PONTING. at the close of play

Transcription

1 The autobiography of a cricket legend Published: Monday, 21 October 2013 Contact: Nicola Woods, Campaign Manager-Non-Fiction E: nicola.woods@harpercollins.com.au T: , M: PONTING at the close of play I played cricket. I played junior cricket, indoor cricket, club cricket, rep cricket, state cricket, T20 cricket, one-day cricket and Test cricket. When I didn t play cricket, I trained to play cricket. I played cricket almost everywhere cricket is played and with some of the greatest players there have ever been. I played in what might have been the best team the world has ever seen. I tried to be the best cricketer I could possibly be. I gave everything I had to that cause from the time I was a small boy until long after most of my contemporaries had walked away. RICKY PONTING On August 17, 2013, Ricky Ponting walked off the field at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua for the last time as a professional cricketer. It was the end of a very public career and a very private journey that began almost 30 years before, when a young Ricky, in the Under-13s, scored four centuries in a week at a schoolboys cricket carnival in Tasmania, to earn himself a bat contract with Kookaburra and the reputation of a kid to watch. When former Prime Minister John Howard famously quipped that he had the second most important job in Australia behind the captain of our cricket team, he gave us the best description of what it is like to be the captain of Australia s First Eleven. It is an honour, but unrelenting, and it s a job Ricky Ponting had for nine years. Next week, Ricky Ponting, one of the greatest cricketers to have worn the baggy green, will publish his end-of-career autobiography. With his customary honesty and candour, Ponting looks back on a lifetime at the crease from childhood prodigy to the highs and lows of his extraordinary international career. But beyond the triumphs, scandals and his own private struggle to maintain his later form, this remarkable autobiography will offer rare insights into an elite sporting career with Ponting s reflections on the greats of the game and the lessons learned at the helm of Australia s cricket team. This autobiography, of a very private man, and one of our most public figures, will resonate with lovers of cricket as well as anyone who strives to reach the top of their chosen field.

2 Ponting Foundation Ricky and Rianna Ponting have raised in excess of $10 million since 2002 to help young Australians and their families beat cancer. In 2008 they established the Ponting Foundation to provide focus to their fundraising efforts. Ponting s philanthropic efforts and sporting achievements were recognised when he was awarded an Order of Australia honour in Sales of At the Close of Play contribute to the work of the Ponting Foundation. For more information please visit pontingfoundation.com.au Ricky Ponting will undertake an extensive national book tour from 22 October TOUR DATES 2013 SYDNEY CANBERRA ADELAIDE PERTH BURNIE LAUNCESTON HOBART MELBOURNE GOLD COAST BRISBANE NOOSA October + 14 & 15 December 25 October 28 & 29 October + 3 & 4 December 30 & 31 October + 11 & 12 December 6 November 6 & 7 November 7 & 8 November 13 November + 7 December 18 November November 21 November FOR FULL TOUR DETAILS PLEASE VISIT HarperCollins Authors on Tour harpercollins.com.au

3 One of Australia s most public, and famously private, figures opens up in his remarkable autobiography on: CRICKET and a lifetime at the crease, from Under-13s to international cricket captain; nine years in the top job of Australian Captain; and 20 years in the company of two generations of cricket greats. FAMILY and the unstinting support of his wife, Rianna to the private anguish of their dream to start their own family. MENTORS & MATES and the Mowbray men who encouraged his early promise to playing with the greats of Australian and international cricket. WHAT MAKES HIM TICK and what it takes to have a career as an elite sportsperson; Ricky also lists and reflects on the international players, top English and Indian cricketers he most admired in his career. THE DECISION TO RETIRE and his thoughts on the decline in his form that every elite sportsperson has to confront, process and accept. PONTING FOUNDATION and his ambition to leave a legacy beyond cricket.

4 FACTS HarperCollins Australia s single biggest stock release for an Australian autobiography or memoir in a decade. The first print run is 100,000 copies. Close to 80,000 copies will hit the Australian retail market on day one of release. A Hindi edition will be published by HarperCollins India in city, 2 month tour. 43 events and counting... Simultaneously published in Australia, New Zealand, UK, India, The Caribbean and South Africa.

5 Ricky Ponting is available for interview To request further information, review copies and interviews, please contact: Nicola Woods, Campaign Manager Non-Fiction T: , M: At the Close of Play by Ricky Ponting Published: 21 October 2013 Imprint: HarperCollins Format: Hardback; 720pp, 2 x 16pp colour picture section RRP: $49.99 ISBN: e-book available harpercollins.com.au Credit Line: At the Close of Play by Ricky Ponting, published by HarperCollins. Available from all good bookstores. Sales of this book contribute to the work of the Ponting Foundation. See media kit for further information and images available.