When a leading Test player rang up Simon Hughes late one night to ask him for his advice on why it was that he kept on failing to convert good starts into centuries, Hughes (top score 53) was taken aback. But, as 'The Analyst' on television, he has built a career on closely assessing players' techniques, and explaining to the nation the finer points of what players are doing right or wrong. Now he had a chance to put that experience into practice. As they spoke, Hughes began to think more deeply than ever before about what it was that singled out the truly great batsmen from the merely very good. This book is the fascinating result.