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| Monday, 12 January 2004 |
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Ground rules - an unusual publication of cricket by Colvin L. de Silva, our London Correspondent England being the birthplace of the now world famous and popular game of cricket has been thousands and thousands of written material in the form of books, magazines and newspapers over the last few decades of the game, its participants, its history since 1877, current and future prospects for the game. London based publishing house "Dakini Books" have made a distinct departure from this trend and come out with an unusual publication titled "Ground Rules ' a celebration of Test Cricket". It is all about the world famous Test playing venues of the world and scorecards of important matches written by well known authorities of the game. "Ground Rules" is beautifully illustrated, 464 page hard back book into 200 large format colour images - many of them are - from some of world's leading cricket photographers - including Patrick Eager, Graham Morris and sports photographic agencies such as 'Getty Images'. The book can justifiably boast a fascinating compilation of Wisden statistics - including the scorecards of every Test match played at the featured rounds since the birth of International Cricket. David Gower, the former England cricket captain and now commentator for Test cricket on television has written a foreword for this master piece publication. Gower says in his lengthy foreword, "It is all too easy to overlook the cricket grounds of this world and the part they play in the game. All of us that have wandered on to a cricket field, whatever our level of achievement on that or any other field, will know exactly what it is that sends the spirit soaring in anticipation of a great day's play". Everyone will have a favourite and every ground will have its fans. There are plenty to go round and the best are all here in Ground Rules". Barney Spender in an introduction of this magnificent book says, "We have assembled a team of writers that will appeal to cricket fans in all corners of the world - a combination of leading Test cricketers and respected cricket writers from a host of Test playing nations. Their combined knowledge of the game and of the grounds featured within the book is unrivalled and this, together with the selection of stunning colour photography make "Ground Rules" a must for cricket lovers everywhere. We hope that this book will be the most celebrated and talked about cricket book ever to be published." I had the rare privilege of meeting the enterprising publisher of "Dakini Books" in her posh offices in central London. Young Nottingham University graduate, Lucky Dissanayake. She said that Dakini Books is an innovative London based publisher, dedicated to creating books of exceptional quality and originality. According to her Dakini Books initiates book projects for the targeted groups of customers with a passionate interest in subjects relating to advertising, sports, cinema, media, fashion, health and beauty. They work alongside the leading specialists in their chosen fields to ensure that the content and imagery within its publications are of truly outstanding quality. We are thrilled with the finished product and have no doubt that it will appeal tremendously to cricket fans worldwide. Considering the high cost of the book, I asked Dissanayake about its marketability and pat came the answer, "We have sold about 3000 books so far and a couple of banks have come forward to market it round the globe. Most of the leading bookshops in the city have placed orders with us and we sell on the internet as well and sales have been very encouraging." Appended below are the comments and the views made by writers about their own cricket playing venues in their own countries: Australia Steve Waugh, Australian cricket's most successful ever captain, provides his personal memories of Test match cricket at the Sydney Cricket Ground and The Melbourne Cricket Ground. Bangladesh The Times cricket writer Richard Hobson charts the colourful yet limited history of Bangladeshi Test cricket at the Banghabandhu Stadium in Dhaka and traces the roots of the ground which, from the mid '50s, hosted Pakistan's home Test matches before the intervention of civil war. England Christopher Martin Jenkins, chief cricket correspondent for The Times and the Voice of BBC Radio's Test Match Special explores the rich history of two of England's finest Test Grounds, Lord's and the Oval. India Sourav Ganguly, Captain of India recalls the great encounters and the finest Test performances at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium and Eden Gardens in Kolkata - including a personal insight into the extraordinary series between India and Australia in 2001. New Zealand The New Zealand Herald's Richard Book explores the history of Test cricket at Basin Reserve, Wellington's famous Test match venue. Pakistan Freelance cricket writer, Qamar Ahmed recounts the moments that have defined Test Cricket at The National Stadium in Karachi. South Africa Peter Robinson, South Africa's leading cricket writer, looks at Cape Town's picturesque Newslands Cricket Ground and provides an account of the great South African players and the key moments - pre and post apartheid - to have shaped the ground's history. Sri Lanka Leading Sri Lankan wicketkeeper/batsman, Kumar Sangakkara reviews the most memorable Test matches and the greatest performances at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo 7. West Indies Cricket commentator, Donna Symmonds gives her account at the events and players that have made Barbados' Kensington Oval one of world cricket's most popular Tsst match venues. Zimbabwe Former Zimbabwe Captain, Andy Flower, the country's greatest ever batsman gives a firsthand insight into the short but eventful history of Test cricket played at the Harare Sports Club. This highly acclaimed book should in the libraries of all cricketing clubs, schools and other sports related institutions. The book is priced at 39.95 sterling pounds in the UK and it can be purchased on the internet: www.dakinibooks.com. Lucky Dissanayake is the daughter of Dr. S. B and Ari Dissanayake of Stratham South East, London. |
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