On and Off the Field

View other editions of On and Off the Field.
View books by Ed Smith.

An Inside Line - Rated
A remarkable insight into the trials ,successes and failures of an intelligent if sensitive cricketer. An account of the stresses which life as a less than privileged Test cricketer places in a struggle for excellence at the highest level.

Superb introspective diary of a cricket season - Rated
Whilst serving as an overseas player for Kent, Australian captain Steve Waugh suggested to cricketer and author Ed Smith that he should keep a diary of a County Cricket season for his second book. A few meetings with publishers and agents later here it is - a diary of the remarkable 2003 season for the Kent batsman, the drama of which he couldn't have foreseen.

After early struggles, Smith hit a rich vein of form culminating in four successive first class centuries and a call up to the England Test side against South Africa. Three slightly underperforming Tests later, he is unluckily omitted from the touring party for the winter. An amazing roller-coaster season for the player giving added drama to a superb award-winning book.

With his regular sporting and arts columns in the Daily Telegraph and Times, the then 26-year-old Smith is no ordinary sportsman and this is no ordinary sporting book. Ed is unflinchingly honest and self-examining as he tries to improve his game as well as providing fascinating insights into the life of a modern County and Test Cricketer. It's not all introspective though and I found myself almost wanting to tap into his lifestyle - probably partly because, like me, he is something of a part-time writer with another main job.

On And Off The Field is an excellently written, thought-provoking book - essential for intelligent cricket fans and anyone who wants to know what makes an inward-looking sportsman tick,

Inside Smith's Head - Rated
This is a superb cricket book. Smith is an excellent writer & shares his innermost thoughts with the reader during a rollercoaster season.

It's hard to put this book down, and you feel like you're living the season - actually experiencing what it must be like - the doubts, anxieties & rewards of being a professional sportsperson. Recommended for any cricket fan (or as someone above wrote - if you enjoy good writing).

The stimulating inside track - Rated
The inside track on the highs and lows of life as a professional sportsman; Ed Smith's combination of broad-mindedness, philosophical outlook and undoubted writing skills make for a stimulating book which is a cut above the standard one-dimensional county pro's diary. Recommended to cricket fans and admirers of good writing alike.

Disappointing - Rated
The cricket diary has become a rather tired format and I'm afraid that Ed Smith does not succeed in breathing new life into it.

I greatly enjoyed Ed Smith's first book (Playing Hard Ball) and was looking forward to this one, however, I was rather disappointed.

Ed Smith is likeable and interesting man (at least in print) and there are interesting sections but overall it does not manage to rise above the mundane (and very occasionally, for example the chapter about Bruce Springsteen, it is rather poor). I enjoyed the sections on his trip to India and some of the technical analysis but ultimately this book offers little new and did not ever really grab my attention.

There are many better cricket books available.