My song shall be cricket

The autobiography of Franklyn Stephenson with a foreword by Sir Gary Sobers. One of cricket's great characters, Franklyn Stephenson was branded a 'rebel' for touring in apartheid South Africa with a West Indian XI. As a black sportsman, he knew his actions went agianst the wishes of the authorities and that there would be consequences, yet he overcame the character slurs and subsequent bans from both his beloved Barbados and the West Indian Test selectors. A useful player and a versatile all-rounder, he played first-class cricket for Tasmania in Sheffield Shields, Barbados in West Indies, Orange Free State/Free State in South Africa, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire and Sussex in County Championship. He scored 8,622 runs with 12 hundreds and took 792 wickets in 219 matches. Recognised as the first fast bowler to develop a slower ball. Stephenson became one of the world's top all-rounders. The beaming Babadian achieved cricketing immortality in 1988 by completing the domestic Double of scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets during an English summer- a feat that is unlikely to be repeated. Read about the encounters, on and off the field, with household names such as Sir Viv Richards, Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Clive Llyod and Desmond Haynes - and a lifelong friendship with Sir Garfield Sobers. Here is the story of an amiable cricketing giant.