The Little Big Book of World Cup Cricket, 2011 edition, by Indra Vikram Singh

A snapshot of the cricket World Cup from its inception in 1975 to 2007, and a preview of the 2011 tournament

My fourth book 'The Little Big Book of World Cup Cricket', edition II 2011, published by Media Eight, ISBN 9788173142208, 288 pages paperback, and priced at Rs. 295, hit the bookshelves in early January 2011. This is the updated version of the 2007 edition of the book with the same title.

Attractively designed in a manner that reflects the modern game, the book narrates the story of all the nine cricket World Cups from 1975 to 2007, and carries a preview of the 2011 ICC World Cup being staged in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19 to April 2, 2011. Like the shorter version of the game, the book gives a snapshot of the tournament, thereby affording brisk, easy reading. There are 49 classic matches from the exhilarating one-wicket victory of the West Indies over Pakistan at Edgbaston in 1975 to another nail-biting one-wicket triumph by England at the expense of the West Indies in Brian Lara's swansong at Bridgetown in 2007.

The 51 amazing individual performances include the blitzkrieg by Vivian Richards and Collis King in the 1979 final and the onslaught by Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn in the 2003 final. The exploits of 50 legends of the World Cup encompassing the likes of Kapil Dev and Lance Klusener are chronicled in precise words.

To sum up this showpiece event is the 80-page records section that brings to the aficionado all the highlights and the glorious achievements of superstars like Sachin Tendulkar and Glenn McGrath. It is a handy book that affords a panoramic view of cricket's ultimate test in One-day cricket.