Sundial in the Shade: The Story of Barry Richards: the Genius Lost to Test Cricket Hardcover – June 1, 2015

I liked everything about this book except I thought there should have been a comparison or mention, in whatever context the author thought fit, of the current South African batsmen, in particular, another prodigious and possibly comparably gifted talent, like AB de Villiers.,

An excellent book on one of the greatest cricket players to ever come out of South Africa,it was a sad day when the anti apartheid group had him and many other excellent South African sports players banned from playing any sport against international countries! Sadly today all the pre 1994 sporting heroes are not even mentioned or helped in their remaining years when some are suffering with illness.Sadly Barry Richards is banned from broadcasting any cricket match in South Africa,he is not even requested to assist with coaching.

SIMPLY VERY WELL WRITTEN. The author knows his subject, but is able to maintain a fine perspective. However, his professional respect shines through, and he incorporates this into the biography in a most balanced way.It is indeed a most fascinating account, covering fascinating times.Well done Andrew Murtagh ( a modest and forthright man to boot ), and you picked the right subject.We shall never see the like of Barry Richards again.....nor what he ended up enduring with so much character.

A fascinating and enthralling story about a magnificent cricketer! Born in any other era, he would undoubtedly have been ranked as one of the best batsmen the world has ever seen. He was indeed an absolute joy to watch!

For true lovers of international cricket, this book provides a remarkable insight into one of the greatest cricketing talents of all time. The tragedy that was apartheid in South Africa dramatically reduced the fun that cricketing fans would have had from following Barry Richards. The author captures that loss and provides some insightful analysis of what made this complicated character who he was.

What a super read , thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in one of the great batsmen in cricket history as well as a superb insight to a very interesting time in the history of the game.

Very fair and balanced. Murtagh shows great sensivity dealing with the post apartheid years and puts Barry Richard's story in perspective.A good read.

Subjective coverage of Barry Richard's cricket career suited my bias. Repetitive, but overall an enjoyable and informative book.

I remember as a 12 year old seeing Richards play for Hampshire against Sussex in 1978. It was Tony Greig's first game back after his Packer ban. At the end of the first day (possibly of the most one-sided in championship history?) Hampshire had reached 300 for 2 (Greenidge 220 not out) after bowling Sussex out for 77. Richards had made 60 and was out caught driving to mid off. Whilst the Greenidge innings was full of aggressive intent and was remorseless, Richards' innings made more of an impression on me; supremely elegant, unhurried and effortless. Much of what has been written about Richards since then talks about his unfulfilled potential (being one of the most talented players to play the game) and his boredom with the lack of challenge. I felt that the 'circumstances' when he played ( South Africa' s test exile, the remorseless grind of 6 days a week of cricket and the lack of opportunity to make money from the game, mitigated against him and did not allow him to forge the reputation on a wider scale that he deserved.This was a fascinating read from a talented author.

Very good information from an author whom- as both a cricketer and a sometime teammate- really does know his subject. There is much in here that was new to me about Barry Richards career and the author is both persuasive and interesting on this.On the downside, the real time chat element of the interviews the author conducted with Richards are often, frankly, tedious and would have been much better if they had been editorialised. And I don't think I came out of it with any clearer view of Richards as a man. Difficulties were skirted over- how much did he really do in terms of anti-apartheid work, go really end badly at Hampshire - and the truly tragic element, his son's suicide, would have been better left rather then the question-begging and cursory treatment it is afforded.That said, his delight and understanding of the batting of one of the all time greats means this is well worth a read and the access to the subject to get his views on his great innings was probably why the author pulled his punches on more personal issues.

Great Tribute to A Batting Great "Test Crickets lost genius"How good Was Barry Richards"? In Footballing terms think Pele/maradona/ Cruyff then think what it might have been like if they had they had been banned from playing international football for no fault of their own' other than being born in a certain country.(In Richards case Apartheid ridden South Africa )This is a heartfelt story told by fellow cricketer and teammate Andrew Murtagh who at close quaters with Hampshire witnessed Richards Batting Genius and Ultimate frustration in which a glittering international Career was hijacked after just 4 test matches due to the subsequent international boycott of South Africa.The book also deals with his life after cricket i which Richards battles to come to terms with professional and personal matters.Highly recommended and a fitting tribute to a man who was regarded my by many experts andplayers alike as simply one of the greatest batsman to have ever played the game

This book is an enjoyable read about a cricket legend. As a piece of work about genius the author gives the reader some real insights about the personality behind the player....his 'forensic powers of observation' of his opponents (and people generally) as well as his playing technique. As a commentator he was as thoughtful as say, Mike Atherton, FEC when at Cambridge.His test exclusion was a mighty bonus to those who saw him playing in English county cricket, particularly those of us in Hampshire. Andy Murtagh righty mentions his very cautious innings against Northamptonshire (Bishan Bedi in particular) which was critical to one of the two trophies he won with the club. He also made a he made a century against a strong Leicestershire team that was critical to the other that stands out even now: he was,in effect, playing an early version of 2020 cricket by himself that day, decades before the format was introduced.The book is longer than the page count suggests, a five day read rather than three. Overall the author deserves a vote of thanks for sustaining a good line and length, giving a fair appreciation of the man and the wider context in which the game was played.

Purchased for a friend who loves it