Marcus Trescothick

Peter Hayter

In this true-life sporting memoir of one of the best batsman in the game who stunned the cricket world when he prematurely ended his own England career, Trescothick’s brave and soul-baring account of his mental frailties opens the way to a better understanding of the unique pressures experienced by modern-day professional sportsmen. At 29, Marcus Trescothick was widely regarded as one of the batting greats. With more than 5,000 Test runs to his name and a 2005 Ashes hero, some were predicting this gentle West Country cricket nut might even surpass Graham Gooch's record to become England's highest ever Test run scorer. But the next time Trescothick hit the headlines it was for reasons no one but a handful of close friends and colleagues could have foreseen. On Saturday, February 25, 2006, four days before leading England into the first Test against India in place of the injured captain Vaughan, Trescothick was out for 32 in the second innings of the final warm-up match. As he walked from the field he fought to calm the emotional storm that was raging inside him, at least to hide it from prying eyes. In the dressing room he broke down in tears, overwhelmed by a blur of anguish, uncertainty, and sadness he had been keeping at bay for longer than he knew. Within hours England's best batsman was on the next flight home. His departure was kept secret until after close of play when coach Duncan Fletcher told the stunned media his acting captain had quit the tour for personal, family reasons. Until now, the full, extraordinary story of what happened that day and why, of what preceded his breakdown has never been told. He reveals for the first time that he almost flew home from the 2004 tour to South Africa, what caused it, and what followed—his comeback to the England side and a second crushing breakdown nine months later that left him unable to continue the 2006–2007 Ashes tour down under. Coming Back to Me will replace the myths and rumors with the truth as Trescothick talks with engaging openness and enthusiasm about his rise to the top of international cricket; and describes with equal frankness his tortured descent into private despair.

The Autobiography

Coming Back to Me

Marcus Trescothick's brave and soul-baring account of his mental frailties opens the way to a better understanding of the unique pressures experienced by modern-day professional sportsmen. At twenty-nine, Marcus Trescothick was widely regarded as one of the world's batting greats. But in February 2006, as he walked from the field he fought to calm the emotional storm that was raging inside him. In the dressing room he broke down in tears, overwhelmed by anguish, uncertainty and sadness. Within hours he was on the next flight home. Coming Back to Me will replace the myths and rumours with the truth, as Trescothick talks with engaging openness and enthusiasm about his rise to the top of international cricket - and describes with equal frankness his tortured descent into private despair.

Ian Botham

A completely revised and updated edition of the bestselling autobiography of cricketing legend Ian Botham, including his first-hand insight into the 1999/2000 winter tour to South Africa. Ian Botham's bestselling autobiography is an intriguing cocktail of sex and drugs allegations, personal upheavals, confrontations with his peers, and remarkable achievements both on and off the field. From his heroic deeds against the Aussies art Headingly in 1981 through to the dark clouds surrounding the court case with Imran Khan, from battling in the mud for Scunthorpe United FC to walking half the length of the country for Leukaemia Research, it's all here in this unforgettable story of a truly larger-than-life character. In an extra chapter for this revised edition, Botham digs deep to unravel the reasons behind the sorry state of English cricket, and provides a compulsive insight into the 1999/2000 winter tour to South Africa where England attempt to recover from a traumatic year under the new leadership of Nasser Hussain.

My Autobiography

Botham

England Cricket Team Staff

Written from the viewpoint of the changing room and the middle of the pitch, Team England's Ashes Diary is a blow-by-blow account of England's progress in the most dramatic Ashes series in history. With England's improvement under Michael Vaughan, the 2005 Ashes series was eagerly anticipated by all sports fans; all tickets were sold out months in advance. The first day at Lord's saw Australia spectacularly bowled out for just 190, and then England were 92 for 7 in reply. It seemed as though we'd seen one of the greatest days of Test cricket ever. In fact, it was only the beginning of a remarkable series... England went on to lose that match, before winning the second Test by 2 runs (the closest Ashes victory in history), drawing the third (when they failed to dismiss Australia's last pair), and then winning the fourth amid scenes of unbearable tension to go into the last Test with an unbeatable 2-1 series lead. In this fascinating inside account, the players reveal their emotions at key moments, and explain how they set about taking on the formidable Aussies. Packed with brilliant photographs of the best action and behind-the-scenes moments, this is a book that all who have thrilled to cricket this summer will want to keep and treasure for years to come.

Peter Hayter

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