Video Review - The Story of Cricket

From the sublime (World Cup Final centuries from Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Aravinda de Silva) to the far from sublime (the aluminium bat in Perth, finger-wagging in Faisalabad, dirt in the pocket at Lord's) cricket has been caught on camera in ever-increasing depth over the years, and the re-issued "Story of Cricket", now available on DVD and video (Green Umbrella, running time 120 minutes approx and available from CricShop at £14.99) catches the flavour.

From the first moving pictures of the game's original legend WG Grace, watched by Victorian ladies in all their finery, to the fantastic Test series between India and Australia last year, presenter David Gower traces the development of the game at international level. Bowling in Grace's day was described as "distinctly underhand" by a commentator then, so heaven knows what he would have made of Trevor Chappell's last-ball grubber to New Zealand's Brian McKechnie in 1981, when Australia were not even in danger of losing.

There is something oddly reassuring about seeing the gasometer in place at The Oval in 1920, and the early coaching sessions conducted at the home of cricket under the considerable aegis of Walter Brearley. How wonderful to be at Lord's for a rare fix of cricket during the war years, as the likes of Denis Compton, Bill Edrich and Godfrey Evans took a fleeting chance to swap their uniforms for flannels. Before that there is the emergence of Don Bradman - his 309 in a day against England at Headingley - and extensive coverage of the Bodyline series, which to a limited degree neutralised him. How bizarre, too, to hear the Australian captain in the following series, Bill Woodfull, encouraging the English to buy Australian sultanas, butter and eggs to boost trade between the two countries.

Although The Ashes inevitably dominate the earlier years, the emergence of other cricketing nations is dealt with, and George Headley's strokeplay for the West Indies in 1933 is a delight, despite being filmed from a 45-degree camera position that might seem strange today. There is footage of the inaugural Test against India at Lord's in 1932, and South Africa's first series win in England in 1935. Entertaining it was not, and again the commentator does not mince his words.

Other highlights include the peerless Jack Hobbs' retirement speech, in which he laments his failure to reach 200 first-class centuries (he finished on 197), and Len Hutton overtaking Bradman's world Test record 334 to win three vintage cheers from the crowd at The Oval. There is some inventive commentary too, with the crowd noise from a vinyl record and the sound of bat on ball replicated by the tapping of a pencil on a desk. And years later in Antigua, the man who broke Hutton's record, Gary Sobers, hugging his compatriot Brian Lara, who had just surpassed Sobers' own 365.

Such is the extent of individual achievements as Test cricket has proliferated in recent years, it is impossible to list all those dwelt upon here. But the speed of Michael Holding is breathtaking - one of Geoff Boycott's stumps did not so much cartwheel as spin at Trinidad in 1981. And there is Viv Richards, on his home ground, decimating England's attack for the fastest hundred in Test history. As Graham Gooch and Ian Botham discuss field placings, commentator Ralph Dellor suggests that Row F, Seat 27 might be appropriate. Nothing more epitomises the power of the West Indies in those days, and what a tragedy it was that the then unacceptable regime in South Africa prevented them from meeting the likes of Graeme Pollock, Mike Procter, Barry Richards and Eddie Barlow.

A century hence, perhaps cricket enthusiasts will marvel at the limitations of coverage at the turn of the Millennium. None of them will have been at a ground to watch Sachin Tendulkar bat, or had a first-hand view of Richard Hadlee's mastery of seam and swing. Goodness knows what they may make of those grainy glimpses of Grace. But they will have an archive to treasure, enhanced no doubt by future deeds of heroism in a constantly evolving game.