gh two or three versions before we sent it off to the publisher

SCOREBOARDMonday, Dec. 5Indianapolis (5-6) at New York Jets (3-8), 8:30 p.m. ET. Andrew Luck will be back under center for the Colts after a concussion sidelined him for one game. Ryan Fitzpatrick is starting again for New York despite calls by some fans and media for the Jets to give second-year quarterback Bryce Petty an extended look.---STARSPassing- Tom Brady, Patriots, became the NFLs career leader in victories by a quarterback, earning his 201st by throwing for 269 yards and a touchdown to lead New England past Los Angeles 26-10.- Joe Flacco, Ravens, threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns, and had a franchise-record 36 completions on 47 attempts in Baltimores 38-6 rout of Miami.- Carson Palmer, Cardinals, had three touchdown passes while going 30 of 46 for 300 yards in Arizonas 31-23 win over Washington.- Andy Dalton, Bengals, threw for 332 yards and two TDs as Cincinnati sent Philadelphia to its most lopsided loss of the season, 32-14.- Matthew Stafford, Lions, passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns, and Detroit beat New Orleans 28-13.---Rushing- Jordan Howard, Bears, ran for 117 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, and the Bears handed San Francisco its 11th straight loss, 26-6.- LeSean McCoy, Bills, rushed for 130 yards and caught seven passes for 61 yards in Buffalos 38-24 loss at Oakland.- Thomas Rawls, Seahawks, had 106 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries in Seattles 40-7 rout of Carolina.- LeVeon Bell, Steelers, ran for 118 yards on 29 carries to help lead Pittsburgh past the New York Giants 24-14.- LeGarrette Blount, Patriots, ran for 88 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in New Englands 26-10 win over Los Angeles.- Latavius Murray, Raiders, rushed for 82 yards and two TDs in Oaklands 38-24 win over Buffalo.- Devonta Freeman, Falcons, had two 1-yard touchdown runs in Atlantas 29-28 loss to Kansas City.---Receiving- Golden Tate, Lions, had eight receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown in Detroits 28-13 win at New Orleans.- Travis Kelce, Chiefs, caught eight passes for 140 yards in Kansas Citys 29-28 win at Atlanta.- Jordy Nelson, Packers, had 118 yards receiving and a score on eight catches to help Green Bay top Houston 21-13.- Dennis Pitta, Ravens, caught two of Joe Flaccos four touchdown passes in Baltimores 38-6 win over Miami, his first trips to the end zone since December 2013.- Ladarius Green, Steelers, had six catches for 110 yards and a score in Pittsburghs 24-14 victory over the New York Giants.- Julio Jones, Falcons, caught seven passes for 113 yards in a losing cause as Atlanta fell to Kansas City, 29-28.---Special Teams- Matt Prater, Lions, had field goals of 27, 29, 32, 27 and 52 yards in Detroits 28-13 win at New Orleans.- Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots, kicked field goals of 28, 48, 45 and 45 yards in New Englands 26-10 win over Los Angeles.- Steven Hauschka, Seahawks, booted four field goals in Seattles 40-7 rout of Carolina.- Johnny Hekker, Rams, had a 76-yard punt in the fourth quarter of Los Angeles 26-10 loss at New England. It was his third punt this season of 75 or more yards.- RaShede Hageman, Falcons, blocked Cairo Santos first extra-point attempt in Atlantas 29-28 loss to Kansas City.---Defense- Eric Berry, Chiefs, returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, and then brought back another pick 99 yards for a 2-point conversion that gave Kansas City a 29-28 victory over Atlanta.- Bradley Roby, Broncos, returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown, helping Denver beat Jacksonville 20-10.- Vontaze Burfict, Bengals, intercepted Philadelphias Carson Wentz twice in Cincinnatis 32-14 victory.- Leonard Floyd and Akiem Hicks, Bears. Each had two sacks in Chicagos 26-6 win over San Francisco.- Lavonte David and Keith Tandy, Buccaneers. David had a 15-yard interception return for a score in Tampa Bays 28-21 win over San Diego. Tandy intercepted Philip Rivers in the end zone with 2:56 left to seal the victory.