The Alternative Cricket Almanack 2011 is a collection of witty and incisive articles from a group of unheralded, passionate writers. This book is a fantastic read for cricket fans, and proceeds go to an equally brilliant cause for cricket fans. Cricket coverage is terrible these days, with overpaid, under-qualified commentators spoon-feeding us their sterilized non-opinions. We have decided to take a stand. Rather than boring you to death with turgid prose, we have written this book in order to entertain you. There are hilarious anecdotes to go with brutally honest analysis of the current game. Proceeds will go towards a scholarship for promising cricketers in Afghanistan, via the Afghan Youth Cricket Support Organisation. Cricket is as potent a sport as any in terms of bringing people together, and Afghanistan is in need of an ambassador who can be a spearhead in this context. There is ample talent out there, just waiting to be discovered and nurtured - with your help, we can achieve something incredible. If we are able to discover a diamond in the rough, a Murali, a Tendulkar, maybe even the next Dilhara Fernando...it will make a huge difference - any success for Afghan cricket has the potential to inspire Afghanistan as a nation. We certainly pull no punches when it comes to criticising everyone from commentators, to overpaid board members to umpires, although we do reserve praise for our 'Alternative Team of the Year' and 'Players to Watch for in 2011'. On VVS Laxman: "Laxman remains the most attractive man in the Indian side, despite having the appearance of a pharmacist in 1970's Mumbai." From 'Diary of a Cricket Widow': "I also don't see why he is so obsessed with Shahid Afridi. We both have similarly luscious hair, although I do concede that I never get promotions at work for sucking at life and bending the laws. My partner is not even Pakistani himself, yet he watches YouTube videos of Afridi's Head & Shoulders adverts. Confusingly, sometimes I find him posing in front of the bathroom mirror, stroking his ever-growing bald patch and pouting: "Because I'm worth it, yaar." I daren't ask. " Our book also includes pieces such as... - Don Bradman coming back from the dead as a zombie - A Day in the life of the Pakistan captain - Why Girls Can't Throw - An Homage to Tendulkar - Why Fast Bowlers Don't Eat Ice Cream - An Alternative Perspective on Women's Cricket This is an altogether unique take on cricket, written by fans with a passion for the game. You will laugh out loud at our visceral, often black humour, and you will raise eyebrows at our unapologetically honest take on the cricket world.
