Bookshelf

Caps, Hats and Helmets By Max Walker

The difficult exercise of writing about sport in the 21st Century is the sheer blanket of media coverage.

We can plant the bum on a couch and watch a Test match, six hours a day, start of play to stumps. You can listen to the “end of play” summary or ball-by-ball description on radio. Television news compresses both the scoreboard and the highlights package. Daily newspapers provide another insight into the drama with appropriate images to match the headlines.

I believe cricket books should take the reader to a different place – a bridge to the theatre of the mind. A space they would not normally inhabit.

Under every cap, hat and helmet are a million stories. No matter what the viewpoint – winner/loser, batsman/bowler/keeper, spectator/commentator, father/mother … the game is compelling.

Individual passion expands to accommodate that connection.

Storytelling is part of the belonging and part of the sharing which the game delivers over time. Glue.

Former Prime Minister John Howard describes himself as a cricket tragic – he’s not alone.

The cricket community is energized by these like-minded people. They love the game and the game reciprocates in many dimensions.

I trust I can provide a gate to the greatest game of all. Please walk through as if you’re striding to the crease with expectation way beyond ability.

Smile, laugh, connect … and then tell your story. Because then, like a mirror, another story will be reflected from the wearer of a different Cap, Hat and Helmet.

C’mon Aussie C’mon!