2013 New Zealand Cardiff 64
2013 South Africa The Oval 6
2013 India Birmingham 2
2014 Australia Melbourne 4
2014 Australia Brisbane 22
2014 Australia Sydney 35
2014 Australia Perth 44
2014 Australia Adelaide 39
2014 Scotland Aberdeen 44
2014 Sri Lanka The Oval 11
2014 Sri Lanka Manchester 30
2014 Sri Lanka Lord’s 1
2014 Sri Lanka Birmingham 56
2014 India Cardiff 19
2014 India Nottingham 44
2014 India Birmingham 9
2014 India Leeds 46
2014 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 10
2014 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 22
2014 Sri Lanka Hambantota 34
2014 Sri Lanka Pallekele 20
2014 Sri Lanka Pallekele 1
2014 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 32
All One-Day International Results
Year Country Venue Result
2006 Sri Lanka Manchester Lost
2006 Sri Lanka Leeds Lost
2007 West Indies Lord’s Won
2007 West Indies Birmingham Lost
2007 West Indies Nottingham Lost
2007 India Southampton Won
2007 India Bristol Lost
2007 India Birmingham Won
2007 India Manchester Won
2007 India Leeds Lost
2007 India The Oval Lost
2007 Sri Lanka Dambulla Lost
2007 Sri Lanka Dambulla Won
2007 Sri Lanka Dambulla Won
2007 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) Won
2007 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) Lost
2008 New Zealand Wellington Lost
2008 New Zealand Hamilton Lost
2008 New Zealand Auckland Won
2008 New Zealand Napier Tied
2008 New Zealand Christchurch Lost
2008 New Zealand Lord’s Lost
2008 India Cuttack Lost
2010 Bangladesh Dhaka Won
2010 Bangladesh Dhaka Won
2010 Bangladesh Chattogram Won
2011 Sri Lanka The Oval Won
2011 Sri Lanka Leeds Lost
2011 Sri Lanka Lord’s Lost
2011 Sri Lanka Nottingham Won
2011 Sri Lanka Manchester Won
2011 India Chester-le-Street No result
2011 India Southampton Won
2011 India The Oval Won
2011 India Lord’s Tied
2011 India Cardiff Won
2011 India Hyderabad (Deccan) Lost
2011 India Delhi Lost
2011 India Mohali Lost
2011 India Mumbai Lost
2011 India Kolkata Lost
2012 Pakistan Abu Dhabi Won
2012 Pakistan Abu Dhabi Won
2012 Pakistan Dubai (DSC) Won
2012 Pakistan Dubai (DSC) Won
2012 West Indies Southampton Won
2012 West Indies The Oval Won
2012 Australia Lord’s Won
2012 Australia The Oval Won
2012 Australia Chester-le-Street Won
2012 Australia Manchester Won
2012 South Africa Cardiff No result
2012 South Africa Southampton Lost
2012 South Africa The Oval Won
2012 South Africa Lord’s Won
2012 South Africa Nottingham Lost
2013 India Rajkot Won
2013 India Kochi Lost
2013 India Ranchi Lost
2013 India Mohali Lost
2013 India Dharamsala Won
2013 New Zealand Hamilton Lost
2013 New Zealand Napier Won
2013 New Zealand Auckland Won
2013 New Zealand Lord’s Lost
2013 New Zealand Southampton Lost
2013 New Zealand Nottingham Won
2013 Australia Birmingham Won
2013 Sri Lanka The Oval Lost
2013 New Zealand Cardiff Won
2013 South Africa The Oval Won
2013 India Birmingham Lost
2014 Australia Melbourne Lost
2014 Australia Brisbane Lost
2014 Australia Sydney Lost
2014 Australia Perth Won
2014 Australia Adelaide Lost
2014 Scotland Aberdeen Won
2014 Sri Lanka The Oval Won
2014 Sri Lanka Manchester Won
2014 Sri Lanka Lord’s Lost
2014 Sri Lanka Birmingham Lost
2014 India Cardiff Lost
2014 India Nottingham Lost
2014 India Birmingham Lost
2014 India Leeds Won
2014 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) Lost
2014 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) Lost
2014 Sri Lanka Hambantota Won
2014 Sri Lanka Pallekele Won
2014 Sri Lanka Pallekele Lost
2014 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) Lost
