From England's most capped captain, Mike Atherton's very personal account of England's fortunes, and of his own, over the past decade is of absorbing interest. For much of his Test career, his was the wicket most prized by the opposition, and his account of innings against the great fast bowlers, Allan Donald, Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and his nemesis, Glenn McGrath, takes readers into the heat of battle, sledging and all.

Appointed captain of England when he was just twenty-five, he analyses, with unusual honesty and objectivity, his own sometimes stubborn character and the reasons for his often cool relationship with the press. He provides a perceptive assessment of his own successes and failures and describes his long-term battle for fitness against a painful and debilitating condition of inflammation in the joints.

The 'dirt in the pocket' episode, told by means of the diary he kept, makes for fascinating reading both for his own part and that of the match referee, Peter Burge. These revealing insights makes his observations of others involved in the game more authoritative.

His sometimes uneasy relations with so-called 'cricket supremo' Ray Illingworth reveal some of the difficulties facing and England captain off the field of play. However his loyalty to his players, and their's to him, is clearly evident. Atherton chooses not to disguise his opinions of certain selectors during his tenure as captain; these views on the state of English cricket and the conditions needed for the building of a strong Test side are an important contribution to the current debate.

Possibly the most thoughtful England captain since Mike Brearley, his uncompromising assessment of himself and vivid pen portraits of fellow players from Gooch and Gower to Stewart, Thorpe and Nasser Hussain are most revealing. A born writer with a gift of a light touch, this is Atherton in his own words.