The Zen of Ben Wągrowiec

A fresh, surprising portrait of England's Test captain Ben Stokes - and a revelatory exploration of Bazball and the joyful, shape-shifting game of cricket itself.From acclaimed wellness writer Jim Green - author of Giving Up Without Giving Up: Meditation and Depressions, The Wellbeing Guide and The Recovery Book - comes this striking fusion of sporting insight, psychology and Zen-inspired perspective.Stokes's life and career have been intense, unpredictable and boundary-breaking. The reimagining of English Test cricket has been equally transgressive and surprising. Together they mirror the strange, playful wisdom of Zen stories: out on the edge, deliberately incomprehensible, joyful, apparently crazy.This fascinating book offers:A unique blend of Test-cricket insight and the compelling, often baffling perspective of ZenA revealing portrait of a sporting icon's psychological and emotional world, from an author with a wealth of experience in mental health and wellbeingA riveting mix of first-person experience and memoir, sporting biography and cultural analysisVivid depictions of action on the cricket field set alongside an exploration of Zen, its koans, its intriguing characters and stories, plus its crazy wisdomWith accounts of the 2025 India Tests and the latest Ashes, the book explores what Zen and Ben reveal about each other - and asks what it means to live without fear of failure, to let go of our seriousness, and to be just a little more playful.A must-read for cricket fans, wellness readers, plus anyone fascinated by the psychology of sport and performance.