Book 38: Great Achievers and Characters in Australian Cricket [published November 2022 by Penguin Random House]

From the wit, wisdom and genius of Sir Donald Bradman to the   brilliance and turbulent life of the late Shane Warne, and dash of Keith Miller (both on and off the field), Great Australian Cricket Achievers and characters captures the essence of many of the finest feats in the game. From the first truly Australian tour of England in 1858, made exclusively by Aboriginal players, to the sensational performance of indigenous bowler, Scott Boland, in the 2021-22 Ashes, the book delivers the best essays by Roland Perry, who has published 12 bestsellers on the sport.

Great Australian Cricket Achievers exposes the career highs and lows of many of the game’s big names. The chapters cover the drive of Ian Chappell, Steve Waugh and Bill Lawry, to the dry humor of Lindsay Hassett and guile of Richie Benaud; from the speed and chivalry of Dennis Lillee to the bully-boy tactics of Kerry Packer, who changed the game forever.

The narrative delivers special insights on the elegance and style of Neil Harvey and Ellyse Perry, and the new-look captaincy of Pat Cummins. The author is Keith Miller’s biographer, and opens the essays with a striking comparison of the ability, mentality and character of the great all-rounder with Cummins.

Overall, this book zeros in on many of the game’s biggest players and dramas from 1877 to the present day.