Cricketers reveal their favourite books

	Open, February 8, 2011" class="stryPhotoEn" align="top" border="0" vspace="0" width="310" hspace="0"> Shane Watson felt one with Andre Agassi while reading his autobiography Open © ICC Enlarge

In an effort to promote literacy and reading during the , the ICC has entered into a partnership with , an organisation that promotes education in developing countries. As part of the efforts to underline the important of reading, a player from each of the fourteen teams competing in the tournament were asked to name their favourite book, and the exercise threw up some interesting surprises.

Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)
by JK Rowling
"I was actually imagining myself as Harry Potter. That's the power of the writer. I thought I could do anything. It was such an engaging tale that I was reading it day and night, at every break."

Shane Watson (Australia)
Open by Andre Aggasi
"I have read many books but my favourite out of all of these is Andre Agassi's autobiography, Open. Throughout the whole book he describes the thoughts and feelings going through his mind so unbelievably well. It is like you, as the reader, are in the moment with him. An amazing man with an amazing story."

Zubin Surkari (Canada)
Life by Keith Richards
"Being a closet rocker, this book was a great look into the life of someone society has labelled a rebel or trouble-maker. On the contrary, his life, although extreme and at times dangerous, started in humble beginnings in what seemed a normal family upbringing with a massive passion for all varieties of music. The book however quickly reassures you about the myth that is Keith Richards and delivers full value on his many years of experience and that of the Rolling Stones. A great read and a window into the life of a real music entertainer.

Luke Wright (England)
series by R L Stine
"They were my absolute favourite books growing up and they were the first books I really enjoyed reading when I was about 10. Sometimes scary, sometimes funny and always exciting, the books follow kids dealing with monsters, ghosts and strange goings on. A brilliant read."

Virat Kohli (India)
Open by Andre Agassi
"I like Andre Agassi's autobiography. The author tells the story of his remarkable career, which featured many ups and downs. The best part about the book is that at no point does the author try to project himself as a superhuman. He is as human as you and me, but a champion and an inspiration."

Ed Joyce (Ireland)
by George Orwell
"I first read 1984 when I was about 14 and I can't remember loving reading something as much as I did this book. It was scary and clever in equal measure and I think I finished it in a couple of sittings. I love being able to go back to a book and discover it anew and I must have read it 10 times since. Concepts such as 'doublethink' and 'big brother' were of course introduced in this book and it is interesting to see how these ideas have played out in the years since the book was first published in 1949. Definitely a must-read!"

Steve Tikolo (Kenya)
by Nelson Mandela
"Nelson Mandela is a legend and an icon who is admired all over the world. When I heard that his biography was out on sale, I told myself this was a book I must read. I have always admired him for his humility and the sacrifices he made in life for the people of South Africa so they could have a free country where everyone lives freely as brothers and sisters. When I read the book I was deeply moved and learned a lot of lessons that have helped me in life."

	Shahid Afridi said he is inspired by reading about Prophet Muhammad © ICC Enlarge

Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
Fazail-E-Amaal by Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi
"This book did affect me as a human being, as well as a Muslim, since the first time I read it in 2003. This book is about the simple life of our Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and his sayings. He spent his whole life as a role model for humanity, showing them the right pathway to help and care about others."

Wayne Parnell (South Africa)
by Stephen King
"I love the thrill and the suspense in his novels. His style of writing has a way of involving the reader, so you can kind of feel like you are in the novel, and there is nothing better than a book that you just can't put down. The reason I fell in love with his books is because when I was younger, my mother and I would spent a lot of time watching movies that recreated his books. As I got older and started reading at school, I chased after his books and became very fond of them."

Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)
by John Maxwell.
"Maxwell has identified 13 choices that we need to make so as to maximise our talent which I found to be very enlightening. This includes teamwork, which divides the effort and multiplies the effect. So, I find the book thought-provoking considering its relevancy in helping me to be the very best that I can be as a cricketer and human being."

Sulieman Benn (West Indies)
Supercat: The authorised biography of Clive Lloyd
"Clive Lloyd is one of the greatest West Indian cricketers of all time and his book gave me a good idea of the challenges he faced and how he overcame them. Reading about his performances and the thinking that went into his game provided me with a good idea of what it means to represent the West Indies and what playing for the West Indies means to the people.

Peter Borren (Netherlands)
by Pascal Mercier
"I loved this book because it was so thought-provoking. While reading it, one cannot help but question one's own life and the reasons for and the consequences of the decisions we make."

Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
series by Lee Child
"The books I'm reading at the moment are my favourite - the Jack Reacher series. I enjoy biographies and autobiographies but I like the action and crime of the Jack Reacher books and they are a great read. I used to read a little bit at school and neglected it through college but have recently got right back into it and am glued to these books."

Graeme Cremer (Zimbabwe)
by Lance Armstrong
"I like this book because I found it inspirational. I read it about a year ago. It is a sports autobiography so I found it particularly relevant to me and my career to see how another sportsman overcame the difficulties he faced in the sporting arena. I found his attitude of resilience in the face of illness and extreme challenges to be particularly motivating."