THE fascination with our great game continues to grow. We now have three forms of cricket that are thriving at all levels. This has created a broader base of interest in the community. Test cricket in my view is still the flagship of all formats, and it’s the game all players want to master. Cricket’s followers have developed through the growth of the various media platforms and of the recent success of Twenty20 cricket around the world. There was a time when our fathers and grandfathers introduced the game to us through Test matches over the summer, now we have our grandchildren and children introducing the new brand of the game, Twenty20. It’s contagious either way. The wheel has turned and turned for the better from a participation point of view, whether one plays, umpires, watches, scores, studies or just chats about the game, it’s all a healthy pastime.
Marc Dawson has once again produced an absorbing book on our game which covers all areas imaginable with an intriguing approach. You will have a chance to see the game through others and reflect on their view and lose yourself in your own opinion; it’s like that healthy discussion that is carried out in the members’ bar during tea or after play.
We have for ever been lost in the real facts and history in almost everything we do, cricket is no different, and statistics have always been the measure of a player or team over time. With Inside Edge you will be taken on an extraordinary journey of facts that gravitate around our game. Some will shock you and others will captivate you like a classical mystery. I am sure you will be lost in partnership with it for a number of sessions. Enjoy …
Tom Moody
former Australian Test cricketer