Customer Reviews
Superb - By: M. V. Clarke, 18 Dec 2008 
Mike Brearley's book is a thorough insight into the pressures, challenges & pleasures of captaining a cricket team. Brearley's reputation as captain is, of course, legendary, & although he played before my time, reading this book made it clear why he was such a gifted captain. His analytical skill is phenomenal; the anecdotes he recounts of obtaining wickets with unorthodox methods are a real testimony to his skill & the obvious effect he had on team membersin persuading them to follow his plans. Reading this would improve anyone's captaincy - the attitudes towards field placing, questioning so many of the conventions, how to manage bowling changes & how to react to the match situation reflect a highly professional approach. Brearley is candid about his own successes & failures, acknowledges the influence of other great captains, & provides many telling anecdotes. Well worth reading for any cricket lover.
Cricket fans only - By: C. P. Dixon, 20 Apr 2008 
I purchased this on the basis of many reviews which assert that it is useful for gaining insight into general leadership/man-management skillsin all areas of life. Well let me assure you that this is simply not the case. This is definitely a book for cricket fans only & has no value outside that sphere. Even within cricket, which I'm not well up on, this seems a very outdated work with one foot, if not both, firmly plantedin the gentleman amateur era. Remember that Brearley was playingin the sixties, seventies & very early eighties. Sportsmen have subsequently discovered some new-fangled thing called "sports psychology"...
Simply the best. - By: Mr. Richard M. Hughes, 13 Jan 2006 This seminal work on captaincy has never been matched. Brearley's ideas on cricket captaincy show a huge understanding of the game & of the human mind.
Overall a must for any cricketer old enough to read with a desire to captain a cricket side at whatever level.
Excellent insight into the personal qualities of captaincy - By: , 02 Aug 2001 
When the Art of Captaincy first came outin 1985, memories of the swashbuckling capture of the Ashesin 1981 were still vividin many people's minds. Although this is no longer the case, Brearley's work is equally applicable to the drive for successin any field & the man-management skills required of any successful leader.
Nonetheless cricket is its prime focus, & the characters of Brearley's age such as Botham, Willis & Gower still capture the imagination as brilliant competitors and, more importantly for Brearley, as leaders of the England side. Honestin his exposition of his contemporaries' flaws as captains, the author never belittles their integrity as individuals, helping his own objective analysis to be respected on its own merits. Whilst the revised edition pays no more than token regard to the current resurgence under Hussain & Fletcher, Brearley's expert psycho-analytical approach stands the test of time.
With helpful insight into man management of players & selectors alike, as well as a detailed background to the less glamorous administrative & logistical duties of a county captain, Brearley has much to offer to captains & players at all levels of the game.
The lucid & elegant prose makes for an extremely readable & readily digestible work, & the author's beguiling modesty & understated humanity widen its accessibility beyond the ordinary fanatic for our national game.
