From the award-winning author of The Tour and England: The Biography, a compelling new look at the untold story behind one of English sport’s oldest records.

THE WISDEN BOOK OF THE YEAR

'A forensic tour de force' VIC MARKS

'Engrossing ... Illuminating detective work into the astonishing statistics of English cricket's most enduring record' ANDY ZALTZMAN

In 1902 at The Oval, Gilbert Jessop played arguably the greatest innings in the history of cricket. His whirlwind century led England from certain defeat to glorious victory, and set a speed record that still stands over 1,000 Test matches later.

Yet the exact circumstances of Jessop’s feat have long been shrouded in mystery. The original scorebooks are missing and the famous claim that he faced 76 balls has rarely been scrutinised. In this riveting investigation, Simon Wilde draws on long-forgotten sources to uncover what really happened. Could Jessop, in fact, have reached his hundred even faster than we thought?

'A fascinating and definitive account of one of cricket's most fabled innings' JOHN ETHERIDGE

‘A delight from start to finish’ WISDEN CRICKET MONTHLY

"Gripping" - The Times

"Wilde has a pleasing eye for the little details that drive such granular histories, from the travails of the official score-keepers to the slapstick, His Girl Friday-like press room. And he gilds this with archival rigour" - New Statesman

"This Wilde goose chase (see what I did there) is a delight from start to finish: part social history, part statistical mystery, a tale to get lost in as longer nights approach ... Wilde is excellent on both the significance of the match – England’s knife-edge win helped to create and establish the possibilities of the format – and the culture surrounding it" - Wisden Cricket Monthly