Ashes to Ashes

A frank assessment of the past, present and future of the game from the only man to have captained and coached the England team. The personalities and contributions of characters such as Basil D'Oliveira, Graham Gooch, Graeme Hick and Phil Tufnell are dissected and he offers fresh insights into many of the controversies in the game, from the rebel tour of South Africa, to Mike Atherton's alleged ball tampering and his own treatment as England coach. Cricket today comes under Fletcher's spotlight, as he assesses sledging, the value of overseas players, the complacency of administrators and the attempts to keep cricket high profile in the face of competition from football and rugby. With the Ashes series in summer 05, Fletcher is ideally placed - having toured Down Under as both player and coach - to look at why the Australians have been so dominant, what lessons England must learn, and whether that dominance will continue.