Old cricket tour diaries can be a hit and miss affair as some cricketers cum authors concentrate muchly on long-forgotten matches (many of which deserve to be forgotten) and cryptic references to in-jokes that don’t stand up when reading years later.

Ian Chappell’s “Tigers among the lions” sometimes falls into this trap but in the main is proves a useful account of the 1972 Australian Ashes tour of England. Australia may have lost the series but they seemed to have fun doing so, although sadly Chappell doesn’t delve into the details of the huge post-game piss-ups that were de rigueur in that period (and mandatory for a team including Rod Marsh and Doug Walters).

What I found most interesting was Chappell’s references to a young tearaway named Dennis Lillee and Chappell’s quite casual response to Bob Massie’s sixteen wickets on debut. “Tigers among the lions” is no doubt quite difficult to get hold of these days but well worth forking out a few dollars for if you can find it. ( )

A breezy text and lots of pictures - an entertaining history ( )