Cricket Cauldron

Cricket mania has engulfed South Asia with global effect, and nowhere more powerfully than in Pakistan. Here it defines national identity and boosts morale when Pakistan is struggling to contain internal political conflict and the 'war on terror' on - and more recently within - its borders. Shaharyar Khan shows how cricket has been transformed by the global media and huge financial rewards bringing in their wake corruption - betting scandals and match-fixing - and threatening the reputation of cricket and sport globally. He shows the media-fed frenzy has exacerbated Pakistan's social and class divisions and has even brought Islamic religiosity into sport. But despite these tensions, he shows a ray of hope: cricket has contributed to international tensions on and off the field but has been a bridge of peace between India and Pakistan at local and international levels. Shaharyar Khan served as Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board from 2003 -2006 - a pivotal period in the history of modern cricket and during his time has reformed the PCB - a body of vital national political interest - worked with the national coach, the late Bob Woolmer, and re-structured the game from grassroots level to the national team. This is an essential and riveting work for all cricket enthusiasts but with a vital additional dimension of social history and international relations; Shaharyar Khan shows how the former gentlemanly pastime of cricket has grown to be a global Leviathan fed by media frenzy and international money.