---STREAKS & STATSDetroit became the first team in 60 Saints home games to stop Drew Brees from throwing a touchdown pass, as the Lions pulled away from New Orleans, 28-13 on Sunday. It was also the Lions first victory in a road game following Thanksgiving since 1974, snapping a streak of 22 losses in such games. ... San Francisco (1-11) extended its franchise-record losing streak to 11 games with a 26-6 defeat at Chicago, and set a club low with 6 yards net passing on a day when Colin Kaepernick got lifted for Blaine Gabbert. ... Los Angeles entered its game against New England ranked 31st in total offense, averaging just 295 yards per game. Those struggles continued in a 26-10 loss, with the Rams managing 25 yards in the first half, the fewest by a team in a game this season. Los Angeles was outgained 402-162 for the game. ... Miami was limited to 62 yards rushing in a 38-6 loss at Baltimore, its lowest output since gaining 51 in a loss to Tennessee on Oct. 9 -- also its last loss. The Ravens win ended a six-game winning streak for the Dolphins.---MILESTONESTom Brady became the leagues leader in career victories among quarterbacks, earning his 201st by throwing for 269 yards and a touchdown to lead New England past Los Angeles 26-10. Brady, who was 33 of 46, had tied Peyton Manning last week in a win over the New York Jets. ... Atlantas Matt Bryant tied the franchise record for longest field goal with a 59-yarder, matching Morten Andersen (1995) in a 29-28 loss to Kansas City. It was the second-longest field goal of Bryants career, with a 62-yarder with Tampa Bay in 2006 the only one longer. ... Green Bays Julius Peppers had a sack against Houston, giving the 15-year veteran 142 1/2 for his career, snapping a tie for fifth on the career list with Michael Strahan. Chris Doleman is fourth on that list with 150 1/2. ... Arizonas David Johnson became the second player in NFL history to top 100 yards from scrimmage in each of the first 12 games of a season. Edgerrin James was the other. Johnson carried the ball 18 times for 84 yards and caught nine passes for another 91 in a 31-23 win over Washington.---COWBOYS INDallas (11-1) became the first team in the league to clinch a postseason berth, due to Washingtons 31-23 loss at Arizona. The Cowboys beat Minnesota 17-15 on Thursday night.---HANGING 10New England (10-2) clinched its 14th consecutive season with at least 10 wins, the second-longest streak in NFL history, with a 26-10 victory over Los Angeles. The 1983-98 San Francisco 49ers (16) are the only franchise with more consecutive seasons of 10 or more wins.---BERRY GOODKansas City safety Eric Berry intercepted a 2-point conversion attempt and returned it for the go-ahead score with 4:32 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs 29-28 victory at Atlanta. It was the first game-winning defensive 2-point conversion scored when his team was trailing since the rule was adopted in 2015. Berry, who also returned an interception 37 yards for a TD, is the first player to return an interception for both a touchdown and a 2-point conversion in the same game.---MISFIRINGNeither San Francisco nor Chicago completed a pass in the first quarter of the Bears 26-6 win -- something that hadnt happened in an NFL game since the Jets and Patriots did it on Nov. 13, 1988, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. San Francisco set a club low with 6 yards net passing on a day when Colin Kaepernick got lifted for Blaine Gabbert. Kaepernick completed just one of five passes for 4 yards and was sacked five times. He also ran for 20 yards on six attempts before Gabbert replaced him in the fourth quarter. Chicagos Matt Barkley finished 11 of 18 for 192 yards.---FITZ KEEPS GOINGArizonas Larry Fitzgerald had 10 catches for 78 yards in the Cardinals 31-23 win over Washington, giving him 1,106 for his career. Fitzgerald, the youngest player in NFL history -- at 33 years, 95 days -- to reach 1,100 career catches, passed Hall of Famers Cris Carter (1,101) and Marvin Harrison (1,102) for the third-most receptions in NFL history. Fitzgerald has also recorded a catch in 191 consecutive games, surpassing Harrison (190) for the third-longest streak in NFL history.---COMEBACK KIDSDerek Carr threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns to rally the Oakland Raiders to their biggest comeback in 16 years with a 38-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. After falling behind 24-9 following touchdowns on the first two drives of the second half for Buffalo, the Raiders took the game over with 29 straight points and won their sixth straight. Oakland scored touchdowns on three straight drives, including scoring strikes from Carr to Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper for his sixth fourth-quarter comeback of the season. This was the biggest comeback for the Raiders since overcoming a 21-point deficit to Indianapolis to win 38-31 on Sept. 10, 2000.