The Art of Batting

The Art of Batting was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2025.

"A cracking read" – David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd

"One of cricket’s most distinctive writers" – Andy Zaltzman

This ground-breaking book reveals the science, skill and culture that made the 50 greatest batters of all time.

Most batters just do their best, yet the top players create art. It is physically impossible to face an 80mph delivery and track it with your eyes, yet the greatest batters do more than just watch the ball, they can see into the future.

This book is about the batters who see what mortals don’t: Javed Miandad purposefully making errors to manipulate the field; Sachin Tendulkar digging up a pitch to take on Warne; Shivnarine Chanderpaul practising non-stop on a beach until he mastered his technique; and Joe Root playing against spin as a result of three random events. Others, such as Smith, Pietersen and Richards, carried on the work of a man 100 years before their time, meanwhile Ranji changed cricket with a bucket.

Their methods and stories are different, but their currency is the same: runs. Through interviews with cricketing greats such as David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, Nasser Hussain, Rahul Dravid and Brian Lara, this book shows you the science, skill and culture that made the 50 greatest batters of all time – and, ultimately, how they conquered leather with willow.