Late Cuts

Vic Marks played for Somerset before going on to write and broadcast about cricket, and that lifelong involvement shapes this collection. Rather than dwelling on scores and results, he turns to the parts of the sport that spectators rarely glimpse: the tea-time spread, which has moved from sweaty ham to today's grain salads with cranberry and feta, and the power struggles and alliances inside the dressing room.

The chapters cover the experience of being left out of the team, the demanding role of the twelfth man, the captaincy, the selection process and a range of other subjects. Each one is a self-contained piece, so readers can dip in and out.

The tone is witty and perceptive, and the book is aimed at cricket enthusiasts who want to know what happens behind the boundary.