Kirjahaku

WISDEN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019 | WINNER OF THE CRICKET SOCIETY & MCC 2019 BOOK OF THE YEAR CRICKET WRITER'S CLUB (CWC) 2019 BOOK OF THE YEAR SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 TELEGRAPH CRICKET BOOK OF THE YEAR He was the top Test batsman in the world, with numbers bettered only by the great Don Bradman – then Australian cricket captain Steve Smith led the Australian team into a cheating scandal that stunned cricket. How did a team with such hard-edged history reach crisis point under Smith, and what happened on their tour of South Africa to cause such a failure of culture on the world stage? This is a full and frank narrative of Smith’s captaincy, David Warner's influence, the dramas that beset Australian cricket, and a blow-by-blow account from Ashes high to Cape Town low, from someone who was there for every ball and every statement. Geoff Lemon writes a dramatic story that exposes how the actions of a few young men shook the very foundations of the Australian cricket establishment.

SHORTLISTED for the Telegraph Cricket Book of the Year 2021Geoff Lemon takes on The Comeback Summer of cricket, in this gripping follow-up to the multi-award-winning Steve Smith’s Men.At the height of the 2019 season, the biggest names in Australian and English cricket faced off for sporting glory – and public forgiveness. It was always going to be a summer to remember. Steve Smith, captain of the Australian team, a batsman with a short at rivalling the greatest of all time. Ben Stokes, star of the English team, an all-rounder with a knack for moments of genius.Both disgraced in scandals of very different kinds. Both attempting a tough comeback trail through the most crucial contests in cricket: the World Cup back-to-back with the Ashes.Geoff Lemon was there, in the commentary boxes and on the boundaries, for this season of unparalleled drama on the field. The Comeback Summer is an insightful, lively and sharp take on the cricketing world, which asks why we’re so obsessed with the idea of sport as a means of redemption.