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Worrell

The Brief but Brilliant Life of a Caribbean Cricket Pioneer

About The Book

'The definitive telling of the life of a West Indian hero'
Sir Clive Lloyd


The brilliant all-rounder Frank Worrell had to wait until 1960 to become the first permanent Black captain of the West Indies cricket team, denied for a decade by the elitism, insularity and racism of Caribbean cricket’s rulers. When his chance finally came, Worrell transformed a talented but unfocused team into the most exciting side in the world and led his men into unforgettable series against Australia and England.

Worrell was universally admired as one of cricket’s great captains when he was knighted in 1964, but three years later, he was dead aged just forty-two.

Not merely an extraordinarily talented and record-breaking sportsman, he served the University of the West Indies after his retirement – along with the cricket team and the political federation, one of the three truly unifying elements across a fractious and diverse region.

This biography, by the author of the acclaimed Fire in Babylon and with a foreword by Sir Clive Lloyd, is the definitive telling of Frank Worrell's life and legacy. It reveals how an upbringing in Barbados, cricketing adventures around the world and a determination not to be cowed by the powers that ran island cricket, shaped a great West Indian cricketer into a great West Indian, who changed the game forever.

About The Author

Simon Lister is the author of Supercat, the authorised biography of Sir Clive Lloyd, and Fire in Babylon, a West Indian cricket history inspired by Stevan Riley’s film. Supercat was shortlisted for the British Sports Book Awards. It was ‘beautifully written’, said the Guardian. Fire in Babylon won the MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year award. It was also shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. ESPNcricinfo described it as ‘a superb work of non-fiction with the emotional power of a novel’.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (June 6, 2024)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781398524897

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Raves and Reviews

'Simon Lister's book is utterly mesmerising and inspirational and really does justice to this great pioneer. I strongly recommend you read it, or give it to the cricket lover in your life'

– Amol Rajan

'The definitive telling of the life of a West Indian hero'

– Sir Clive Lloyd

'Lister brought a story-teller's flair to his study of the groundbreaking West Indies captain. Justice has been well and truly done to Frank Worrell's life on and off the field'

– Richard Hobson, Cricketer 

'Lister has form, and here he is on form. The breadth and depth of his research, his eye for colour and stylish writing mean Worrell is likely to become the definitive account of its subject's life and legacy'

– Franklin Nelson, Times Literary Supplement 

'Simon Lister has once again deployed his compelling lucidity, formidable analytical skills – and his gift for the gripping narrative – to craft a biography of distinction, arguably the best on a West Indian cricketer'

– Clem Seecharan, cricket historian

'Beautifully written, brimming with delightful and telling details, expertly structured and in places very moving’

– Stephen Chalke

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