‘I was helping players write the book they wouldn’t otherwise write’ – Gideon Haigh on The Summer Game

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‘I was helping players write the book they wouldn’t otherwise write’ – Gideon Haigh on The Summer Game
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We talk to journalist and historian Gideon Haigh about The Summer Game – his classic book recently republished by 81allout Publishing.

Gideon talks about the largely forgotten 1950s and ’60s, and fascinating stories he heard from many who nourished the game – at a time when the financial rewards were minimal and when the game itself saw some fallow times.

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Talking Points:

  • The idea for The Summer Game – an outgrowing from The Cricket War
  • How post-war period opened up Australian cricket to the rest of the world
  • The tragic end to Ian Meckiff’s career – and what he recalled of it many years on
  • Robert Menzies’ role in Australian cricket through his primership
  • The discontent of the ’50s and ’60s setting the stage for World Series Cricket
  • The poignant story of Pat Crawford – who disappeared from the face of cricket
  • The staggering popularity of the West Indies tourists in 1960-61
  • Richie Benaud’s punctilious image management – and his precise writing
  • The ebullient Benaud who ruffled feathers as a player and journalist
  • Neil Harvey’s legacy in Australian cricket
  • Australia’s tours to South Africa in the 1960s – and their attitude to discrimination
  • Bill Lawry’s reaction to the news that he was dropped from the Australian side

Participants:

Gideon Haigh

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Books Discussed:

  • Gideon Haigh’s books – gideonhaigh.com
  • Cricket War – Gideon Haigh – Amazon
  • Bowler non grata – Brydon Coverdale meets Ian Meckiff – The Cricket Monthly
  • The Lucky Country – Donald Horne – Amazon
  • Beyond a Boundary – CLR James – Amazon
  • The Summer of ’49 – David Halberstam – Amazon
  • The Fifties – David Halberstam – Amazon
  • The Tale of Two Tests – Richie Benaud – Amazon

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