Inspired by Stevan Riley’s marvellous 2011 film of the same name, this is Simon Lister’s shot at describing and understanding one of the finest sports teams ever – or “several dots on the map, dominating the world” as their fast bowler Andy Roberts puts it – and the effect it had on that world. A tall order, but one that Lister delivers beautifully. While the written form can never truly capture the dismissive majesty of Gordon Greenidge’s hook shot, or the sleek brutality of Michael Holding’s pummelling of the aged Brian Close, it can encompass the history of West Indian cricket (particularly in relation to the British empire) and the transformative effect the 1970s/80s team had on people in the Caribbean and its diaspora.
As near definitive as you could want, Lister’s expert and knowledgeable book is aided hugely by the fact that many of its central characters and interviewees – Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Viv Richards and Holding himself – are men of undiminished and erudite gravitas.
Fire in Babylon is published by Yellow Jersey Press (£18.99). Click here to buy it for £15.19
