Bent Arms and Dodgy Wickets : England's Troubled Reign as Test Match Kings During the Fifties

When Andrew Strauss's team seized the world title in 2011 they finally recovered what had been lost at the Adelaide Oval in 1959. This tale of England's preceding triumph and fall from grace is recounted through the memoirs of many of the stars at a time when English cricket was hampered by controversy, snobbery and anachronistic fixations.

When Andrew Strauss''s team seized the world title in the summer of 2011 they finally recovered what had been lost at the Adelaide Oval in 1959. This tale of England''s preceding triumph and loss is recounted through the memoirs of many of the star players when England had last been top of the world. Bent Arms and Dodgy Wickets tells the story of English cricket''s slow recovery from the Second World War, of its brief time of triumph and of its undignified fall from grace - a tale of fluctuating fortunes reflected upon by great names including Hutton, Compton and Trueman, Lindwall and Miller, McGlew and Weekes. The title refers to the sporting controversies of the time - suspect bowling actions and poor pitches - as Britain declined as an imperial power, and English cricket was hampered by class snobbery, anachronistic fixations and an uncompetitive domestic game.