We can’t tell you what the best cricket books are, but we can tell you some good cricket books. We’ll regularly update the selection above. If you hover over the box, you can scroll through the list with the left and right arrows.
Below is a bit more information about a fairly random selection of our many favourites and here are some full-length cricket book reviews.
WG Grace Ate My Pedalo by Alan Tyers with illustrations by Beach
Quite possibly the funniest spoof version of The Wisden Cricketer that sends up modern cricket in a Victorian style ever written. We recommend this book wholeheartedly. The section on the Reverend Matthew Hayden in which he mercilessly sledges some young children at the beach is worth the money on its own.
When Freddie Became Jesus by Jarrod Kimber
Again, very funny and highly recommended, Jarrod Kimber (Cricket With Balls’ Jrod) produced an account of his experience of the 2009 Ashes that draws long-lasting conclusions about cricket that still ring true. Don’t be put off by the seemingly dated subject matter. This book still matters.
Cricket, Lovely Cricket? by Lawrence Booth
Lawrence Booth writes the weekly cricket email The Top Spin for The Mail and wrote The Spin for the Guardian before that – you’ll know him from their over-by-over reports as well.
Booth might be a journalist, but he’s also a cricket fan. This isn’t an autobiography, it’s more a collection of funny stories and musings.
Pommies: England Cricket Through An Australian Lens by William Buckland
A book about the management of English cricket might not sound like a great read, but this is so much more than that.
William Buckland considers the facts and draws conclusions with far-reaching ramifications. Cause, effect and why the English are actually making quite a bit of a balls up in organising their summer game. It all becomes clear when it’s there in black and white.
Fatty Batter by Michael Simkins
Fat kid takes to cricket after seeing Colin Milburn waddling around.
The first half is about Michael Simkins’ childhood. He grew up in a sweet shop, obsessed with the game. The second half is about the team he started as he approached middle age.