Cricket is a strange game. It is a team sport that is almost entirely
dependent on individual performance. Its combination of time,
opportunity and the constant threat of disaster can drive its
participants to despair. To survive a single delivery propelled at
almost 100 miles an hour takes the body and brain to the edges of their
capabilities, yet its abiding image is of the gentle village green, and
the glorious absurdities of the amateur game.
In The Meaning of Cricket, Jon Hotten attempts to understand this
fascinating, frustrating and complex sport. Blending legendary players,
from Vivian Richards to Mark Ramprakash, Kevin Pietersen to Ricky
Ponting, with his own cricketing story, he explores the funny, moving
and melancholic impact the game can have on an individual life.