Stroke Of Genius: Victor Trumper And The Shot That Changed Cricket

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The year's best cricket book' Daily Telegraph Well researched & engagingly written this exemplary work reveals a hidden historysuperbly told story' Sunday Times Easily the cricket book of the year of the century It extends the possibility of cricket-writing-as-literature' Suresh Menon The Hindu It is arguably the most famous photograph in the history of cricket In George Beldam's picture Victor Trumper is caught in mid stroke the personification of cricketing grace skill & power about to hit the ball long & hard Yet this image ' Jumping Out' is important not only because of who it depicts but also what it illustrates about the changing nature of the game & how it has been seen Now in Gideon Haigh's brilliant new book Stroke of Genius we learn not only about the man in the picture but also the iconography of Trumper's powerful position in cricket's mythology For many Australian batsman Trumper was the greatest ever Neville Cardus wrote 'I have never yet met a cricketer who having seen & played with Victor Trumper did not describe him without doubt or hesitation as the most accomplished of all batsmen of his acquaintance' Like Lionel Messi or Roger Federer today he defied the obvious bounds of affiliation Unlike the current generation of sporting stars however there were no memoirs or papers very few interviews no action footage
- even his date of birth is a matter of debate & conjecture What isn't in doubt though is the impact he had on the game & on his nation Haigh reveals how Trumper & ' Jumping Out' helped to change cricket from the Victorian era of static imagery to something much more dynamic modern & compelling As such Trumper helped not only transform cricket but even the way his country viewed itself