Bold (as captain)
One-Day International Record V Countries
Country ODIs Won Lost No result Tied Win%
AUSTRALIA
Home 5 5 0 0 0 100%
Away 5 1 4 0 0 20%
Total 10 6 4 0 0 60%
BANGLADESH
Away 3 3 0 0 0 100%
Total 3 3 0 0 0 100%
INDIA
Home 16 7 7 1 1 44%
Away 11 2 9 0 0 18%
Total 27 9 16 1 1 33%
NEW ZEALAND
Home 5 2 3 0 0 40%
Away 8 3 4 0 1 38%
Total 13 5 7 0 1 38%
PAKISTAN
Neutral 4 4 0 0 0 100%
Total 4 4 0 0 0 100%
SCOTLAND
Away 1 1 0 0 0 100%
Total 1 1 0 0 0 100%
SOUTH AFRICA
Home 6 3 2 1 0 50%
Total 6 3 2 1 0 50%
SRI LANKA
Home 12 5 7 0 0 42%
Away 11 5 6 0 0 45%
Total 23 10 13 0 0 43%
WEST INDIES
Home 5 3 2 0 0 60%
Total 5 3 2 0 0 60%
TOTAL
ODIs Won Lost No result Tied Win%
Home 49 25 21 2 1 51%
Away 39 15 23 0 1 38%
Neutral 4 4 0 0 0 100%
TOTAL 92 44 44 2 2 48%
One-Day International Record V Countries (As Captain)
Country ODIs Won Lost No result Tied Win%
AUSTRALIA
Home 5 5 0 0 0 100%
Away 5 1 4 0 0 20%
Total 10 6 4 0 0 60%
BANGLADESH
Away 3 3 0 0 0 100%
Total 3 3 0 0 0 100%
INDIA
Home 10 4 4 1 1 40%
Away 10 2 8 0 0 20%
Total 20 6 12 1 1 30%
NEW ZEALAND
Home 4 2 2 0 0 50%
Away 3 2 1 0 0 67%
Total 7 4 3 0 0 57%
PAKISTAN
Neutral 4 4 0 0 0 100%
Total 4 4 0 0 0 100%
SCOTLAND
Away 1 1 0 0 0 100%
Total 1 1 0 0 0 100%
SOUTH AFRICA
Home 6 3 2 1 0 50%
Total 6 3 2 1 0 50%
SRI LANKA
Home 10 5 5 0 0 50%
Away 6 2 4 0 0 33%
Total 16 7 9 0 0 44%
WEST INDIES
Home 2 2 0 0 0 100%
Total 2 2 0 0 0 100%
TOTAL
ODIs Won Lost No result Tied Win%
Home 37 21 13 2 1 57%
Away 28 11 17 0 0 39%
Neutral 4 4 0 0 0 100%
TOTAL 69 36 30 2 1 52%
One-Day Internationals V Country
One-Day Internationals in Country
One-Day Internationals in Venue
One-Day Internationals by Year
Year ODIs Runs Highest score Strike rate 100s
2006 2 80 41 86.95 0
2007 14 403 102 66.28 1
2008 7 219 69 66.36 0
&nb
sp; 2010 3 156 64 90.69 0
2011 15 600 119 93.16 1
2012 15 663 137 79.97 3
2013 16 560 78 75.16 0
2014 20 523 56 71.25 0
Best One-Day International Partnerships
One-Day International Record
Captain % Not Captain %
Won 36 52% 8 35%
Lost 30 43% 14 61%
No result 2 3% 0 0%
Tied 1 2% 1 4%
Total 69 52% 23 35%
One-Day International Batting Record
Innings Runs Highest score Strike rate 100s
Captain 69 2502 137 80.08 4
Not captain 23 702 102 68.15 1
Highest One-Day International Scores
Year Opposition Venue Runs
2012 Pakistan Abu Dhabi 137
2011 Sri Lanka Lord’s 119
2012 West Indies The Oval 112
2007 India Southampton 102
2012 Pakistan Abu Dhabi 102
2011 Sri Lanka Nottingham 95
2011 India Southampton 80
2007 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 80
2012 Pakistan Dubai (DSC) 80
2013 New Zealand Napier 78
2013 India Mohali 76
2013 India Rajkot 75
2008 New Zealand Napier 69
2010 Bangladesh Dhaka 64
2013 New Zealand Cardiff 64
2010 Bangladesh Dhaka 60
2011 India Hyderabad (Deccan) 60
2011 India Kolkata 60
2013 Sri Lanka The Oval 59
2012 Australia Manchester 58
2014 Sri Lanka Birmingham 56
2008 New Zealand Hamilton 53
2012 South Africa Nottingham 51
2011 India Cardiff 50
T20 Internationals
T20 International Results
Year Country Venue Result
2007 West Indies The Oval Lost
2007 West Indies The Oval Won
2009 South Africa Johannesburg Won
2009 South Africa Centurion Lost
Bold (as captain)
Acknowledgements
In all the bars, in all the world, we were in Al Forsan, Abu Dhabi, unwinding after a three-session, nine-hour, series of interviews for this book. Alastair empathized with the unobtrusive pianist in the corner, playing to general indifference. ‘You’ve got to be really good to do that,’ he said.
