The story of the England cricket team, according to Richard Murphy, is long and rarely dull. "The game is steeped in history and tradition, the names and events themselves conjuring up wonderful images and debate even today - Grace, Hobbs, Barnes, Bodyline, the Ashes. The modern game continues to enthral and provoke me with its new crop of heroes and controversies - Botham, Flintoff, Boycott, Stanford Twenty20, World Series Cricket."

Murphy has tried to bring the traditional and modern games together in one place and let people dip in and out as they choose. There will be reminders of things people had forgotten and the surprise of things they did not know, and hopefully a fascination with both the old and new England teams can be maintained.

This fabulous publication covers each day of the year on a journey from the birth of international cricket through to the present day, featuring the greatest Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 games.

Thoughtfully constructed and pleasing, the book is presented with care and attention to detail consistent with this publisher's high standards. A thoroughly worthwhile and readable book. An excellent production indeed.