When Alec Stewart scored a century in his 100th test, the sheer length of the standard innovation from a packed Old Trafford crowd confirmed that he had already become a national institution. He went on to represent England more times than Botham, Boycott, Gooch, Gower and every other great that the game has ever produced.

Since he recently decided to bring his playing days to an end, Alec Stewart's Cricket Companion now provides him with the opportunity to take a wider look at the game. Full of engaging anecdotes from life in a sport he clearly loves, the book also explores the state of world cricket today, before assessing how the sport should evolve and embrace the future.

Stewart is characteristically honest and uncompromising about a number of players past and present, and it's not just cricket that makes it into the firing line. We learn his assessment of modern day sport as a whole, not least football and his beloved Chelsea FC. This book isn't just for followers of cricket; it's for anyone wanting to absorb the professional opinion of one of the greatest sportsmen England has ever known.