9. Flashman’s Lady by George Macdonald Fraser

Here’s a trivia question. Who was the first bowler to take a hat-trick in Test cricket?Although records suggest that Australia’s Fred Spofforth recorded the first ever hat-trick in international cricket against England at the MCG on January 2, 1879, the eminent British author George Macdonald Fraser claimed in his novel ‘’Flashman’s Lady’’ (1977) that Harry Flashman (a fictional character and protagonist of Fraser’s ‘’The Flashman Papers’’; a series of 12 books illustrating Flashman’s adventures) is the initiator of the hat-trick. Flashman’s cricketing proficiency is not limited to just a hat-trick as he takes part in a fictionalised cricket match at LORD’S in 1842 which also features some of the most striking cricketing personalities of that era such as Nicholas Felix, Alfred Mynn and Fuller Pilch. Macdonald Fraser takes great care in painting his canvas with the colours of village cricket as he observed during the early 20^th century. The scene depicting Flashman’s celebration after he scalps the three crucial wickets of the Felix, Pilch and Mynn is aptly constructed to tickle your funny bone. Moreover the modes of dismissal are also unique in case of the three aforesaid batsmen. While Felix’s wicket is purely the rewardforFlashman’s skill,Pilch and Mynn fall prey to misfortune.