As a cricket fan, I know how hard it can be waiting for that first ball to be bowled in April.
Luckily, we are often blessed with some form of international cricket over the winter. Whether it’s The Ashes or an England tour of South Africa, England fans from all over the country will be watching.
During these difficult times, where many parts of the country are facing different levels of local lockdown restrictions, and where England cricket tours aren’t set in stone, it can be hard for cricket fans to get their leather on willow fix.
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I’ve come up with the top five cricket documentaries for fans to help get themselves through these restrictions this winter:
Our first opener is: The Edge
The film focusses on the era of 2009 to 2013, the rise of the England Test cricket from the bottom of the rankings and how they became the first and only English side to reach world number one. The Edge features Sir Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Sir Alastair Cook, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Matt Prior, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Steven Finn, Tim Bresnan, David Saker and Andy Flower and is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.
Our second to the opening pair is: The Test: A New Era for Australia’s Team
This series looks at the Australian Men’s Cricket Team and their cheating sandpaper scandal, their rebuild, culture and their reclaim of being the world’s number one side. The series is narrated by Brendan Cowell, and features all of the Australian cricket team, past and present. This series is available to watch on Amazon Prime from a subscription or free trial.
Third to the crease is: Death of a Gentleman
This documentary follows the journey of two journalists (Sam Collins and Jarrod Kimber) who set out to find the future of Test cricket. This film also features Jonathan Agnew, Michael Holding, David “Bumble” Lloyd, and Kevin Pietersen. Just like The Test, you can watch this film on Amazon Prime.
Our nightwatchman is: Fire in Babylon
This documentary takes a closer look at the West Indies team of the 1970’s/80’s. Capt. Clive Lloyd gets his team in order and climbs the ranks for years to come. This series is also available to watch on Amazon Prime from a subscription or free trial.
KP: Story of a Genius
This series follows Nasser Hussain’s journey into Kevin Pietersen’s life. The series looks at KP’s life from school in South Africa, his (almost) career in Durban, his England career, Text-Gate, and his life now running SORAI and focussing on Rhino conservation. This series features Nasser Hussain, Kevin Pietersen, Darren Gough, Neil Manthorp, Piers Morgan, Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughn, and Graeme Swann. This is available on Youtube and the Sky Sports website.
