Sundial in the Shade is a fascinating personal account of long overdue life of a great South African cricketer, Barry Richards, a batsman considered as a genius lost to Test cricket.

This superb book follows the story of what happened to a cricketer with promise of a glittering international career, was denied the world stage and instead consigned to represent for Hampshire, Natal and South Australia.

Barry Richards became increasingly frustrated and disenchanted with the game he had loved. Following retirement, personal tragedy and professional controversy continued to stalk him, though he has now come to an uneasy truce with his sense of unfulfilment, and an acceptance that he will be forever known as the genius lost to Test cricket.

In his foreword, Tim Rice has paid a rich tribute to him: South Africa's Barry Richards is simply one of the greatest batsmen cricket has ever seen, whose talents have at times been bracketed with those of Sir Donald Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar and his namesake Vivian. The comparison would have been made more often but for the well-known tragedy of his career: it coincided almost exactly with his country's period of isolation from the cricket world, 1970-1991, as a result of apartheid. This meant that he only played four Test matches, all against Australia. all of which were won by South Africa, and his contribution of 508 runs at an average of over 72 was a major factor in this triumph.

After that magnificent success, the door slammed shut on South Africa's international cricket and by the time it was prised open again, Barry had retired. He played first-class cricket until 1983, notably for Hampshire and South Australia, and nearly ever time he went to the wicket, his admirers could not but wonder what might have been.

Andrew Murtagh's first book, A Remarkable Man: The Story of George Chesterton, was short-listed for the MCC Cricket Society Book of the Year - for which award Touched by Greatness, his biography of Tom Graveney, is now long-listed. All-rounder Andrew played for Hampshire in the 1970s, and subsequently became an Englilsh teacher at Malvern College.

Bob Murrell has meticulously compiled Barry Richards' career statistics.