Overview

An England cricket tour is a unique phenomenon, with its own pressures, challenges and remarkable highlights. It presents its participants - shorn of the usual support networks they enjoy at home - with a prolonged test of skill, physical stamina and mental resilience. Now Simon Wilde, author of the acclaimed England: The Biography, examines in The Tour the delicate chemistry that makes for a successful tour and why others disintegrate so badly.   Since the 19th century, England has been sending its cricket teams around the world to take on their rivals. Initially, these trips were undertaken by boat, meaning players could be away for many months, often in alien conditions. With air travel reducing journey time and facilities much improved, the challenges still remain: homesickness, isolation, hostile crowds - not to mention an opposition determined to win at all costs. For some, the experience can be too much, while others thrive in the heat and dust of battle. The Tour looks at all aspects of the history of England's cricketers abroad, including the burden placed on the captain, who is expected to combine on-field acumen with the deft touch of an ambassador off it. There have been diplomatic incidents aplenty, from Douglas Jardine’s Bodyline tactics to Len Hutton’s tour of the Caribbean, as well as the special pressures of playing in countries such as India and Pakistan during periods of unrest. Touring has never lost its romance. There have been serious scrapes, from court cases to car crashes, but also much fun, whether joining in with the Barmy Army or David Gower famously taking a Tiger Moth for a spin. Wilde explains how this seemingly anachronistic activity has been adapted from an instrument of imperial soft power to a relentless cricket circus that never ends.   Simon Wilde has once again created a masterpiece of insight, information and entertainment, an aspect of cricketing life that few will ever forget: the tour.  

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9781471198489

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Reviews

‘This entertaining account is as much social history as sports reporting, as he engagingly dissects the various political, economic, social and practical aspects of sending England teams around the world, as well as delving into how England teams can be successful overseas’ * Country Life *

‘This entertaining account is as much social history as sports reporting, as he engagingly dissects the various political, economic, social and practical aspects of sending England teams around the world, as well as delving into how England teams can be successful overseas’ * Country Life * 'No other sport has tours like cricket tours — long, action-packed and often gossip-filled, too — which is why Simon Wilde's comprehensive history of the English cricket team abroad is so packed with interest... Riveting' * Daily Mail * 'A superbly researched mix of analysis and anecdote … hugely readable and highly recommended' * The Cricketer * 'Bravely, and ultimately wisely, The Tour eschews chronological history and Wilde is a joy on the surreal. England cricket tours are a direct link to the Victorian era, but The Tour never feels like an obituary' * i * 'A fine and comprehensive history of England cricketers on tour … There are plenty of fun tales in this book of drunkenness and sexual misadventures, much encouraged by their generous hosts, especially in Australia, where they knew it was not in their interests to have England in a fit condition' * The Times *

Author Information

Simon Wilde is a journalist and author. He has written for The Times and Sunday Times since 1998, and is currently the latter's cricket correspondent. Three of his books have been shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, and his most recent book was the acclaimed England: The Biography. He lives in Hampshire.

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