By Gary Watton
April 24 2013

Oh since this is a cricket site, please permit me the liberty of the following commercial 'brake' about an excellent, informative publication. My shameless advertisement can be located below, and I am willing to offload copies of this Ashes cricket book to any interested parties for a mere eight pounds (delivery costs included).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ashes-1945-2005-Complete-Record/dp/0955575699

The book is a statistical history of the Ashes conflicts from the 1946 tour to Australia through to the 2005 series, though there is also a page dedicated to the 2006-7 whitewash, as well as pages on non-Ashes test matches; and the County Championship and Sheffield Shield winners from 1945-2005.

The book ends with a fascinating piece on the importance or otherwise of winning the toss in Ashes test matches. However the bulk of the book concerns itself with the 160+ test matches and merely records all the scorecards. No such volume contains all Ashes scorecards in chronological order in such an accessible way. Whilst the fielders change ends between overs and during other momentary pauses in play, this reference book is ideal for leafing through. Although it is 90% facts and figures, there are brief comments which accompany each test match. Interesting facts include the following:

Don Bradman’s last-ever innings in test cricket in 1948

Graham Gooch’s baptism of fire in 1975

The test in 1989 when Australia batted all day without conceding a wicket

The peculiar batting partnership of Botham and Tavare at Old Trafford in 1981

The test in 1981 when Australia slid from 56-1 to 75-8

The ‘sixties test when debutant Tom Cartwright had to bowl 77 overs

The finely balanced test in 1975 that was ended by a vandalised pitch

The ‘fifties test when Australia were reduced to 32 for 7

The Melbourne nailbiters of 1974 and 1982

The Edgbaston and Old Trafford nailbiters of 2005