England On This Day revisits the most magical and memorable moments from the national cricket team's illustrious past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable England diary - with an entry for every day of the year. From the first ever Test match in 1877 through to the Twenty20 era, England's faithful fans have witnessed world domination and tragicomic failures, grudge matches, controversy and absurdity - all present here. Timeless greats such as Ian Botham, Jack Hobbs and Fred Trueman, Denis Compton, Harold Larwood and Alastair Cook all loom larger than life. Revisit 5 January 1971, when a Melbourne Test became the first ever one-day international, 30 July 1995 when Dominic Cork took England's first hat-trick in 38 years! Or 6 September 1880, when W.G. Grace and his two brothers all made their Test debuts - two successful, one tragic.

Richard Murphy has followed the fortunes of the England cricket team since being hooked as a schoolboy watching Ian Botham take on Australia in 1981. It's been quite a ride - from being a nocturnal student listening to radio coverage from New Zealand to sitting at Edgbaston for the remarkable 2005 Ashes Test. Richard is a journalist and has written two books about Stoke City Football Club.