Nathan Leamon

Ben Jones

'Fascinating and insightful . . . lifts the curtain to reveal the inner workings of international cricket. A must-read for any cricketer, coach or fan' Eoin Morgan 'This path-breaking book should be compulsory reading for commentators and captains - and all cricket fans' Mervyn King 'Clever and original but also wise' Ed Smith How valuable is winning the toss? And how should captains use it to their advantage? Why does a cricket ball swing? Why don't Indians bat left-handed? What is a good length and why? Why are leg-spinners so successful in T20 cricket? Why did England win the World Cup? Why do all Test bowlers bowl at either 55 or 85mph? Why don't they pitch it up? All cricketers long to know the answer to these questions and many more. Only fifteen years ago it would have been difficult to answer them - cricket was guided only by decades-old tradition and received wisdom. Data has changed everything. Today we can track every ball to within millimetres; its release point, speed and bounce point are measured as are how much the ball swings, how much it deviates off the pitch, the exact height and line that it passes the stumps, and multiple other variables. Hitting Against the Spin is the story of that data, and what it can tell us about how cricket really works. Leading cricket thinkers Nathan Leamon and Ben Jones lift the lid on international cricket and explain its hidden workings and dynamics - the forces that shape cricket and, in turn, the cricketers who play it. They analyse the unseen hands that determine which players succeed and which fail, which tactics work and which don't, which teams win and which lose. They also explore the new world of franchise cricket as well as the rapid evolution of the T20 format. Revolutionary in its insights, Hitting Against the Spin takes you on a fascinating whistle-stop tour of modern cricket and sports analytics, bringing cricket firmly into the twenty-first century by revealing its long-kept secrets. This is the most important cricket book in decades.

How Cricket Really Works

Hitting Against the Spin

'Engaging and enjoyable . . . as probing and as penetrative as a Jimmy Anderson opening spell . . . This is no ordinary novel by no ordinary novelist' Sunday Times 'A fine addition to the painfully thin oeuvre of modern fictional works about cricket' Mike Atherton, The Times 'Outstanding' Mail on Sunday 'If all you know is cricket, then cricket will break you . . .' It is the final Test match of The Ashes. A nation expects, and the rest of the cricketing world is watching. Fast-paced, humorous and candid, The Test follows the battles on and off the field as stand-in England captain, James McCall, tries to get his exhausted team across the finish line. Along the way, his story becomes one of fatherhood, friendship and trusting yourself when no one else will. Nathan Leamon's love letter to Test cricket is that rare thing: a novel that captures the feel and flavour of professional sport from the inside - the good, the bad and the simply surreal. Not since J. L. Carr's classic A Season in Sinji has there been a novel that quite captures the spirit of the game. Included in Wisden Cricket Monthly's Finest Cricket Books Ever Written

A Novel

The Test

'Engaging and enjoyable . . . as probing and as penetrative as a Jimmy Anderson opening spell . . . This is no ordinary novel by no ordinary novelist' Sunday Times 'A fine addition to the painfully thin oeuvre of modern fictional works about cricket' Mike Atherton, The Times 'Outstanding' Mail on Sunday 'If all you know is cricket, then cricket will break you . . .' It is the final Test match of The Ashes. A nation expects, and the rest of the cricketing world is watching. Fast-paced, humorous and candid, The Test follows the battles on and off the field as stand-in England captain, James McCall, tries to get his exhausted team across the finish line. Along the way, his story becomes one of fatherhood, friendship and trusting yourself when no one else will. Nathan Leamon's love letter to Test cricket is that rare thing: a novel that captures the feel and flavour of professional sport from the inside - the good, the bad and the simply surreal. Not since J. L. Carr's classic A Season in Sinji has there been a novel that quite captures the spirit of the game.

Nathan Leamon

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