Cricket's Hard Men

The Toughest Characters from the History of Cricket

Cricket's Hard Men takes an innovative look at character, psychology and mental health in cricket to produce a fascinating study of the sport's toughest players of all time. Richard Sydenham consulted prominent ex-cricketers and broadcasters before studying this select band of 22 cricketers from around the world.

Cricket's Hard Men takes an innovative look at character, psychology and mental health in cricket to produce a fascinating study of the sport's toughest players.

So, what actually constitutes a hard man of cricket? The truth is there is no simple definition. Whether it's resilience to defy injury from players like Kepler Wessels, Mike Atherton and Allan Border; sheer physicality from cricketer turned cage fighter Adam Hollioake; the bloody-mindedness to snub tradition by Douglas Jardine and John Reid; a chest-thumping need from Arjuna Ranatunga to show pride for a flag that had a reputation of being soft in the cricket world; or the blind courage of Brian Close, each player has his own unique story, told here through in-depth research and exclusive interviews.

The author consulted prominent ex-cricketers and broadcasters before studying this select band, from Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

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