---BELL TOLLSPittsburghs LeVeon Bell ran for 118 yards in a 24-14 victory, becoming the first player to rush for 100 or more against the New York Giants since Adrian Peterson in Week 16 of the 2015 season. Bell touched the ball 35 times -- 29 rushes and six receptions -- and had his third straight 100-yard rushing performance.---LOTS OF LOSINGJacksonvilles 20-10 loss to Denver was the seventh in a row for the Jaguars (2-10), who became the fifth team in NFL history to post double-digit defeats in six consecutive seasons, joining Tampa Bay (1983-94), Detroit (2001-06), Oakland (2003-09) and Cleveland (2008-13).---STEEL CONNECTIONBen Roethlisbergers 22-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown in Pittsburghs 24-14 victory over the New York Giants marked the 49th time the two have connected for scores. That ties them with Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann for the most TD passes from a quarterback to a receiver in franchise history.---SPECIAL TEAMS WOESJacksonville has had special-teams meltdown for seven straight games, including Alex Ellis getting flagged for unnecessary roughness on a punt return in the final minute of the first half in the Jaguars 20-10 loss to Denver. The streak includes five muffed punts -- including three turnovers -- a punt return for a touchdown and two long punt returns that set up scores.---SIDELINEDSeattle safety Earl Thomas broke a bone in his lower left leg during a first-half collision with teammate Kam Chancellor while trying to intercept Cam Newtons pass in the Seahawks 40-7 win over Carolina. X-rays revealed a cracked tibia, coach Pete Carroll told Seattles radio broadcast. ... New England wide receiver Danny Amendola left late in the third quarter of the Patriots 26-10 win over Los Angeles with an ankle injury and did not return. He was later spotted walking on crutches in the tunnel underneath Gillette Stadium. Cornerback Eric Rowe also did not return after leaving with a hamstring injury. ... Giants defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul left in the second quarter of New Yorks 24-14 loss at Pittsburgh with a groin injury. New York also lost cornerback Coty Sensabaugh to a rib injury. ... Atlanta lost left tackle Jake Matthews to a left knee injury in the first half of the Falcons 29-28 loss to Kansas City. ... Houston wide receiver Braxton Miller (shoulder) left in the first half of the Texans 21-13 loss at Green Bay and did not return. ... Tampa Bay wide receiver Cecil Shorts III was taken off the field on a cart after sustaining a knee injury on a hard hit by San Diegos Jahleel Addae following a catch on the Bucs first possession of a 28-21 win.---SPEAKINGI shed a few tears before the game, I shed a few tears during the game and I shed a few after. It was just a lot of emotions. I tried to contain them and let it show through my play. -- Kansas Citys Eric Berry who returned an interception for a score and also brought back another 99 yards for a 2-point conversion that gave the Chiefs a 29-28 victory over Atlanta. Berry, who grew up in suburban Atlanta, was playing in the city for the first time as a professional. Its where he was treated after being diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma near the end of the 2014 season.---Thats a record that I dont think will ever be broken. Hell continue to build on it, Im sure. -- New England running back LeGarrette Blount on Tom Bradys NFL record of 201 wins by a quarterback.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Dante Exum Jazz Jersey . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Karl Malone Jazz Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. http://www.jazzauthentic.com/kids-dante-exum-jazz-jersey/ . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. John Stockton Jersey . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . John Stockton Jazz Jersey . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Even now the sight of it brings a Proustian rush. The full-colour cover with its title in three decks of acid-yellow type: The Barry Richards Story, those magical words followed by - as if anyone would require further incentive to purchase - with a foreword by Colin Cowdrey.Most writers will tell you about their favourite books, about how at the age of 12 they were sailing through Ulysses or digging David Foster Wallace or producing reverent imitations of Murakami for their English homework. I never believe them. My favourite book when I was 12 was The Barry Richards Story. I read it so often, I remember passages from it, and my favourite picture from the plate section - of Barry