My eye was taken by an aspiring county cricketer from another team, hovering on the edge of the group. He picked his moment, introduced himself with as much confidence as he could project, and asked if Alastair could spare some time to go over his game. It was readily given.
The notion of respect is exaggerated in professional sport, but here it was in its most pure form, as an interaction between generations. It is in Alastair’s nature to play down such an exchange, but it struck me as being as significant as any trawl through Wisden, as a measure of stature.
Like many top sportsmen, he is a fiercely driven individual who has an instinctive understanding of the importance of a team. In that context, it is appropriate to thank those who have helped us put together this book.
It would not have been possible without the foresight of publishing director Dan Bunyard, head of non-fiction at Michael Joseph, and of Mike Martin, Alastair’s representative at Paragon Sports Management. I’m grateful for the insight of my literary agent, Rory Scarfe, of the Blair Partnership.
Dan’s team, headed editorially by Nick Lowndes, is multi-talented. Thanks to Agatha Russell, Laura Nicol, Jennifer Porter, Lucy Beresford-Knox and Charlie Richardson. Trevor Horwood’s copy-editing was forensic, but sympathetic. My life was made immeasurably easier by Caroline Flatley and Christine Preston, who transcribed hours of interviews.
Cookie is immersed in farm life. The work is constant, dictated by the seasons and a duty of care. He admits it doesn’t fit easily with the discipline of writing a book, but I came to appreciate the bonds of friendship it allows him to form. He is rarely happier than when he spends a day in the fields with Henry Bright, his great countryside companion.
Though our respective schedules ensured that around half of our interviews were conducted over the course of a week in the United Arab Emirates, Alastair lives no more than a couple of miles from me. Sheep from his family farm graze in the village, and he is a familiar figure at local events. We might do different jobs, but we would not be able to do so without the support of our families.
Thank you, above all, to Alice and Lynn, our respective wives, for putting up with us.
Michael Calvin, July 2019
Index
The page references in this index correspond to the print edition from which this ebook was created, and clicking on them will take you to the the location in the ebook where the equivalent print page would begin. To find a specific word or phrase from the index, please use the search feature of your ebook reader.
