John Arlott and E.W. ('Jim') Swanton transformed the broadcasting of the nation's summer game into a national institution. For any cricket follower in his fifties or older, just the mention of their names immediately evokes a flood of memories.Swanton was born into a middle-class family and privately educated; Arlott was the son of a working-class council employee, educated at state schools until he left at the age of sixteen. Because of their strong personalities and distinctive voices – Swanton's crisp and upper-class, Arlott's with its Hampshire burr – each had a loyal following in the post-war years, when England's class system had a slot for almost everyone. Within a few minutes of the start of a conversation, it would be possible to identify the speaker as an Arlott or a Swanton man.Arlott and Swanton never grew to like each other, but both typified the contrasting aspects of post-war Britain and the way both it and the game they loved was to change. As England moved from a class-based to a more egalitarian society, nothing stayed the same – including professional cricket. Wise, lively and filled with rich social and sporting history, Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket shows how these two very different men battled to save the soul of the game as it entered a new era.

    A devout Catholic, and a ruthless on-field sledger. A brutal enforcer, and a soft-hearted family man. The Australian record-holder for highest score in Tests and One Day Internationals, who was plagued by insecurities. In STANDING MY GROUND Hayden confronts these contradictions head-on. He talks frankly about the forces that shaped his journey from fringe international to a giant of the game. He dissects Australia's tactic of verbal warfare and his own role as a key aggressor, taking us on a privileged tour inside the sporting machine that dominated all comers in a golden age of Australian cricket. This isn't a predictable ball-by-ball account of a stellar career. Instead, Hayden delivers a characteristically direct assessment of the matches and the people that mattered most. He pays homage to great role models like Allan Border and explains his deep connection to controversial Andrew Symonds, but also reveals colourful clashes along the way. He opens up on umpires, the media, superstitions, teammates and opponents with disarming honesty and humour. The country boy from Kingaroy rose to greatness in the cricket world. Here is the superstar batsman, the surfer, fisherman and chef in a book as bold and powerful as the man himself.

    His biological parents, who were convicted of multiple murders thirty years ago, die suspiciously within 24 hours of each other. Wade investigates their deaths which leads to questions surrounding the original crime. During the investigation, Wade opens the door to a multiple generational experiment to create a community of exceptionally intelligent humans. To complicate matters, these beings have been immersed in mainstream society.What if a society of children were conceived to rule the world based on intellectual logic?Wade discovers he is connected to the Society of Intellectual Beings in more ways than one. Through a series of journals from his now deceased mother, Wade has the experience of not only reading her words but absorbing her thoughts. Each time he reads one of her journals, certain powers are bestowed upon him. The powers come without instructions or warnings, but he needs them to complete the task of stopping evil forces from populating the world with S.I.B.s. He, with the help of his adopted brothers, is the only ones who can save the humans from themselves.What if the society's disposable children rise up to confront the new world order?Wade finds himself conflicted when he discovers each of his adopted brothers were created in the Society of Intellectual Beings but were disposed of as children. Doors to a different world open as Wade tries to find answers to questions that will impact not only his life, but the world.At one point, Wade is forced to ask himself...What if the S.I.B.s, who are directed by their evil creator, infiltrated the highest level of government?What if??????