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Cricket at the Crossroads: Class, Colour and Controversy from 1967 to 1977
Author(s): Guy Fraser-Sampson (Author)
- Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Limited
- Publication Date: 22 Sept. 2011
- Language: English
- Print length: 288 pages
- ISBN-10: 1907642331
- ISBN-13: 9781907642333
Book Description
Between 1967 and 1977 three major crises gripped the world of cricket. The Close affair in 1967, when Brian Close was relieved of the England captaincy in controversial circumstances, laid bare the ugly class prejudice that had lingered on from the days of gentlemen and players. The D’Oliveira affair then saw the selection of an England touring party to South Africa become a major international incident that divided the nation. Finally the birth of World Series cricket forced players and establishment alike to confront the very nature of the game, and how it should be played. Torn between the politics of the sport and the shifting serial pressures of the day, the venerable institution of cricket found itself caught at a crossroads that would come to define how the game would be played and received for years to come. Based on original research and interviews with key figures of the day, Guy Fraser-Sampson evokes the era of the 1960s and 70s, the attitudes and politics of the period, and tells for the first time the story of the decade that – for better or worse – dragged cricket into the modern era.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A fascinating account of a pivotal cricketing decade.” —Tony Greig
“An important, original and beautifully written book.” —Peter Oborne
“Guy Fraser-Sampson’s Cricket at the Crossroads … is excellent on the demise of Brian Close as England captain and the betrayal by officialdom of Basil D’Oliveira.” —Huw Richards, The Guardian
About the Author
Guy Fraser-Sampson is a well-known best-selling author in other fields, but this is his first book about cricket. He has been a regular attendee at cricket matches since the age of 10, most notably at Lord’s, his home ground. He once dropped Brian Bolus at Lord’s, but since he was in the upper tier of the grandstand at the time this fortunately had no bearing on the outcome of the match.