offering Gordon Greenidge a strip of chewing gum while they were standing in the slips - had me fervently imagining that one day Id be standing there next to the great man myself. Quite often Id reach the end of the appendix (BA Richards Career Analysis by Victor H. Isaacs & Peter A. Sichel) and turn immediately back to chapter one (Reflections of an Exile) to start again.My Richards obsession had taken full hold when, in 1977, the summer before the books publication, he had played a benefit match at my club, Fleet CC, and scored an indelible (or more likely for him, instantly forgotten) 60-odd, an innings that seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, but that lives still in the memory, sweet and bitter, transient and sad.In all of the times that I read the book as a kid, it never occurred to me that Richards might not have actually written it. Or perhaps not actually read it. (Although I sensed he probably hadnt read it as often as I had, and that was okay. He was Barry Richards. I just wanted to be.) After all, there it was in black and white on the title page: The Barry Richards Story by Barry Richards. It was only many years later, pulling it out of the box in which it had remained throughout the three-year period Id spent living in Australia, that I saw and absorbed the note on the following page: I should like to thank Martin Tyler for his help in writing this book and the enthusiasm he brought to the task - B.A.R.I should like to thank…That mannered phrase is an indicator of time and tide. The Barry Richards Story is a traditional autobiography from the era of traditional autobiography, a story told in what we would recognise as the language of autobiography, a kind of standard authorial voice; modest, measured, never too revealing, never too damning. I would read many more cricketers autobiographies that used the same tone, almost as if their careers demanded to be viewed through that filter.The big autobiographies of this English winter are very different to The Barry Richards Story. First, theres the matter of size. In 1978, books took up less space. Pull any 60s or 70s paperback from the shelves of a second-hand shop and youll be confronted by a tight, tiny typeface crammed onto the page, the book itself easily able to slide into a jacket pocket. The Barry Richards Story, published by Faber and Faber, is a hardback of not much more than paperback size, and retailed for a princely ￡3.99. Jonathan Trotts Unguarded and Ben Stokes Firestarter are behemoths by comparison, twice the heft and four times the price. Their covers are not action pictures but carefully commissioned studio portraits. It is as hard to imagine Stokes book being called The Ben Stokes Story as it is Richards being named after a Prodigy song.Unguarded and Firestarter are particular types of autobiography: sub-strains, genre spin-offs. Trotts is a kind of confessional, a state-of-mind book that talks with candour about the anxiety that brought his international career to an end. Stokes is a newer phenomenon still, an autobiography by someone whose career has barely started. Its title, its cover image leave little doubt that it is aimed at the young - or at least the younger - Stokes fan. It is the cricketer as rock star.Each demands a particular tone. Trott has worked with George Dobell, ESPNcricinfos senior correspondent, who has proven to be one of crickets most empathetic writers, in tune with the age. Like Trott he is a Warwickshire man, and his writing career has more or less spanned Trotts England one. Stokes was entrusted to Richard Gibson, perhaps the most widely read cricket author in the country. His name may not adorn the covers, but if you have read David Lloyds bestselling The World According to Bumble or Last in the Tin Bath, Graeme Swanns The Breaks Are Off, James Andersons Jimmy: My Story, or Joe Roots Bringing the Ashes Home, then you have read Gibson. For publishers investing considerable sums in such books, the right ghost is more than a comforting presence; its a key commercial decision.Matt Phillips was the editorial director of Yellow Jersey, the giant Random House groups literary sports imprint, before moving to Blink Publishing to head a new sports division. He understands the perils of the marketplace. For me, for any sports autobiography, I am looking for a big name with an interesting story thats well told, he says. A failure on any of those terms will probably mean that the book will not be a commercial success.The big name is not expected to understand the requirements and niceties