'I was helping players write the book they wouldn't otherwise write' - Gideon Haigh on The Summer Game

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