Late Cuts: Musings on cricket

Description

What follows, which explores some of the charms, the quirks and the peculiar allure of cricket from a variety of perspectives, is not intended as a memorial for long-lost sepia days. The game is still alive. Whether it turns out to be therapy for me or entertainment for you remains to be seen. To achieve both would be a bonus. From Somerset stalwart to acclaimed writer and broadcaster, Vic Marks has lived a life steeped in cricket. In Late Cuts he takes us beyond the boundary rope, sharing the parts of the game fans don't get to see, from the food served at lunchtime (then - sweaty ham; now - quinoa, cranberry and feta salad) to the politics of the dressing room. Whether revisiting his playing days to reveal the secrets of bowling a killer spell and what it feels like to be heckled by a riled-up crowd, or ruminating on the current state of the game (don't mention The Hundred!), this amusing and insightful collection will delight all cricket lovers.

Vic Marks is a former Somerset and England cricketer, who played in six Tests and 34 one-day internationals. He was the cricket correspondent of the Observer for 31 years and ended up fulfilling that role for the Guardian as well, in addition to regularly appearing on the BBC's Test Match Special for over three decades. He lives in Devon.

In amongst his artfully delivered stock balls, enough deliveries grip to keep the pages turning. It's the literary equivalent of an afternoon in the sun at a county outground, and who doesn't enjoy that? -- Jon Hotten * Wisden Cricket Monthly * Distinctively Marksist: thoughtful and wry, gentle and wise * The Cricketer *