Tim Beard Editor

Major poets like Ted Hughes, Simon Armitage and Sean O’Brien have all written poems that use cricket
as metaphor for – for different things. Suspended moments, revenge, class – cricket as a vehicle.
Sebastian Faulks has provided his first ever published poem, a haiku, full of longing. John Agard, the most
Caribbean of poets, has several in this anthology – Give the ball to the Poet closes the collection. Poems from
India, including work by Arundhathi Subramaniam, emerge through the lens of the status of the English
language in that literary culture.
We’ve moved on from nostalgia to a poetic world that is vibrant with inventive language, politically engaged and aware of the flaws and triumphs of our fellows. Brand new poems
from Tim Key and Ian McMillan also feature.

About the editors
Nicholas Hogg is a prize-winning poet and novelist who used to be a fast bowler. His work brings an
energetic, sometimes ferocious perspective. Nicholas is co-founder of the revived Authors XI, a team
also featuring Tim Beard, a poet who reads a lot of detective fiction.