Absolutely Foxed

Wonderfully entertainingMail on Sunday';Profoundly importantGuardian Graeme Fowler - former England cricketer, happy-go-lucky joker and inspirational coach - was 47 whendepression struck. Suddenly one of the most active men youd ever meet couldnt even get up off the sofa to make a cup of tea. InAbsolutely Foxed, a cricket memoir like no other, Fowler takes the reader on a vivid ride, with riotous stories of life on England tours,partying with Ian Botham and Elton John, combined with a moving account of his battle with mental-health issues. A hugelyinfluential coach, and one of the most original thinkers about the game, Fowler looks back over his 40 years in the professional game, including his 16 years on the county circuit with Lancashire and Durham, and his three years as an England international - a period that was cut short by a life-threatening injury. He followed that with a spell working onTest Match Special, before running the Durham Centre of Excellence for 18 years. In his Foreword, lifelong friend Sir Ian Botham describes Fowler as one of the gutsiest I ever encountered, but also points out how he made a dressing room tick. Those elements of courage, knowledge and humour are all present inAbsolutely Foxed- a truly unmissable read.