of the publisher that has just cut their agent a sizeable cheque. They may even be wondering why a fair few percentage points of that cheque (typically between 10% and 30%) is finding its way into the pocket of the pale and uninteresting sap who spends their days behind a Dictaphone or at a keyboard. A publisher will be quick to impress the importance of the ghost once a deal is done.A good ghost needs to be a good listener, quick to bond with people and gain their trust, brave enough to ask difficult questions but open enough to receive difficult answers, says Phillips. They need to be rigorous, punctual, and have a good sense of the story - where the drama is, how to get interesting nuggets from people who may be unused to questioning what they do.Stylistically, I like it when the ghost captures the voice of the star - but I think that the tone of a book should be much more considered, intimate and polished than a standard interview. For some projects its good to have a writer with no ego, happy to drop into the background, and on others its best when the writer is more central and apparent.Gibson was thinking of quitting his job as a cricket writer for the Press Association when David Lloyd asked him if hed be interested in collaborating on a book. He leapt into the unknown.It was as simple as, Lets put a back cover and a front cover on it and see where we go, Gibson remembers. Make it as madcap as he is. But then you realise that having something with no structure needs some sort of control...The World According to Bumble begins with a list of Lloyds 50 Favourite Things (favourite album: Imperial Wax Solvent by The Fall) before a very funny opening chapter about all of the people hes been mistaken for (Tony Blair, Alan Titchmarsh, one of the Proclaimers, Duncan Fletcher, Paul Arlott, Darrell Hair, Bruce Yardley, Mike Brearley, Tony Greig, and - admittedly during a phone interview - Clive Lloyd).We gave HarperCollins half of the book, says Gibson, and they said, We really like what youre doing. Weve just signed up Graeme Swann, would you be interested in working with him?Such was Englands and Swanns popularity as they won the Ashes in Australia and became the top-ranked Test team, the deal was gazumped by another publisher, Hodder and Stoughton. It got quite messy, says Gibson, but Swann said he wanted me to stay on the project, so it went ahead.Gibsons second career was launched.Jimmy Anderson phoned me and said, I know youre ghosting Swanny, but I thought youd be the one to do my book. Wed always been pals, so I said, Yeah, of course. I knew Joe Root vaguely. Id toured the world with England for ten years, and I live in Leeds, so he knew who I was. Same thing with Stokes. I got to know him through Anderson and Root really.Gibson has spent much of the last five years as a ghost to these cricketers, teasing out their stories over the kitchen table or in spare hours at games or training. Each book contains probably a days worth of talking - as in 24 hours (and imagine how much someone can say if they speak for 24 hours; thats a lot of words and a lot of transcribing).So what is the secret?The number one is to establish the voice. This is why I say to them: You have to tell me everything, because these words have to be 100% yours. They cannot be mine. The voice comes out naturally if you are faithful to those sessions. The first thing you have to do as the ghost is [to remove] the self, the ego. There cannot be anything of you.Voice is easier to establish when the subject has a deeply familiar one, like Lloyd, or Geoffrey Boycott. Nick Hoult ghosts Boycotts Daily Telegraph column and did his most recent autobiography, The Corridor Of Certainty.If you cannot capture Geoffreys voice then you should not be a ghost. Hoult says. He is a total professional who respects the journalistic skills a ghost can bring but ultimately knows it is his responsibility to produce the copy.The Corridor Of Certainty also told the story of one of the most harrowing periods of Boycotts life, when he almost died from throat cancer.He was very clear that he wanted to go into great personal detail about his cancer treatment and had prepared extensive notes before each session, says Hoult. For those chapters his wife Rachael was heavily involved. Geoffrey ddid not remember all the details because he was so sick at the time.dddddddddddd Rachael added a lot of information about the treatments he had, his battle with the doctors to give him dairy-free liquidised food, and the evening when he was nearly killed by an accidental