Cricket Books

[Satchmo Distel]

Flintoff never had that "1981" year that put Botham on such a high pedestal from which to be brought down. He was a key part of the 2005 Ashes but that was much more of a team effort and they were never on the verge of going 2-0 down.

[ursus arctos]

I think that kokamoa is focusing in perception and "narrative", and that he is correct

[kokamoa]

Flintoff never had that "1981" year that put Botham on such a high pedestal from which to be brought down. He was a key part of the 2005 Ashes but that was much more of a team effort and they were never on the verge of going 2-0 down.

Your points are sound, but I’d argue that Flintoff was the public face of that triumph and the preceding year of victories. Between 2003-05, with Test cricket live on free-to-air television, he was one of the most recognisable and famous sportsmen in the country. And as with Botham in the mid-80s, once he went from Good Old Freddie to Pissed Up Freddie, the headlines were compounded by the fact that England and he were failing on the pitch.

Flintoff at least went out on a high note in 2009; I wonder if Botham might have ended his international career if England had won the 1992 World Cup Final.

[Tony C]

I’ve finally got round to ‘Crickonomics’ by Stefan Szymanski and Tim Wigmore. It’s broadly what I expected having read Szymanski’s ‘Soccernomics’ book that he co-wrote with Simon Kuper some years ago, although there is, inevitably, more focus on class along with the financial and sociological analyses. An interesting read so far.

[Satchmo Distel]

Bought it right now. Thanks for the heads-up, Tony.

[Satchmo Distel]

I reread "Another Bloody Tour" once again this week. It still races along and make me laugh but I am now more sensitive to the very dodgy language on race, especially in light of the backgrounds of her husband and Alan Lamb. Richards sledges batters and is "devilish". Patterson is a "boy"; another West Indian of large build is a "buck". Staff are surly, especially women who have the temerity to hate white tourists.

[George C.]

Heh, language changes and evolves all the time...
Even the apparently unpleasant stuff.

If you want real racist stuff, have plenty of anecdotal examples...


That said, this is probably the most enjoyable thread on the entire MB btw, Imho.