Biography of a forgotten cricketer

I read interesting biographies of a forgotten cricketer and an unforgettable cricketer.

The forgotten cricketer Jack Iverson was the so called mystery spinner. Iverson had a unique grip which meant that he could bowl legbreak, googly all with the same grip. What is interesting is that he took up cricket when he was 31 and played test cricket at 36. Jack Iverson's biography is titled Mystery Spinner: The Life and Death of an Extraordinary Cricketer and is written by that brilliant Aussie writer Gideon Haigh.

There are many moments in the book which touch your heart but the following one tops it all because of my similar experience in the grad school. Iverson was undoubtedly the best spinner during 1950-51 Ashes series but still had self doubts. He says sometime later (1960's) in an interview, ``Do you know how it is to play Test cricket with an inferiority complex? ''
Just demonstrates, test cricket is a mental game more than anything else. Probably applies at every level. Grad school is just like test cricket. You get into grad school because of your ability. The success in grad school is down to your mental makeup.

If you are not still convinced about picking this book to read, please read this review on Guardian.

I think the blog is little too long. I will post the blog on Basil D'Oliveira sometime later.