For cricketers in general and all aspiring captains in particular Brearley's Art of Captaincy is an excellent book. It covers not only those areas of the game that concern cricket captains but also throws light on various cricket issues. Above all the book confirms to cricket followers Brearley's grasp of the subtleties of the game.

Oddly enough, what made me first aware of Brearley's understanding of cricket was a bizarre incident that happened at Lords during a Sussex–Middlesex match a few years ago. At a tense stage in the important Benson-Hedges quarter final match, Wayne Daniels unleashed a barrage of short-pitched stuff at our tail