Simultaneously playful and packed with insight, John Hotten’s blog the Old Batsman has been entertaining cricket lovers since 2008, though the post count has tailed off in recent years as demand for his thoughtful musings on every aspect of the game increased.
Based on both this blog and his cricket writing elsewhere, The Meaning of Cricket takes in everything from how professionals cope with the “game’s great hinterland of doubt and fear” to the “great tin codpiece” Hotten finds in the bottom of an amateur club’s kitbag.
All cricketing life is here, and though the compendious nature of the source material handicaps an overarching narrative, it does capture the quality of a short story collection. Hotten’s writing is accessible and often moving as he attempts to understand and explain a game that he feels has “something for everyone”. It deserves a wide readership.
The Meaning of Cricket is published by Vintage (£12.99). Click here to order a copy for £10.65
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