Complex, prickly and fiercely independent, Peter Roebuck became known as a first class cricketer in England, rose to fame internationally as a writer and broadcaster and ultimately divided his time between Australia and South Africa.
His long-standing feud with one of the biggest names in the sport was as infamous as it was rancorous. He engendered a widespread and loyal following for fearlessly wading into controversies – match-fixing, corruption, rotten governments – that left him exposed and vulnerable. At the end, he was accused of sexual assault and the nature of his death was horrific.
In a remarkable tale that spans multiple continents, an uncompromising investigation and unflinching testimonies from the likes of Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Mike Atherton, Gideon Haigh, Ian Chappell, Jonathan Agnew and members of the Roebuck family, the authors have pieced together the fragments of an often brilliant yet uneasy life – and reveal how it all unravelled.
'In many ways, he was at his happiest talking about and writing about the game. It was the rest of life he didn't quite master.' The Times
Tim Lane is a broadcaster and columnist with extensive experience in the electronic and print media. He worked alongside Peter Roebuck at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for twelve years.
Elliot Cartledge is a writer and editor from Melbourne, Australia who has written extensively about sport, music and travel across the globe. This is his third sports book.
