August 1961. Old Trafford, Manchester . The three previous Tests of the series: a draw, a win for Australia, a win for England. A wonderful snapshot of a game on cusp, with everything to play for.Watching on, an entire nation sits on tenterhooks as England led by Peter May - risk-adverse and establishment-minded - seem on the verge of victory. Yet, somehow, they manage to throw it all away as Australia led by their charismatic skipper Richie Benaud storms to victory. The difference between May and Benaud is highlighted the evening before when Benaud, dashing and free-thinking, strolled out to inspect the wicket wearing a pair of blue suede shoes. Such sartorial boldness would have been unthinkable from his opposite number known for sporting a sharp blazer and cravat. Written by master historian, David Kynaston and Harry Ricketts, Richie Benaud''s Blue Suede Shoes marks a vivid recreation of five days of sharply fluctuating fortunes and weaves the narrative of the match into a broader tapestry of social change in the 60s - a time when the old amateur era of cricket is reaching its overdue end, and broader changes were afoot.>

Autorentext
David Kynaston was born in Aldershot in 1951. He has been a professional historian since 1973 and has written eighteen books, four of which are based on different aspects of cricket history including the award-winning Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket. He is currently a visiting professor at Kingston University. Harry Ricketts is a critic and poet who, in addition to biographies of Kipling and the War Poets, has written the guide How to Catch a Cricket Match.

Klappentext

August 1961. Old Trafford, Manchester. The three previous Tests of the series: a draw, a win for Australia, a win for England. A wonderful snapshot of a game on cusp, with everything to play for. Watching on, an entire nation sits on tenterhooks as England led by Peter May - risk-adverse and establishment-minded - seem on the verge of victory. Yet, somehow, they manage to throw it all away as Australia led by their charismatic skipper Richie Benaud storms to victory. The difference between May and Benaud is highlighted the evening before when Benaud, dashing and free-thinking, strolled out to inspect the wicket wearing a pair of blue suede shoes. Such sartorial boldness would have been unthinkable from his opposite number known for sporting a sharp blazer and cravat. Written by master historian, David Kynaston and Harry Ricketts, Richie Benaud's Blue Suede Shoes marks a vivid recreation of five days of sharply fluctuating fortunes and weaves the narrative of the match into a broader tapestry of social change in the 60s - a time when the old amateur era of cricket is reaching its overdue end, and broader changes were afoot.

Zusammenfassung
'An epic contest superbly retold . . . a fascinating slice of social history, it is a spellbinding read' Vic Marks 'A scrupulous and subtle evocation of one's of cricket's forgotten classics' Gideon Haigh David Kynaston and Harry Ricketts relive the compelling story of a gripping Ashes-deciding Test match that heralded the dawn of an new era for English cricket. The Ashes are on the line as England and Australia meet at Old Trafford in July 1961 for the fourth Test. For most of the match, England have their noses ahead - until a dramatic final day, of intensely fluctuating fortunes, as the tourists eventually storm to victory. In short, an Ashes classic, told here by David Kynaston and Harry Ricketts in vivid and immersive detail, recreating the sometimes agonising experience of millions of armchair viewers and listeners. At the heart of Richie Benaud's Blue Suede Shoes are two strikingly contrasting personalities: England's captain, the Cambridge-educated, risk-averse, establishment-minded Peter May; and Australia's captain, the charismatic, risk-taking, open-minded Benaud - a contrast not only between two individuals, but between two cricketing and indeed national cultures. Whereas Benaud and Australia symbolised a new, meritocratic era, May and England seemed, in what was still an amateur-dominated game, to look back to an old imperial legacy out of sync with the dawning Sixties. The sharply observed final chapters take the story up to the present day. They relate the 'after-lives' of the match's key participants, including Ted Dexter, Bill Lawry and Fred Trueman as well as May and Benaud; trace the continuing chequered relationship between English cricket and broader social change; and, after six more decades of fierce Ashes rivalry, wrestle with the perennial conundrum for all England supporters - why do the baggy green caps usually beat us?