Out of My Comfort Zone: The Autobiography

I've always been a huge fan, and Im an Aussie, so I am biased. His career went for such a long period you tend to forget a lot of his moments. I for one found this to be a very enjoyable read. I would say that I would have loved if he spilt a lot more beans on some of the behind the scenes stuff but then again he wouldn't be the steely-eyed iceman, never allowing a moment of ill-dicipline if he did. He is the type of cricketer, mentally, that anyone that has played cricket would love to be. As anyone who ever talked about cricket would say, "if you ever wanted someone to bat for your life...it would be Steve Waugh" I found many aspects of the book revealing especially his early years in England and his relationship with his wife.

As to the pearls of wisdom that are in there. I think they're dotted all over the place. I know a lot of clubs took sections out of them and placed them around the club house. As ever they're typical Steve, internalised but in a team motivating way.

What is it good for? (3/4 people found this helpful)

Steve Waugh may not have been the most attractive player to watch, but as the sort of man who seemed to get runs when it mattered most (or for that matter, pluck a catch out of nowhere or take a wicket with a magic ball), he is certainly one to be respected and admired. He was probably the best of Australia's modern-era Ashes-winning captains, too. So I was expecting this to be full of sage words about the sport - basically the sort of thing the current England team should be using as bedtime reading. It is, too. Especially marked is the difference in attitude between Aussie sportsmen (and non-sportsmen) and their English counterparts. It's a good read. I'd say that this was only marred by three things: a strange reticence about his relationship with his twin brother Mark, the book's extreme length and a tendency towards the end to the sort of self-justification that all too often mars a sporting career.

Waugh Zone (15/16 people found this helpful)

An in-depth look into the life of the person who lead, in my opinion, the greatest cricket team ever to have played the game. A man who always played his cards very close to his chest, and was able to play mind games better than Jose and Ferguson put together. Finally, we get the chance to see what was going on in the head of one of crickets greats.

Out of My Comfort Zone gives the reader a great interaction into the thinking of the man. The mind games not only with other players, to name but one, Curtley Ambrose in 1995 where we actually find out how he managed to get under the skin of one of the greatest fast bowlers, but also the mind games with himself, and the occasional bought of self doubt that crept into his game. As every cricketer knows, self doubt in a batsman leads to self destruction.

What is also very revealing is the problems that the whole Australian team had with the professional bodies of the game, from the ICC to the ACB, and all the problems of touring and team selection. The difficulty of touring the sub-continent is brought about in stark terms, especially the car bomb in Sri Lanka just before the Aussies arrived for the 95 World Cup. The decision of whether to go ahead with the game in Sri Lanka or not and the conflict this caused is bore out in great detail.

The quality of the book is excellent. To date I have not come across an autobiography which has so much detail in it and is so in-depth in recounting events and scores from the past. A fascinating book which is also excellent rounded off with a chapter from Steve's wife Lynette, who describes life as a cricket widow..... of which much of it my own wife can relate to!!!

An excellent book for any cricket fan.

Out of My Comfort Zone: The Autobiography

Steve Waugh

Reader Reviews:

The original Mr cricket (2/2 people found this helpful)

What is it good for? (3/4 people found this helpful)

Waugh Zone (15/16 people found this helpful)

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