An Autobiographical XI: Test XI of cricketers who wrote autobiographies

Bowlers:

Shane Warne

The Sheikh of Tweak: Shane Warne

M: 145 Inn: 199 Runs: 3154 Bat. Avg: 17.32 Best: 99 50/100: 12/0 Wickets: 708 Bowl. Avg: 25.41 5W: 37 BBI: 8/71

You cannot be penning down a Test XI and not include Shane Keith Warne. One of the best to have ever played the game, ‘King of Spin’ Warnie wrote his autobiography ‘Shane Warne: My Autobiography’ in 2001, at a time when he had picked up 356 Test scalps.

Having gone on to account for 342 more in his career, the book does not completely bring out what he thought about his playing days. The major talking point about his personal account remains the internal conflicts he had to fight, given the vast difference in his image on and off the field.

Glenn McGrath

McGrath's on field intensity was second to none

M: 124 Wickets: 563 Avg: 21.64 SR: 51.9 5W: 29 BBI: 8/24

Glenn McGrath was one of the fiercest competitors on the field and one of the sweetest guys on the other side of the boundary rope. Bowling with a staggering accuracy of line and length, he made run-scoring very tedious for opposition batsmen.

‘Line and Strength’ is McGrath’s story, an account of grit and determination which made him a world champion bowler and the emotional aspect of the biggest loss of his life-the death of his wife. ‘Pigeon’ as he was fondly called, flies right into the heart of the reader.

Shoaib Akhtar

The Rawalpindi Express derailed many a batsman

M: 46 Wickets: 178 Avg: 25.69 SR: 45.7 5W: 12 BBI: 6/11

Shoaib Akhtar featuring on this list will raise a lot of eyebrows. He faces tough competition from the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Broad who have also penned their life stories and went on to play far more Tests and pick more wickets than the Pakistani pacer, but the rawness and diversity that the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ brings to the table made me opt for him ahead of his contemporaries.

He was one of those players whom a captain would have handed the ball and just told to express himself. The sheer pace with which he fired the cricket ball not just gat him the famous moniker but also instilled a fear in the minds of the batsmen facing him.

‘Controversially Yours’ is an apt title to the story of a cricketer whom you can neither love nor hate.

James Anderson

James Anderson is England's highest wicket taker

M: 134 Wickets: 523 Avg: 27.40 SR: 56.5 5W: 25 BBI: 7/42

When he came into the English side in 2003, no one would have predicted such an illustrious bowling career for Jimmy Anderson. The young lad kept improving one season after another, developing bowling tact and techniques that helped him fox the best in the business.

Fitness played a huge role in his longevity at the highest level and with still a lot of cricket left in him, we shall see him christen his name as the top wicket taker amongst fast bowlers.

‘Jimmy: My story’ written in 2013 is Anderson’s reflection on his cricket career, vividly describing his highs and lows along the journey.