'Ever since Test cricket began, the position of Australian cricket captain has been the top sporting job in the country. It has had enormous prestige, and has been held by men more popular than any governor, state leader or prime minister ... After more than 120 years of Test cricket, the position of captain of Australia has maintained its high-profile image, prestige and popularity beyond any public office. ' (Roland Perry from the introduction to CAPTAIN AUSTRALIA) CAPTAIN AUSTRALIA tells the remarkable story of each of the 41 Australian Test cricket captains, from the first Test Australia played in 1877 to the brilliant Test successes of the 2000-01 season. Roland Perry celebrates each Australian cricket captain and explores the role each Test skipper has played in shaping Australia's reputation as a great cricketing nation. From the wit and wherewithal of Will Murdoch in 1890, to the determination of battling Allan Border in 1990; from the winning ways of the imposing Warwick Armstrong, to those of current captain Steve Waugh, eighty years apart, each leader has been an individual of the highest calibre, with his own unique style. CAPTAIN AUSTRALIA explores the quirks and individualism of each captain; from the inspirational cricketers, such as Vic Richardson and his grandson Ian Chappell; to the quiet achievers, such as Billy Woodfull and Bobby Simpson; to the supreme skills and dominance of the late Sir Donald Bradman. CAPTAIN AUSTRALIA remembers the famous incidents of the captains' careers - such as the mock obituary notice, during Will Murdoch's captaincy in 1882, announcing the 'cremation' of English cricket, which led to the introduction of 'the Ashes' series - and the lesser known facts, such as the alternate careers each captain also had to maintain while leading Australia's Test side for months at a time, in the years before cricket turned professional. CAPTAIN AUSTRALIA, first published in hardback in November 2000, has been revised as a trade paperback to include updated material on Sir Donald Bradman, Steve Waugh, and Waugh's replacement Test skipper for part of the 2000-01 season, Adam Gilchrist. CAPTAIN AUSTRALIA, is a compelling and highly readable history of Australian cricket and its leadership. REVIEWS: 'Comparing great cricketers of different eras is fraught with danger. Roland Perry has risen to the challenge.' ----THE BULLETIN 'Students of the great game will love Roland Perry's CAPTAIN AUSTRALIA.' ----SUNDAY MAIL (Brisbane) 'The most interesting chapter is that on Ian Chappell which notes cultural and political connections between Chappell, Bob Hawke, the advertising guru John Singleton, 1970s '"ockerism" and the promotion of WSC.' -----THE AGE