The captains' tales - David Fulton

No one feels the heat of an Ashes battle more than the captains of England and Australia. The weight of national expectation, and more than 120 years of history, is on their shoulders from the moment they walk out to toss a coin and start a Test match that is like no other.

The Captains' Tales offers a unique insight into the minds of a generation of captains from two great nations, who share with the reader what it feels like to call the shots in Test cricket's greatest cauldron. From Mike Brearley's cajoling of Ian Botham during the famous summer of 1981 to Ricky Ponting's revenge mission of 2006-07, each Ashes captain from the last quarter-century reveals what made him tick, his vision of where he wanted to take his team and how he handled key characters within the dressing-room. The author, former Kent captain David Fulton, delves behind the scenes for clues about how these sporting generals constructed their battle plans and uses his own experience to determine their strengths and weaknesses as leaders of men.

The Captains' Tales will strike a chord not just with cricket lovers but with sporting captains of all abilities and readers who seek a greater insight into the broader issues of management and leadership.