Phil defreitas autobiography in five short

Phil DeFreitas was a very good cricketer. Perhaps not quite at the very highest level, but 44 Test appearances and one-day internationals suggest that he had something going for him, as do first-class dismissals, together with ten centuries and 54 half-centuries.

Off the field a quietly spoken man, on it he was aggressive and combative, often with something to say to batsmen who dared to confront him.

This book is one of the better cricket autobiographies I have read of late and the player is honest throughout, especially in reference to the difficult relationship that he endured with his father.

He broke into an England side that contained more than its fair share of strong-willed characters - Edmonds, Gower, Lamb and Botham feature in plenty of anecdotes, a number of them suggesting that the off-field times were every bit as interesting as those on it.

What comes through is that the young player was fairly insecure, especially in his younger days and had his eyes opened wide by t