The Cricketers of 1945 - by Christopher Sandford (Hardcover)

About the Book

The Cricketers of 1945 is the compelling, poignant, and above all human, story of the reawakening of English cricket after the world's most destructive war. Drawing on accounts from contemporary diaries and personal letters, it gives the reader a strong sense of what it was like to be alive at that unique time.

Book Synopsis

The Cricketers of 1945 is the compelling, poignant, and above all human, story of the reawakening of English cricket in the immediate aftermath of the world's most destructive war.

The book brings to life the summer's Victory Tests, played on home soil between England and Australia, as well as the personal stories of the players and their families, plus those of some of the hundreds of thousands of spectators who flocked to the matches to celebrate the return of something approaching normal life after the ordeal and sacrifice of the war years.

This vivid account is illuminated by fresh archival research, encompassing the diaries and personal letters of both cricketers and cricket lovers, giving the reader a strong sense of what it was like to be alive at this unique time as much of the world awoke, or was still awakening, from the nightmare ordeal of the long years of conflict.

About the Author

Christopher Sandford has published 30 previous books on subjects ranging from sport to music, film and political history. He writes widely for newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. Sandford's book The Final Innings: The Cricketers of Summer 1939 was joint winner of the 2020 Cricket Society/MCC Book of the Year award.