Anyone but England: Cricket, Race and Class [Paperback]

Anyone But Englandis a detailed exploration into the origins of cricket; the romance, cultural identity, hypocrisy, flaws of governance and glory of the game. Mike Marqusee, an American who fell in love with cricket when he moved to the UK in the 1970s, looks at the history of elitism and empire, and how race and class have always been issues in the game. Scrutinising the long saga of South Africa's exclusion from world cricket, Marqusee charts England's collusion with apartheid, and also details an eye-opening account of Pakistan's controversial 'ball-tampering' tour of England, which provoked intense debate amongst cricket fans about the role of both the media and racism in the modern game. Showing that supporting the game does not mean you need be blind to its flaws, Marqusee's passion and enthusiasm for cricket is threaded through every element ofAnyone But England.

Winner of the Aberdare Literary Prize, awarded by the British Society of Sports History, 1994

Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, 1994

Mike Marqusee (19532015)  journalist, political activist, and author  was born in New York City, and emigrated to Britain in 1971, where he developed a love of cricket.
As well as his many books, Mike published articles in (among others), theGuardian, theIndependent, theDaily Telegraph,theObserver,Index on Censorship,BBC History Magazine,New Left Review,Race and Class,The Nation,Colorlines,India Today,Hindustan Times, Indian Express,Frontline, andOutlook. He was a columnist for the Indian newspaper, TheHindu, and for the British left-wing magazineRed Pepper.

In addition to his writing, Mike was active for several decades in numerous campaigns for social justice. In the early 1980s he was a youth worker and trade union activist. For twenty years he was an active memberlC"