Under the Southern Cross: The Autobiography of David Boon

David Boon is one of only two Australians to have played in more than 100 cricket Tests. Between 1984 and 1996, he was a mainstay of the Australian team and, despite his achievements, retained his humility and his working-class origins. This work traces his career, from his early days in Tasmania, through his tough initiation in Test cricket, to the time when he was acknowledged as one of the true greats of the sport. Boon recalls the highlights of his career, including the 1987 World Cup victory and the 1995 defeat of the mighty West Indies. Also, he looks back on the cricketers he played with and against, such as Ian Botham, Viv Richards and Imran Khan. The text also includes a statistical record of Boon's career.

"I was just doing what I loved doing, what I had immense pride in doing. I loved playing cricket for Australia, the blokes I played with and the cricketers I played against."

After every win by the Australian cricket team, the side gathers in the dressing room and sings the victory song:

'Under the Southern Cross I stand
A sprig of wattle in my hand
A native in my native land
Australia you bloody beauty.'

Throughout this ritual one man stands on a table, a chair, or a kitbag, and leads the team as they sing. For more than a decade this was the same player. He was perfect for the job, for he, more than any other, epitomized the unique qualities of Australian cricket, and the Australian cricket team. He was famous for his courage, his durability and his dependability. His name was David Boon.

Boon is one of only two men to have played 100 tests for his country. One of only three to have scored more than 7000 Test runs. During an international career that ran from 1984 to 1996, he became the quintessential Australian sportsman, and one of the most popular and respected cricketers of his, or any, generation. The most intriguing aspect of his immense popularity was that he never sought acclaim. He merely went about his business, which was scoring runs.

Boon was Man of the Match in the 1987 World Cup final and from 1989, when Mark Taylor came into the Australian team, he was the team's no. 3… the foundation on which many a large total was based. His career peaked in 1993, when he scored centuries in the second, third, and fourth Tests of that year's Ashes series in England. Many critics at this time thought him to be the best batsman in the world.

Supported by a superb collection of photographs and a detailed statistical analysis, ' Under The Southern Cross' is the complete story of David Boon's remarkable life in cricket. All his celebrated team-mates are here, including Allan Border, Shane Warne, Geoff Marsh, Mark Taylor, Steve and Mark Waugh, Ian Healey, Craig McDermott, Michael Slater and Ricky Ponting. He relives the good times – the '87 World Cup, England in 1989 and 1993, victory in the Caribbean in 1995 – and the setbacks, too, including his axing from the Australian team in 1986-87. And, for the first time, he explains his emotional retirement from international cricket in early 1996.

David Boon's status in Tasmania, his home state, is extraordinary. To many, in and out of the state, he is the face of Tasmania, the most popular figure to ever emerge from the Apple Isle. Young cricket fans of today, whether from Tasmania or any other part of the world, assume that all Tasmanians are short, rock solid and come with bushy moustaches, plenty of runs and plenty of courage. Having seen David Boon for so long, how could they think otherwise?

"When playing cricket for Australia, it was the bulldog in David Boon that came to the fore, the gritty determination he had not to throw his wicket away… Having been through the hard times, Boon could say to his team-mates, that was good, but let's play the same tomorrow, let's kick some more butt for Australia, because every day, the next day especially, is important to the continuation of Australian Cricket."
ALLAN BORDER