Bob Willis was known for always coming in off his long run - initially as one of England's most devastating fast bowlers, and laterally as one of crickets most outspoken broadcasters.

Yet behind a sometimes stern facade was a man of great complexity, warmth and generosity whose hinterland extended far beyond the sport in which he made his name. A measure of his standing in the game was the way in which his untimely death in December 2019 brought with it and outpouring of grief - from colleagues, former teammates and opponents alike.

Bob Willis: A Cricketer and a Gentleman tells the story of a hugely eventful life. He was barely out of his rebellious teenage years when he was a surprise late edition to the 1970-71 Ashes tour. By the end of his 14-year international career, he had become England captain, and his performance in the great Headingly Test of 1981 will always be part of the game's folklore.

He went on to become a key member of Sky's pioneering cricket coverage, and the same unflinching attitude was evident on the screen as it had been on the field. But underneath the famously trenchant opinions of this sometimes misunderstood man lay a deep love of cricket and a most caring nature.

Packed with anecdotes and often moving testimony from those who knew him best, and featuring biographical chapters by sports writer Mike Dickson as well as material by Bob Willis himself, this is the definitive account of the life and career of one of cricket's most important and fascinating figures of the last fifty years.