What Is a Googly?: The Mysteries of Cricket Explained

by Rob Eastaway

Here at last is a witty and revealing book that demystifies cricket jargon and answers all the questions you've always wanted to ask. Illustrated with pithy and instructive cartoons, it explains where cricket came from, what happens on the field, what the tactics are, and the dos and don'ts of being a spectator. If you've ever made a fool of yourself in the pavilion or wondered how to tell who's winning, then Rob Eastway, co-inventor of the Coopers & Lybrand World Cricket Ratings, has written just the book for you!

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Robert Eastaway is an author who is active in the popularisation of mathematics. He is a former pupil of The King's School, Chester, England and has a degree in Engineering and Management Science from the University of Cambridge. He was President of the UK Mathematical Association for 2007/2008. Eastaway is a keen cricket player and was one of the originators of the International Rankings of Cricketers. He is also a former puzzle-writer for the New Scientist magazine and he has been involved in live mathematics shows on Virgin Radio (now Absolute Radio). He is the Director of Maths Inspiration, a national programme of maths lectures for teenagers which involves some of the UK’s leading maths speakers such as Simon Singh and Colin Wright.

Robert Eastaway's titles appear under the name "Rob Eastaway" in the UK and some other countries.

Reviews

[[ J o ] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cricket is notoriously complicated, until you figure out what's going on, of course. This is a good book to work out what everything means, particularly that mystifying product of the off-spinner, The Googly.

It's a fun book, but honestly you'd learn a lot more by sitting down and either listening to TMS or watching a game that is being commentated on, simply to get the context. Telling you what a googly is isn't helpful unless you know what an off-break is in the first place.

[Yves S · Rating 3 out of 5]

A failed attempt, for the French man I am, to understand this mystery sport that is Cricket. But since I have read this book I can say I have tried.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, informative, interesting. Perfectly balanced.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable immersive read. My particular highlight? The centrefold map of fielding positions, absolute godsend!

[Matt Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book about the rules and game of cricket. Easily explained and funny. Very enjoyable and an easy read

[Swc0221gamil.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

The forward states that this book is ‘designed primarily for those who have no knowledge or understanding of cricket’. The author then explains various aspects of cricket in an entertaining and knowledgeable fashion. The famous Lord’s cricket ground in England is actually named after Thomas Lord, not just because he was a lord. While I have followed cricket for a number of years I found that I learned more about the leg before wicket rule through the author’s explanation. A googly, by the way, occurs when the bowler is able to spin the ball so that the batsman thinks the ball will bounce differently than it actually does.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, snappy and to the point. A great book to skim through as a reference, in addition to working well as a full on read. Funny, informative and interesting. Answered every question about the intricacies of cricketing strategy I had.

[Ian Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book and light hearted. A bit dated but still the best introduction to cricket in 🇬🇧

[Richard Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the original 1992 printing which was entitled "Cricket Explained." My first exposure to cricket was during a trip to Scotland. The game was being played behind the hotel in which I was staying. I enjoyed watching but constantly thought, "What's going on?" Well, this book provided the answers. I particularly liked the question/answer format presented in detail in the table of contents. A thorough glossary/index of some 600 entries is provided making for easy reference. Perhaps, the highlights were the numerous light-hearted illustrations as well as the conversational style. An accompanying DVD would have been helpful. This is a book which any novice to cricket would enjoy.

[Yee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides the fundamental rules of cricket and some remarkable history behind it. It's easy to read and simple to understand, plus a few funny illustrations to reduce the boredom of reading a technical book. Probably I had self-taught myself in learning this sport which made me easier to understand the content of the book, but there are some unusual rules that I'm not familiar with, such as fielders' positions which is beautifully illustrated in this book.

Book Review: What is a Googly?: The Mysteries of Cricket Explained by Rob Eastaway.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great guide to finding out what Cricket is all about. I'm still not too sure, but at least now some (well, a few) of the things I hear on the Sky Sports wrap up make sense, or are at least familiar sounding!
Good stuff and nice cartoons!

[Brandon Minster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had two Indian students who invited me to play cricket with them and their friends. I read this book to learn about it, but then my students never came through with a solid invitation, so now my cricket knowledge must remain dormant.

[mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and digestible introduction to cricket, for the 'why was everyone wearing white at the end of Bend It Like Beckham' set.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My dad bought this for me and it does a nice job of explaining crickets.

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good little book for a cricket virgin to read to begin to understand the complexities of the game but with enough witticisms for those of us that watch regularly to enjoy the read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as useful as I was hoping it would be for me, I think I need a book called “what is everything I should know but don’t having followed cricket for years?”

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really did explain cricket succinctly.

[Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not help understand Cricket any more effectively than I had before.