Indian Cricket Through the Ages: A Reader

Boria Majumdar (editor)
Oxford University Press; August 2006

This is the first anthology of its kind--it takes us through the course of Indian cricketing history from 1780 to 2003, with an introduction that assesses the role of cricket in Indian life. The narrative is enhanced with archival photographs and original printed material from several regional primary sources.

Cricket Explained

Robert Eastaway
St. Martin's Press; March 2002 (2nd edition)

Eastaway, an avid cricketer in a short yet inclusive look at a sport that is popular in Great Britain as well as numerous nations around the world, usually former British colonies. In addition to dispensing some basic history, the author attempts to show exactly what happens on the playing field, which player does what and why, and what all the baffling terminology (googly, flipper, cow corner, tonk, etc.) means. Those already bitten by the cricket “bug” (pun intended) will find this work helpful, but if readers don't have much interest in cricket to begin with, this book will probably not instill any. Written mostly in a question-and-answer format, with illustrations that are more cutesy than useful, this title will probably be of limited interest. Libraries that maintain in-depth sports collections should consider purchasing. Others can get by with a good sports or general encyclopedia.

Jack Williams
Berg Publishers; August 2001

Any attempt to understand the nature of social relations and cultural identities in modern Britain must consider the significance of sport. Sports have had a crucial role in shaping and sustaining national consciousness. Because cricket has so often been regarded as a symbol of Englishness, especially amongst those with economic and political influence, the role of race in the sport provides penetrating insights into English national identity, from the belief in racial superiority underlying imperial expansion through to more recent debates about sporting links with South Africa, and racial animosities at test matches. This book examines cricket and race in England since the late nineteenth century. The author considers how far and in what respects cricket has reflected the racist assumptions of whites, and its role as an arena for ethnic conflict as well as understanding and harmony in England. In the first half of the twentieth century, commentary on the playing abilities of West Indian cricketers was often superficially laudatory but condescending in tone, and argued that racial characteristics would limit their achievements as players. More recently, campaigns to combat racism in the sport and the contributions of African-Caribbeans and Asians to recreational cricket show how central cricket is to appraisals of the cultural factors that have shaped ethnic relations. This absorbing book provides an incisive overview of the interconnection among cricket, race and culture.

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