In the Firing Line : A Diary of a Season

Foreword; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Diary of a season; The Australian domestic cricket season; The PKF Tasmanian Tigers. Ed Cowan, opening left-hand batsman for Tasmania, has always been a bit of a scribbler. It started with to-do lists and notes to self, but then he started keeping a cricket diary – a 'batting bible' with thoughts on the game, other players, motivational philosophies and records of performances. The diary has become so much a part of his routine that he admits to being a little upset if he can't see it in his cricket bag. Other cricketers have found the habit a little odd. But for Cowan it's been a way of keeping an uncluttered head and making sense of the game. In the Firing Line, based on the diary Cowan kept while playing his second season for Tasmania over the summer of 2010-11, reveals with intelligence and a touch of humour the excruciatingly shaky position of the domestic cricket player. It's far from the glamour of playing for Australia and uncomfortably close to the long drop to amateurism, yet every match is rife with the possibility of being discovered and propelled into international stardom in the baggy green. Annotation Based on the diary of Tasmania cricketer Ed Cowan, this book includes the left-handed batsmans thoughts on the game, other players, motivational philosophies, and records of performances. Funny and intelligent, it offers aview into cricket life on and off the pitch and what makes cricket tick for both its fans and players. Far from the glamour of playing for Australia and uncomfortably close to the long drop to amateurism, this narrative illustrates the pressure and excitement of a player when every match is rife with the possibility of being discovered and propelled into international stardom in the baggy green