WATCH AGAIN: ALAN BUTCHER ON THE GOOD MURUNGU

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06 Jan

WATCH AGAIN: ALAN BUTCHER ON THE GOOD MURUNGU

In the latest episode of our virtual cricket talks former player, coach and author Alan Butcher joined BBC cricket reporter and commentator Mark Church to talk about his life in cricket and his book The Good Murungu.

If you were unable to join us for the live, virtual talk and question-and-answer session, then you can watch it again by clicking here.

The Good Murungu is the story of Alan coaching Zimbabwe - the most dysfunctional of cricket's Test-playing nations.

This is the fascinating story of a coach trying to build a team while coming to terms with the unique culture and bureaucracy of Mugabe's Zimbabwe.

A phone call out of the blue from a Zimbabwean great alerted him to the possibility of coaching the nation's cricket team. His three years in charge presents an insight into the at times schizophrenic nature of cricket in this intriguing country.

Starting at the point when Butcher was offered the job, he describes the process of moulding a team out of a dispirited and disillusioned group of players.

Part cricket memoir, part travelogue, part ode to Zimbabwe, part lament for a beautiful-but-troubled country, The Good Murungu is a fascinating insight into Zimbabwean cricket.

Prior to his spell in Zimbabwe, Alan has spent more than forty years in professional cricket as a player and coach. He played county cricket for Surrey CCC and Glamorgan CCC and represented England in one Test match and one ODI.

Following coaching spells with Essex CCC and Surrey CCC he became Zimbabwe coach in 2010. Perhaps better known these days as England batsman Mark Butcher's father.

Pitch's 2020/21 Winter Programme of Virtual Cricket Talks

The 2020/21 winter programme will include a mix of backlist and new books due out in spring 2021, with the talks taking place on Friday evenings at 7.30pm and expected to last up to 90 minutes; each will also include a question-and-answer session for attendees.

The links will be published on the day of each talk, and circulated to interested societies ahead of each event to share with members by email or on social media channels.

If you wish to learn more about the titles and authors, or purchase those books to read ahead of the talks, please click the links below for further information.

2020/21 Winter Schedule

22nd January
Peter Miller, author of 28 Days Data

5th February
Abhishek Mukherjee and Arunabha Sengupta, co-authors of Sachin and Azhar in Cape Town

19th Febraury
Stuart Raynor, author of War of the White Roses and Five Trophies and a Funeral

5th March
Richard Parry and Jonty Winch, co-authors of Too Black to Wear White

12th March
Jonathan Rice, author of The Stories of Cricket's Finest Painting

19th March
John Fuller, author of All Wickets Great and Small