Cricket My Destiny is the authoritative autobiography of Walter Hammond at the height of his career — one of England’s greatest-ever batsmen and later captain. Published circa 1945, the book captures Hammond’s reflections just before the interruption of World War II, making it a fascinating pre-war cricket document.
 
Early Life and Rise to Prominence
Hammond recounts his development from a prodigiously talented schoolboy in Gloucestershire to a dominant county cricketer. He describes:
His natural batting technique
Early struggles for consistency
Rapid ascent in county cricket
The transition to international Test cricket
 
England Career & Ashes Battles
A substantial portion of the book focuses on:
The fiercely contested Ashes series of the 1920s and 1930s
Tactical contests against Australia
The pressures of captaincy
His monumental 336* at Auckland (1933)
His 240 at Lord’s in the 1938 Ashes
 
Technique & Philosophy
Unlike purely narrative memoirs, Cricket My Destiny contains insightful commentary on:
Batting mechanics
Temperament and discipline
Preparation and mental resilience
The responsibilities of leadership
 
The Pre-War Cricket World
Published in 1938, the book preserves the culture of:
County cricket between the wars
The social structure of MCC and Lord’s
Gentleman vs Professional distinctions
International tours in the pre-commercial era
As such, it is an important primary source on elite cricket before WWII reshaped the sporting landscape.
 
Statistics
Walter Hammond remains one of England’s all-time greats:
85 Test matches
7,249 Test runs
Average of 58.45 (extraordinary for the era)
Former England captain
Considered by many historians the finest English batsman before the modern era
 
This autobiography stands among the essential pre-war cricket memoirs, alongside works by contemporaries such as Jack Hobbs and Len Hutton.