The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments by Dan Liebke and Alex Bowden, foreword by Pat Cummins

3 minute read

We don’t often review cricket books these days because reading about cricket is not generally what we want to do once we’ve finished reading about cricket for the day. King Cricket reader Sam Blackledge has read one though and he sent us this review.

Journalism has come a long way in recent years. The old toxic culture of nepotism, favours for favours and ‘It’s all about who you know’ are consigned to the rubbish bin, like so many copies of the News of the World and Piers Morgan’s autobiography. 

We cancelled our expense accounts, cleaned up our collective act, and now everything is totally above board and completely fine. 

So, with that in mind, here is my entirely impartial review of a new book by a pair of promising young writers, which I happened to stumble across while idly browsing the internet for Christmas gifts and have no previous connection with, honest. 

The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments by Dan Liebke and Alex Bowden is a witty, clever and highly detailed book, taking what PR people would no doubt term a ‘sideways glance’ at everyone’s favourite/most painful cricketing rivalry*.

All of your favourite nonsense is here: Botham’s Headingley heroics; Waugh’s career-saving ton; Broad not walking; Broad shouting at a robot; Broad adjusting a sightscreen for 15 minutes before getting bowled for a golden duck. 

Leafing through the pages, I was transported back to watching the Top of the Pops chart rundown circa 1996. As each entry ticked by, and we got closer to the summit, the permutations narrowed. Either ‘Return of the Mack’ by Mark Morrison had made it to number one, or he hadn’t placed at all. 

Suffice to say, readers will not be disappointed by what Messrs Liebke and Bowden have chosen to nominate as the most ridiculous Ashes moment of the past 50 years.

Cricket books are ten-a-penny in my house, particularly over the festive period. For every Art of Captaincy by Mike Brearley, there’s a Year in the Sun by Michael Vaughan. (Summary: I was really good at batting for a bit.)

Early January is boom time for my local Oxfam branch, volunteers gasping with delight as canvas bags filled with multiple untouched copies of Tuffers’ Cricket Tales are dumped at their feet. (Summary: I smoked some fags and got told off by Goochie.)

The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments is different. This is a book which will sit proudly on my shelves, despite the fact that – as previously stated – I have no connection with the authors whatsoever.

As demonstrated this winter, wherever The Ashes goes, nonsense inevitably follows. This book will be surely be called into action repeatedly over the coming years, whenever a friend or family member exclaims, upon seeing another England batter sashay down the track and spaz one to deep extra cover, ‘That is absolutely ridiculous’. 

All hail Liebke and Bowden, whomsoever they may be. Apparently they have a podcast, too. I wonder if it’s any good? 

* Delete as appropriate depending on whether your chosen country is currently holding the urn or carrying out another post-series root and branch structural review.