Includes index. "Foreword by Mark Taylor." A cricketer as exciting as any on his day tearing apart opposing teams with skill, grace and a smile on his face. Raised mainly by his father after his mother left the family, in sports-mad Wagga Wagga, Michael Slater made his mark early in school boy cricket and hockey. Just after entering the Australian Cricket Academy he was hit by a car whilst out riding a pushbike and spent the next 12 months struggling to overcome his injuries. In 1990 at the age of 20 he was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (a form of reactive arthritis affecting the spine) a fact he kept to himself until it forced him into retirement in June 2004. Controversy, and the media, dogged him as his marriage to his childhood sweetheart broke down and he received accusations of drug-taking, adultery and a nightclub lifestyle. No matter what else he was up to Slats has always been a batsman to watch. He shares the complete story of his life including his struggles with his insecurities and mental health, his relationships with the Waugh brothers, Tubby Taylor, Gillie, Boony, the selectors, red ferraris, his childhood sweetheart and the ACB.