Turning Over the Pebbles: A Life in Cricket and in the Mind

Product Information

That said, the book is well-written, entertaining and - as far as a hybrid of the above three genres goes - a success. There is unity, of a kind, in all this, but one needs to put oneself in Brearley’s hands to let him reveal it – and himself – in his own way. I think the first half was definitely stronger than the second half and I found my interest waning towards the end. Mike Brearley’s keen wit, self-deprecating humour and understanding of leading people alongside an encyclopaedic knowledge of cricket history/rules, funny anecdotes, tactical insight and analysis of other captains.

With wide-ranging meditations on sport, philosophy, literature, religion, leadership, psychoanalysis, music and more, Brearley delves into his private passions and candidly examines the various shifts, conflicts and triumphs of his extraordinary life and career, both on and off the field. Ostensibly a cricket book, but there's plenty here that could transfer across to management in general. It is a painful passage to read, a digression on whether his digressions should have been cut that ought itself to have been cut, and is itself full of digressions.An interesting read if you've even a passing interest in cricket, and even non-fans could find some food for thought. There a few test captains who've overhauled his impeccable test success record as captain, to name a few Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and more recently Virat Kohli. This book can be read quickly just be reading the bold type; Brearley has so many useful truisms that to have them identified in bold type would help to cut to the chase.

The former England captain feels the high demands of adapting to various situations including the defining moments of a match make average players, a flexible, thinking captain. His insight into the game is pertinent to every form and to every team, and his examples are enlightening.The Art of Captaincy definitely requires the reader to be familiar with certain nuances of the game which come with years of engaging with the game. Papineau argues that there are no conscious decisions in batting: the ball moves too fast, and the intentional system of the brain too slowly, for the batsman to do anything but react instinctively. It is as though Montaigne captained his country’s cricket team during breaks while writing his Essays.