morphine overdose. I think at times it was difficult for both of them to go over what was obviously a very painful period in their lives.The ghost must walk such lines with delicacy.Sports publishing has become more confessional. It has followed a trend begun by reality TV stars, who have been proven to possess the kind of commercial catnip to seemingly publish an autobiography a year, scantily filled with matey tittle-tattle and tearful retelling of the latest pregnancy or divorce. Hence Stuart Broad, at 30, has published three (including one immortally titled My World in Cricket) and Root and Stokes were in print at 24 and 25 respectively. Gibson agrees there are differences with mid-career books, and with players who have had a lifetime of media training in order to say nothing controversial.The first two sittings with Joe and Ben were, I wouldnt say worthless, but they were exercises to establish the trust, to realise that youre not being interviewed, youre chatting as mates, says Gibson. Its an interesting question. They wouldnt necessarily want to do a book at the point at which theyre asked, but if theyre asked Would you like X-thousand pounds to do a book? theyre pretty unlikely to say no.But once engaged in a project, I say to them to give me everything. Every question I ask, you tell me the answer honestly. If that answer does not sit comfortably with you at a later date, then it doesnt remain in the book, but I cant add things in. I can only take things out. At the end of their career theyve got a lot less to risk. After all theyre talking about people that they play with and players that they are going to play against in the future. They have to be selective in what they say.At the heart of every successful piece of ghosting is the writer-subject relationship. Back in 2000, Saad Shafqat wasnt a writer at all - he was a neurologist. He was also a devoted fan of Javed Miandad and wanted to read his autobiography. The only problem was, Miandad hadnt published one, so Shafqat decided to do something about it. After qualifying in the US he moved to Karachi, where a remarkable relationship began remarkably: I began hunting for Javeds telephone number. Luckily a family contact had known him in Sharjah, and this gentleman came through. I remember dialling the number with my heart pounding and throat dry. The conversation did not go well. I hadnt published anything and he had never heard of me. He dismissed the idea outright.The path cleared only when Shafqats wife suggested writing a sample chapter and approaching Miandads wife with it.Javed has married into one of Pakistans wealthiest families; he was living in Lahore at the time, at an address that is a local landmark. I flew to Lahore and rang the bell at 1 Canal Bank Road. Javed was touring New Zealand as the national coach but Tahira Miandad was home. She was kind enough to call me in and we had a convivial chat. She kept the chapter and told me she will be in touch. Leave it to me, I remember her saying.A few weeks after that, I got a call from Javed. He was visiting his mother in Karachi and asked if we could meet. I dropped everything and rushed over, buying a cake along the way. When he came to the doorway, I handed him the cake and complimented him on his unforgettable 114 at Georgetown - something I had dreamed of doing for years. Javed took the cake and gave me a strange look. Come inside, he said. And with that the project began. As it progressed, our friendship developed. He became very amiable towards me and started calling me his little brother.Yet telling the story of a figure so central to his countrys sporting history brought a responsibility that perhaps a more seasoned writer may have blanched at.Javed has been a polarising figure, within Pakistan as well as outside, and this book was going to be the first proper articulation of his side of things. I was very conscious that his authentic voice must come through, says Shafqat.I would pose the questions to him, and to an extent directed the interviews, but beyond that I was careful not to introduce any spin of my own. I certainly left nothing out. Javeds is a quintessentially Pakistani story, and as a Pakistan fan I wanted to do justice to it.I can clearly remember where I was when I became a ghost. I was standing in the frozen-foods aisle in Morrisons. The phone went and it was my friend Charlie Campbell, a literary agent. What do you reckon about Simon Jones? he said. I knew hed taken Simon on as a client and from somewhere - and who knows where these things come from - an