In the latest of our summer-winter programme of virtual cricket talks co-authors Greg Milam and Tony Dell joined BBC cricket reporter and commentator Mark Church to talk about their book And Bring the Darkness Home. To watch again click here. 

And Bring the Darkness Home is a haunting exploration of how the mental scars of war destroyed an international cricket career, tore a family apart and left destitute a man who seemed to have it all.

Tony Dell was the only Test cricketer to fight in the Vietnam War. His journey to the summit of the game, playing for Australia against England in the Ashes, was as unlikely and meteoric as any in cricket history.

His descent was painful and harrowing. It was in his mid-60s, living in his mother's garage, that he learned the truth about what had led him on a path of self-destruction.

A diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder allowed him to piece together the ruins of his life and also to search for answers, for himself and the thousands of other sufferers.

The restlessness and urgency that once drove him to the top of the game was turned on authorities who refused to learn the lessons from history.

PTSD robbed Tony Dell of memories of his playing career and left a palpable sense of loss. It also gave him a life-changing mission.

Tony's co-author Greg Milam is a foreign correspondent who has spent 30 years reporting on major news events around the world.

He has witnessed first-hand the devastating effect of war, natural disasters and violence and has written extensively about the enormous physical and psychological damage they leave behind.

An avid cricket-lover, he started his career compiling village match reports for a local newspaper in his native Hampshire.

The upcoming talk is the fourth of our third series of live virtual cricket talks this summer and autumn. After the resounding success of the lockdown-inspired series of 21 different talks, this summer sees eight of our new releases being discussed on a Friday night.

Each talk will see be hosted by BBC cricket commentator and reporter Mark Church, and he will be joined by a different author for each of the talks. They will be free to join and open to all cricket fans and promoted to members of the cricket societies across the country.

Over the years our authors have regularly appeared to speak at events, with many scheduled to appear in person this year.

However, with the restrictions remaining in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have elected to continue with this new format, as it has proved hugely popular with fans and society members, and provided a fabulous form of entertainment throughout 2020 and the start of 2021.

The 2021 summer programme will once again see 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 talks will run throughout the summer and will finish in November.

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.

2021 Summer/Autumn Schedule 

15th October 
Philip Brown author of The Colours of Cricket

29th October
Mark Peel author of Never Surrender

12th November
Tom Hicks, author of Bowler's Name?