Australian cricket and cheating

 

Very god condition. 229pp. PB. $15 including postage anywhere in Australia.

He was top of the world, with numbers bettered only by Don Bradman – then captain Steve Smith led his Australian team into a cheating scandal that stunned cricket. Media exploded and million-dollar contracts were torn up. Australia’s prime minister expressed the public anger and disappointment: ‘Our cricketers are role models, and cricket is synonymous with fair play.’

But there was more to the story than the actions of a few young men. A tangle of personality, politics and culture had led them to this point.

Geoff Lemon witnessed that story from commentary boxes and press conferences, and was there in South Africa for its final act. This is a frank, fearless and often humorous account of the path from Ashes high to Cape Town low, from someone who watched it all unfold.

Aussie cricketers who served in war

 

2nd hand book. Excellent condition. PB. 336pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Aussie cricketing heroes who also fought for Australia during wartime 'That's nothing. Pressure is having a Messerschmitt up your arse.' - Keith Miller, when asked if he felt under pressure while captaining the NSW cricket team.

Numerous heroes of Australian cricket have also proved themselves on the battlefield, from Gallipoli to Vietnam and beyond. 

Among them are some of Australia's most illustrious cricketing names: Donald Bradman, Keith Miller, Keith Carmody, Jack Fingleton and, in more recent years, Doug Walters. 

In this sport/history page-turner, veteran sports journalist Greg Growden tells their extraordinary stories of bravery, hardship, courage and human endeavour.

SOLD The Greatest

 

SOLD

Mint condition. HB. 481 pp. Heavy book - 1.07kg. $40 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Many regard Muhammad Ali simply as “The Greatest” heavyweight of all time.

Others admire his battles against racial injustice and religious intolerance.

A few just call him “Dad.”

They are all here in this book—fifty men and women of note coming together to celebrate the man Sports Illustrated crowned “Sportsman of the Century”: Angelo Dundee, Ali’s trainer; Billy Crystal, actor; Sir Henry Cooper, former British and European heavyweight champion; Bert Sugar, journalist and boxing historian; Hana Ali, Muhammad Ali’s daughter; Ferdie Pacheco, Ali’s fight doctor; and more.

This book will be treasured by anyone who has ever been inspired by “The Greatest.”

RESERVED The Indian History of Cricket

 

Excellent condition. PB. 496pp. $15 including postage anywhere in Australia.

C. K. Nayudu and Sachin Tendulkar naturally figure in this book, but so too, in arresting and unexpected ways, do Mahatma Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The Indian careers of those great English cricketers, Lord Harris and D. R. Jardine, provide a window into the operations of Empire.

The extraordinary life of India's first great slow bowler, Palwankar Baloo, introduces the reader to the still-unfinished struggle against caste discrimination.

Later chapters explore the competition between Hindu and Muslim cricketers in colonial India and the extraordinary passions now provoked when India plays Pakistan.

An important, pioneering work, essential for anyone interested in cricket and India, A Corner of a Foreign Field is also a beautifully written meditation on the ramifications of sport in society at large, and how sport can influence both social and political history.

Memoir of an AFL legend

 

Mint condition. PB. 320pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

In my experience, a lot of young Muslims feel they have to stray from Islam to earn people’s respect. My belief, and my message, is the opposite: that doing the right thing and being proud of your identity and beliefs will bring you real success – and even more than that, respect for yourself and your faith.’ FAITH, FOOTBALL and FAMILY is the long-awaited autobiography from one of the AFL's most fascinating men.

Bachar Houli is as accomplished an AFL footballer as they come. He’s been part of three Richmond Premiership sides, he was an All-Australian in 2019, and with over 200 games to his name he remains a key part of a champion team.

Picked at number 42 in the 2006 National Draft by Essendon, Houli played 26 games for the Bombers before moving in late 2010 via the pre-season draft to Tigerland, where rookie coach Damien Hardwick was assembling the team that six years later would achieve the seemingly impossible and claim Richmond’s 11th Premiership. Another flag followed two years later, with Houli close to best on ground in both deciders.

Yet it’s as the AFL’s most prominent Muslim player that Houli is best known – and his strong Muslim values are at the heart of the man he is. Writing for the first time, Houli explores the experiences and beliefs that sparked his trailblazing success as a Muslim footballer, and that established him as a leading voice within the AFL community for inclusion, understanding and tolerance.

A book about Twenty-20 cricket

 

Mint condition. PB. 240pp. $18 including postage anywhere in Australia.

The rise of the Twenty20 cricket tournament always promised change, and in this invaluable behind-the-scenes view of this groundbreaking new event, former Australian Cricket Team coach John Buchanan traces the shift from the One Day International format through to the Twenty20 World Cup and announcement of the Indian Premiere League. 

It explains in detail the forces at work behind the format shift and explores the cause of the loss of support for the ODI format and country versus country cricket. 

It also charts the rise of the Indian power brokers and demonstrates how they have come to be in such a dominant position in the world of cricket.

Biography of a football legend

 

Mint condition. PB. 376pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.