David Frith

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David Edward John Frith (born 1937) is a leading cricket writer and historian.

David Frith was born in London on 16 March 1937. His family moved to Sydney in when he was eleven. Early in his career he worked in the Daily Mirror and the Commonwealth Bank at Cronulla. He returned to England in 1964.

After working as freelance writer, he became the deputy editor and later in 1973, the editor of The Cricketer. He founded the Wisden Cricket Monthly and edited from June 1979 to February 1996.

Particularly specialising in Ashes Test Match history, Frith has written dozens of books, on both cricket in modern times and cricket of the past. His major works include My dear victorious Stod (a biography of Andrew Stoddart), Silence of the Heart (on cricketing suicides, originally published as By His Own Hand), Fast Men, Slow Men (about fast bowlers and spinners), Caught England, Bowled Australia (autobiography), The Trailblazers (the English tour of Australia in 1861-1862), The Archie Jackson Story (biography) and Bodyline Autopsy. He has also been involved in producing cricketing videos, which have been extremely successful.

He famously commented that if the Indian Cricket Team won the 1983 World Cup then he would eat his words. With just a solitary win against minnows East Africa in the preceding World Cups in 1975 and 1979, it was never thought he would have to keep his promise. But, amazingly, India won an upset victory against reigning champions West Indies in a low-scoring final, and he had to eat his words, which he did by eating his magazine article, accompanied by some red wine.

In association with the National Film and Television Archive, he has presented an annual Archive Cricket Film Evening at the National Film Theatre in London since 1981.

In 2003 he became the first author to win the Cricket Society's Book of the Year award three times, and was also a finalist in the William Hill Sports Book awards for his Bodyline book.