On and Off the Field

Ed Smith has kept a private diary of his county career since he made his debut for Kent in 1986. But this season, encouraged by Australian captain Steve Waugh, he decided to do it properly. 'Tell the truth as much as you can' was Waugh's injunction. This then is the story of a season of county cricket, one that begins tumultuously with the horrific pre-season eye injury to captain David Fulton, and by mid-July is turning to triumph as Smith becomes the first batsman in the summer to reach 1000 runs. It's the story of the hanging in there and the holding on, the self-doubt and the frustration, the rows and the friendships.

Ed Smith made his debut for Kent, Cambridge and Young England in 1986. He bats number 3 for the county. He read history at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he took a double first, and is the author of one previous book, Playing Hard Ball, a highly acclaimed comparison of cricket and baseball, published by Little, Brown. He reviews fiction for the Sunday Telegraph and writes sports articles for The Times. He lives in Wye, outside Canterbury.v