There are now thousands of cricket-related audiobooks on Audible and no shortage of lists claiming to have picked the best. This one is different in a single way: every title below was checked against Audible’s own catalogue, so the narrator, the running time and the edition are the real ones rather than somebody’s memory of them.
The list is ordered by how likely the book is to hold your attention and be worth finishing, not by fame. It covers the player autobiographies first, then the books about the mental game, then the ones that explain how cricket works.
The facts
| Audiobook | Who it is for | Length | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing It My Way Sachin Tendulkar | The one autobiography every fan should start with | Sartaj Garewal | |
| No Spin Shane Warne with Mark Nicholas | The sharpest voice in cricket, arguing with everyone | Rhys Muldoon | |
| On Fire Ben Stokes | The 2019 summer, from the middle of it | Luke Francis | |
| Sultan Gideon Haigh with Wasim Akram | Fast bowling as a solved problem | Ranjit Madgavkar | |
| Over and Out: My Innings of a Lifetime with Test Match Special Henry Blofeld | The commentary craft, explained | Henry Blofeld | |
| Bounce Matthew Syed | How talent is built rather than found | James Clamp | |
| True Colours Adam Gilchrist | A modern captain on leadership | William McInnes | |
| The Inner Game of Tennis W. Timothy Gallwey with Pete Carroll – introduction | The book every performance coach has read | Dan Woren | |
| The Fighter's Mind Sam Sheridan | The research behind the mental game | Nicholas Techosky | |
| The Mindful Athlete Audio Companion George Mumford | Attention training you can use between deliveries | George Mumford | |
| Grit Angela Duckworth | Why some players improve and others plateau | Angela Duckworth | |
| Mindset Carol S. Dweck | The growth mindset, done properly | Bernadette Dunne | |
| The Art of Learning Josh Waitzkin | How beginners and experts learn differently | Josh Waitzkin | |
| The Grade Cricketer Sam Perry with Ian Higgins | The club game, played properly | Sam Perry and Ian Higgins | |
| Hitting Against the Spin Nathan Leamon with Ben Jones | The best cricket explainer on audio | Nathan Leamon |
What it covers
Playing It My Way — Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar’s own account, read by the actor Sartaj Garewal with Tendulkar appearing on the recording himself. It is the benchmark for the genre because it is specific: the years before India became the side everyone remembers, and the technique work nobody sees.
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Fourteen hours is a commitment, and it is worth it for the passages on training, on being dropped, and on reading a bowler.
Read by Sartaj Garewal · Hodder & Stoughton. Listen on Audible
No Spin — Shane Warne with Mark Nicholas
Shane Warne with Mark Nicholas, read by Rhys Muldoon. The bowling explanation is the best available on audio, and the autobiography is more self-aware than the reputation suggests.
If you only read one cricketer’s account of spin, read this one.
Read by Rhys Muldoon · Penguin Random House Australia Audio. Listen on Audible
On Fire — Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes on the Ashes and the World Cup, read by Luke Francis, including the passages on mental health that are handled directly rather than used as a hook.
It is the most candid high-profile cricket book in years, and it is uncomfortable in the way good books are.
Read by Luke Francis · Headline. Listen on Audible
Sultan — Gideon Haigh with Wasim Akram
The official Wasim Akram autobiography, written with Gideon Haigh and read by Ranjit Madgavkar. The grip, the release and the body he had to work with are discussed at length.
It is the most technical cricket autobiography available.
Read by Ranjit Madgavkar · HarperCollins India. Listen on Audible
Over and Out: My Innings of a Lifetime with Test Match Special — Henry Blofeld
Henry Blofeld on thirty years of calling the game, read by Blofeld. It is the closest thing to a masterclass in describing cricket as it happens.
The passages on calling a tense passage are worth the time for anyone who has ever watched a bowler one ball away from a five.
Read by Henry Blofeld · Hodder & Stoughton. Listen on Audible
Bounce — Matthew Syed
Matthew Syed on deliberate practice, read by James Clamp, told through Mozart, Federer and Beckham. It is the book that makes the rest of this list make sense.
Short, argumentative and the one you will want to argue with.
Read by James Clamp · Harper. Listen on Audible
True Colours — Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist on a career in the Australian system, read by William McInnes, including the parts that went badly.
A better leadership book than most of the cricket memoirs on this list.
Read by William McInnes · Bolinda audio. Listen on Audible
The Inner Game of Tennis — W. Timothy Gallwey with Pete Carroll – introduction
Timothy Gallwey on the inner game of tennis, read by Dan Woren, written in 1974 and still the source of most cricket-coaching language in use.
If you bat, this is the one to listen to twice.
Read by Dan Woren · Random House Audio. Listen on Audible
The Fighter's Mind — Sam Sheridan
Sam Sheridan on what elite performers do differently under pressure, with case studies from sport.
It is the most evidence-based book here, and the most useful for a club player.
Read by Nicholas Techosky · Audible Studios. Listen on Audible
The Mindful Athlete Audio Companion — George Mumford
George Mumford’s short, exercise-led companion to focusing under pressure.
Under two hours, which makes it the easiest habit on this list to start.
Read by George Mumford · BetterListen. Listen on Audible
Grit — Angela Duckworth
Angela Duckworth on effort, read by Duckworth herself. Narrower than the hype suggests and more useful for it.
The companion for anyone stuck at the same level.
Read by Angela Duckworth · Simon & Schuster Audio. Listen on Audible
Mindset — Carol S. Dweck
Carol Dweck on fixed versus growth thinking, read by Bernadette Dunne.
Better than its reputation and not a batting manual.
Read by Bernadette Dunne · Random House Audio. Listen on Audible
The Art of Learning — Josh Waitzkin
Josh Waitzkin on learning under pressure, read by Waitzkin himself.
The book to read if your practice has stopped making you better.
Read by Josh Waitzkin · Tim Ferriss. Listen on Audible
The Grade Cricketer — Sam Perry with Ian Higgins
Sam Perry and Ian Higgins on how cricket at club level actually works, read by the authors.
Short, practical and written by people who still play.
Read by Sam Perry and Ian Higgins · Wavesound from W. F. Howes Ltd. Listen on Audible
Hitting Against the Spin — Nathan Leamon with Ben Jones
Nathan Leamon on how cricket really works, read by Leamon.
Start here if you are new to the sport.
Read by Nathan Leamon · Little, Brown Book Group. Listen on Audible
Who it is for, and who it is not
**Start with the autobiographies** if you have not listened to one. They are the most consistently good category in cricket publishing.
**Do not buy by runtime.** A fourteen-hour book you abandon is worth less than a three-hour one you finish.
**Read the smaller books second.** Once you have the habit, the mental-game and technique books reward you far more.
How to get the most from it
Choose one, not five. The commonest mistake is starting four books and finishing none.
Listen on the commute, and finish one before you start the next – the sequence matters more than the order.
Common questions
Which cricket audiobook is the best one to start with? Playing It My Way by Sachin Tendulkar – it is the most complete and the most interesting, and it is the one people come back to.
What is the best cricket audiobook for the mental game? The Inner Game of Tennis, which is about tennis and is the source of most modern cricket coaching language.
Are these books suitable for beginners? Most are. Hitting Against the Spin and Playing It My Way both work for someone who does not follow the sport closely.
How long do I need for the first one? Start with a shorter one – Grit, The Inner Game of Tennis or The Mindful Athlete – before committing to a fourteen-hour autobiography.
Do these links cost anything? No. They are affiliate links, so if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and the ranking above is not affected by it.
Written by the CricketGearGuru editorial team. Links above are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy through them. It does not change the price, and it does not change the opinion.
