Almost Invincible
The West Indies Cricket Team in England: 1984
Published on 22. April 2024
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-80150-687-8 (ISBN)
Description
Almost Invincible is the story of the West Indies in the 1980s, one of the greatest teams in Test cricket history, at their brilliant best.
During the English summer of 1984, captain Clive Lloyd had an array of all-time greats within the ranks, including Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Desmond Haynes, Joel Garner, Jeffrey Dujon and others.
Facing an England team in transition but still possessing skipper David Gower, star all-rounder Ian Botham and the in-form batsman Allan Lamb, the West Indies followed a series victory over Australia with a 5-0 win in England, a series that was famously nicknamed the 'Blackwash'.
The book examines all the side-stories connected with the tour - from the ridiculously frenetic schedule to the closely fought one-day series, from the county tour matches to the intricate details of the five Tests. Author Richard Sydenham has spoken to many of the central characters and reflects on the tour's legacy, both in cricket and social terms.
During the English summer of 1984, captain Clive Lloyd had an array of all-time greats within the ranks, including Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Desmond Haynes, Joel Garner, Jeffrey Dujon and others.
Facing an England team in transition but still possessing skipper David Gower, star all-rounder Ian Botham and the in-form batsman Allan Lamb, the West Indies followed a series victory over Australia with a 5-0 win in England, a series that was famously nicknamed the 'Blackwash'.
The book examines all the side-stories connected with the tour - from the ridiculously frenetic schedule to the closely fought one-day series, from the county tour matches to the intricate details of the five Tests. Author Richard Sydenham has spoken to many of the central characters and reflects on the tour's legacy, both in cricket and social terms.
Reviews / Votes
"This book is long overdue... With the benefit of four decades of hindsight and sober reflection, [it] had the potential to be a decent read. That Sydenham would succeed in that aim I never doubted, but Almost Invincible managed to exceed my expectations... Almost Invincible is an outstanding book and one it is difficult to find fault with." -- Martin Chandler * Cricketweb.net * "I read Almost Invincible in two days and really enjoyed it. The book was insightful and a reminder of just how good that West Indies team was." -- Richard Ellison * England cricketer in 1984 * "Sydenham tracks the tour's main events as well as some of the byways and reading each chapter memories return. From Viv Richards' one-day assault to Paul Terry's broken arm, the list goes on. Sydenham reminds us how hectic the tour's schedule was and details Clive Lloyd's strong and understanding leadership that brought out the best of the Caribbean pacemen and batsmen." -- Barry Nicholls * Australian Cricket Digest *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Hove
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 223 mm
Width: 143 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
398 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80150-687-8 (9781801506878)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Richard Sydenham worked as a cricket journalist for The Daily and Sunday Telegraph, Reuters, the Associated Press, ESPN Cricinfo, the Daily Star Sunday, Gulf News in Dubai, Bloomberg News, the New York Times and the Sydney Morning Herald. He now owns and runs a professional cricket agency, managing some of the world's elite cricketers. This is his tenth book.