluence of three random events. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was peppered by tennis balls on the beach until he created his bastardised technique. Jack Hobbs was the first recipient of new cricket pitches made by liquid manure. Smith, Pietersen and Richards carried on the work of a man 100 years before their time. And Ranji changed cricket with a bucket. Their methods and stories are different, but their currency is the same, runs. We have not only collected the 50 greatest batters of all time, but we’re showing you how they made the impossible real. This is about the science, skill and culture that made the greatest batters of all time. The players who conquered leather with willow. Jarrod Kimber analyses and illuminates the art of batting through interviews with a vast number of cricketing greats asking them for their expert insights. These include David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, Andy Zaltzman, Ian Chappell, Geoff Boycott, Shivnarine Chandrepaul, Mark Butcher, Jeremy Coney, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Younis Khan, Ian Bell, Rob Key, Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen, Barry Richards, George Bailey, Sanjay Manjrekar, Craig McMillan, Chris Rogers, John Wright, Misbah ul Haq, Aakash Chopra, Adam Gilchrist, Jimmy Adams, Nasser Hussain, Mike Hussey, Matt Prior, Courtney Walsh, Darren Gough, Anil Kumble, Graeme Swann, Damien Fleming, Tim May, Shaun Pollock, Mitch