Sticky Dogs and Stardust: When Cricket’s Legends Played in the Leagues

by Scott Oliver

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 16, 2023

Reviews

[Kaustubh Dudhane · Rating 4 out of 5]

AD (Allan Donald) looked at the pitch and said, 'I'm not bowling on that, I'll kill someone.'

That's what sums up English League cricket where the teachers, IT engineers, salesmen, accountants and businessmen play cricket on weekends with a few professionals. I heard about this book on a cricket podcast. It has an interesting theme where common folks had rubbed their shoulders with the cricket greats.

Cover Photo: The choice of the cover photo is very peculiar. It shows Allan Donald sprinting in to a club batsman who must have been shit scared. Moreover, look at the non-striker, he is looking down as if thanking the fate that he is not facing the ball. Additionally, I felt that the club wicket keeper was also a long way back.

The photos are kept in the first half only instead of in the middle of the book. All of them are unique in their own ways.

Nostalgic touch with a lot of humor: I have loved the tone of the book which is nostalgic, funny and very optimistic with a sprinkling of typical British dry humor. My favorite chapters were those of Wasim Akram, AB de Villiers, Shahid Afridi, Kevin Pietersen and Imran Tahir (where Scott Oliver features as his captain.)

Awesome writing: I have seldom seen such poetic writing in a cricket book. I even saw a few shades of Mike Marquesee. Take a look at this description of Pakistan's Ashish Kapoor i.e. Mohd. Hussain -

"Known by all as Mo or "Reggie" (a nickname that stuck after a committee member at his first club, Porthill, forgot his not so unusual moniker), Hussain would become a cult figure across his dozen high productive spin-bowling seasons in Staffordshire. With a monobrow that looked like a child's charcoal drawing of a bird, a paunch that belied his birth certificate, and pigeon legs invariably slipped into plastic sandals, he cuts an instantly recognizable figure, and certainly stood out from the hot-faced ravers at Golden nightclub, where he would sometimes find himself dancing on the bass bins late on Saturday nights."

Not so accessible writing: Although I have found the writing beautiful but it is not accessible for someone whose third language is English. The sentences are long with a lot of unusual and less trendy words like contrivance. Initially, I struggled a lot to get into the book in the Gilchrist's chapter but things became smooth slowly.

"Long before he became a dreadlock-ponytailed plucker of bass guitar and jovial occasional member of the commentary box, Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose established himself a permanent, primo pitch in the English cricketing psychodrama of the 1990s, a gangling, bristling, haunting figure, all pumping knees and elbows, galloping in to dispense, at best, a brand of spice-hitting strangulation or, at worst, wrecking-ball devastation, a figure straight out of a Stephen King novel - specifically, the one with the black truck in the desert - as adapted for the screen by Kubrick or Cronenburg."

Phew... that was tough - so much to appeal to my senses but the book is a must read for all cricket fans!

[Mr S]

Excellent

I read the second book first! Another great read recalling the exploits of great and not so great international players. It is clear that some really worked hard for the club and others couldn't give a toss. No pun intended! My only criticism is that the photos are too small.

[Steven Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read

An absolutely brilliant book from start to finish. Great stories, easy to read and plenty of entertaining anecdotes to make people smile.
Essential reading for anyone who plays or watches cricket, so relatable.