almost fully formed idea dropped into my head. We could do it as five chapters about the five Ashes Tests in 2005, and then put five other chapters in between them about the rest of his life…A week or so later, I was pitching the idea to Simon. It wasnt entirely one way. The decision on how to tell his story and who to was his, but I knew the approach I was planning would need him to be able to remember and express exactly what it was like to be in the middle of the intensity of a Test match, to be able to put across the small details that no one who wasnt playing would ever know about. He described the first morning of the first Test, what it was like to walk through the Long Room, how Rudi Koertzen had told him off for not appealing when he got Damien Martyn out with his first ball; small details about how it felt and sounded that only he could have known and articulated. I knew then that the idea would work.I wrote a proposal and Charlie got us a deal (with Matt Phillips, then at Yellow Jersey) and we had just over two months to get the book done so that it could be published in the summer of 2015, ten years on from that glorious series. Simon and I met once a week for ten weeks, for between two and four hours each time. He had a friend at the Celtic Manor golf course near Cardiff, so we got to spend each session in the Ryder Cup clubhouse, in front of the fire. Before the first session I asked Simon to watch the DVD of the series, but when he turned up he said it was in his dads loft and he couldnt get hold of it. Instead he had a commemorative book, mainly of photos, that hed been looking at. When I tried to berate him about being underprepared, he smiled the little smile Id get used to, and I saw a glimpse of the tough single-mindedness of the international sportsman.I neednt have worried. Once we began talking, the memories flooded through him. He had wanted to be utterly honest about the realities of a cricket career wrecked by injury, and he was - remembering the financial worries and his desperation in signing a pay-as-you-play contract even as his knee swelled and wouldnt stop swelling.When I sat down to write, like Gibson and Hoult and Shafqat, I felt that odd sensation of inhabiting someone elses life and trying to express it not in my voice but in theirs. There is a greater responsibility than in just writing your own stuff - I knew that Simon would most likely tell his story only once, and I knew how much it meant to him. Ultimately, ghosting is about that responsibility too, whether it is to Lloyds love of the Fall, or Boycotts illness, or Miandads meaning to Pakistan cricket fans.The only time Ive ever been peed off with a review, says Gibson, was when a chap in the Cricketer said I didnt capture Joe Roots voice - thats the only time Ive been stung by a review. Its the major criticism that could be levelled at you.There is a famous joke about David Beckham and his three (so far) autobiographies, that hes written more books than hes read. It is slightly cruel, but there comes a day when the ghost must present the subject with their book, either chapter by chapter or as a finished manuscript. That is the real moment of truth. Even for people who are used to being written about - and sometimes damned - in the press, it can be a shock to see it all down there in black and white. Hoult knew exactly how Boycott would be. He was meticulous over his copy, he says. I would write up the chapters and send them to him for correction. We would go through two or three versions before we sent it off to the publisher. Boycs is a brilliant sub who picks up typos.Miandad was the complete opposite. I asked him [to read it] a few times, but he couldnt be bothered, says Shafqat. To be honest, I dont mind. He isnt much of a reader, and I could see he just wouldnt have the patience. He said he trusted me and had left it all to me. I suggested we should at least have his wife or another family member go through it, in the interest of accuracy, if nothing else. He called on his sister-in-law and she was the one who read it all.Books come and go. In this new media age, they must be bigger and brasher and fight for some shoulder room in a 24-hour culture. They can never again be as diffident as The Barry Richards Story. But books offer a more permanent experience too. The ones you love stay with you, often in physical form, but sometimes as ghosts. I suppose what every ghost hopes is that their book connects with someone somewhere, and stays with them.For that, of course, I should like to thank Martin Tyler. ' ' '