BAM Construct UK’s long-serving communications man Mark Slattery has written his first book – an absurd collection of cricket teams, selected according to the commonality of their names.
Cricket’s Craziest Teams features real international players, organised by their names to create XIs for tradesmen, industry, and such abstract themes as birds, hotels, dogs, baking, and motoring among its 50.
“Cricket buffs who go back a bit may remember players named Contractor and Engineer,” said Slattery, “so I thought there must be others to fit the theme.” The Construction Crazy Cricket XI therefore also features the likes of Mason Crane, the English leg-spinner (who Slattery says “counts double points”) and players called Steel, Power, Loader and Wall.
The book also features stories about the players that he unearthed during two years of research. “Peter Loader, the English fast bowler of the 1960s, set up his own haulage company. He obviously got this idea before I did,” said Slattery.
Rather than selecting teams based purely by name, Slattery said he set himself the challenge of creating a balanced side, with players capable of fulfilling the various different roles required in a successful team.
The book has been published just ahead of the T20 World Cup, which starts on 17 October and runs for four weeks, and the Ashes, which begins on 8 December and finishes in January.
Cricket’s Craziest Teams is available on Amazon here.