Abbott, Kyle 272–3
Abrams, John 35
Abu Dhabi 49, 146, 249, 286, 294
Afghanistan Premier League 275
Afridi, Shahid 243
Agar, Ashton 101, 163
Ageas Bowl 191
Agnew, Jonathan (Aggers) 79, 226
Ahmed, Mushtaq 144, 175, 258
Ahmedabad 154
Akhtar, Shoaib 71
Ali, Moeen 10, 15, 62, 189, 192, 205, 257–9
Ambrose, Tim 59
Amir, Mohammad 237–8
Amla, Hashim 252
Anderson, James (Jimmy) 62, 87, 109, 114, 116, 120, 156–7, 192
in 2015 Ashes 206, 229
AC’s close friendship with 9, 11, 64–5, 292, 297
back problems 253
batting partnership with AC 87
bowling 6–7, 68, 101, 131, 163, 291–3
fear of cattle 217
as night watchman 80
psychology 241–2, 293–4
sledging of AC in County match 64
Antigua 105, 196, 235
anxiety dreams 12
Archer, Jofra 271, 301
The Ashes
2005 home series 51
2006–2007 Australian series 289, 291
2009 home series 116–18, 124
2010–2011 Australian series 42, 48, 58, 105, 121, 126–41, 142
2013 home series 100, 167
2013–2014 Australian series 54–5, 68, 170
2015 home series 204–8, 229, 248, 250
2017–2018 Australian series 3–4, 273
importance of 167
trophy 167
Ashwin, Ravi 232
Asif, Mohammad 90, 237–8, 291
Atherton, Michael 78, 124–5, 208, 243, 279–81
Australia (country) 137, 294
patriotism 122–3, 125
Australia (cricket team) 4, 78
2018 Test series in South Africa 244
attitude 167, 242
ball tampering scandal 244–5
see also Ashes, The
Baggy Green (hat) 122, 139
Bairstow, Jonny 19, 31, 208, 256, 273
ball
moisture level 144–5
tampering 239–40, 243–5
Ballance, Gary 189, 192
Bancroft, Cameron 243–4
Bangladesh (cricket team) 35, 37, 51, 81, 88, 295
Bangladesh Premier League 273
Baptiste, Eldine 234
Barber, Robbie 37
Barmy Army 10, 58, 134, 138–9, 176, 252
Barrington, Ken 46
baseball 72, 113, 269
Bastards (Bedford Agricultural Study, Travel and Rural Development Society) 225
Bates, Richard 26–7
batting 16, 47, 264–5, 289
centuries 82–3, 88, 113–14, 139, 198
collapses 77–8
defensive 275
experimental techniques 268–9
opening 67–9, 72, 81, 106, 124–5, 279
partnerships 67, 76–7, 82, 106, 124–5
refusing to walk
163, 229–31, 252
technique 271
underperforming 104–5
Bawden, Mark 6, 15, 82, 91–9, 102, 112, 164
Bayliss, Trevor 9–10, 61, 79, 183, 204, 303
Beckham, David 32
Bedford School 26–7, 29–30
Bedser, Alec 280
Bell, Ian 111, 113, 139, 155, 159, 164, 186, 192, 239, 243
end of international career 248–51
Bhubaneswar 106
Big Bash 273–4
Bishop, Ian 235
Blackwell, Ian 66
Bligh, Ivo 167
boarding school 20, 26, 100
Bopara, Ravi 28–9, 33, 39–40, 50, 106, 170, 266
Border, Alan 267
Borg, Bjorn 82
Botham, Ian (Beefy) 163, 205, 223, 280
Boucher, Mark 241, 251
Boult, Trent 79, 301
Bowden, Billy 233
bowling 68, 71, 100, 137, 173, 231, 295
AC’s only Test wicket 190–91
and ball condition 144–5
physical strain 253
short-pitched 69
spinners 71, 156, 258–9
technique 268–9, 291
wobble seam technique 291
yorkers 269, 275
boxing 117
Boycott, Geoffrey 46, 270
criticisms of AC’s captaincy 198–9, 259
Bradman, Don 14, 24, 232, 277
brain fade 45, 126, 157, 206
Bransgrove, Rod 191
Brearley, Mike 76
Bresnan, Tim 50, 137, 139
Broad, Gemma 19
Broad, Stuart 6–7, 68, 80, 82, 111, 134–5, 164, 262
friendship with AC 9–10, 168, 229
personality 207, 253–4, 293
refusal to walk 163, 229–31
as T20 captain 145
unpopular in Australia 208, 229–30
Broadbent, Dan 51
Browne, Nick 82
Bruce, James 33–4
Bucknor, Steve 98
bullying 100, 182
Bumrah, Jasprit 18
Burgess, Barry 27
Burns, Rory 284
Butcher, Mark 24
Butt, Salman 237–8
Buttler, Jos 1, 257, 267, 269–70, 299, 302
attitude 31, 270, 290
in franchise cricket 232–3, 277
technique 269–71
Canberra 121
captaincy, team talks 207
captain’s role 6, 75, 145–50, 176, 183, 189, 260–61, 282, 288
difficulties of 52, 56, 100, 107–8, 125, 178, 201
The Autobiography Page 30