Still at the Crease:
An Ashes Journey
Release Date: 5th November 2026
Most Ashes books are written from the middle.
This one is written from the stands.
By a fan with Parkinson’s who fears this may be his last tour.
“More than a cricket book. A reminder of what matters.”
Moeen Ali OBE, England cricketer
“What following England sounds like from the inside: the friendships, the heartbreak, and the stubborn refusal to stop showing up.
The voice of one of our own.”
England’s Barmy Army
Why this book matters
This is not a book about winning the toss, dropped slip catches, or reverse sweeps.
It is about a promise made as a child and kept decades later. About friendship measured not in years but in Ashes tours. About family, loyalty and the people who show up when it matters
In 2020, aged fifty, I was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. Five years later I boarded a plane for Australia. Parkinson’s is progressive, and there was no guarantee I would ever be able to make this journey again.
So I went.
If you love cricket, I hope you will recognise a little of yourself in these pages. If you have never watched a ball bowled and think it’s the dullest pastime ever, I hope you will recognise something more important.
It is about holding on to hope after the arrival of an incurable neurological condition. Knowing that life will now be a series of unfathomable symptoms, hospital appointments, bad days and an uncertain future, and refusing to let that be the whole story.
Sport has a way of drawing people together. Often close friends, but more importantly acquaintances long forgotten, or complete strangers who happen to share a love of cricket; who take delight in singing a Barmy Army song almost as much as the joint celebration of the key wicket of an old England nemesis.
Who Is Adam J Bramall?
Adam J Bramall is a Sheffield-based lawyer, lifelong cricket supporter and member of the Barmy Army.
His love affair with cricket began during the summer of 1981, watching Ian Botham's Ashes heroics as an eleven-year-old boy. That extraordinary series sparked a promise he would spend much of his life keeping: one day he would follow England to Australia.
In 1994 he attended his first Ashes tour, travelling with his brother to Melbourne and Sydney. It became the start of a lifelong obsession. Since then Ashes cricket has formed a backdrop to friendships, family life, milestones and memories stretching across more than three decades.
In 2020 Adam was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease.
The diagnosis changed many things, but not everything.
During the 2025-26 Ashes series he travelled across Australia following England from Perth to Sydney, determined to complete what might be his final Ashes tour.
Still at the Crease: An Ashes Journey is his first book.
All author proceeds are donated to Cure Parkinson's
Supported by:
Advance praise
“Courage doesn’t always look like a big moment on the field. Sometimes it looks like walking through the gates again when it would be easier not to.”
Moeen Ali OBE, England cricketer & author of the Letter to the Reader
"I chuckled out loud at least 50 times, and cried perhaps 5, a good ratio.
The challenges of Adam's journey, both his Parkinson's journey, and his cricket journey, intermingle so fluidly that his words often seem to apply to both at once, marvellous work.
Every journey with Parkinson's is different, thank you Adam for sharing yours, I'm sure it will inspire others. It has certainly inspired me - to want to find the cure even faster."
Andy Simons, Director of Cure Parkinson’s
“Adam Bramall's moving story demonstrates his deep devotion to the Ashes and his determination to overcome what to many would seem like insurmountable obstacles to see England in Australia.”
Richard Whitehead, author of Victory in Australia
“If anyone wants to understand Parkinson’s, this book offers the most insightful account I’ve ever come across.”
Bob Bernard, cover artist
Who is the illustrator ?
Bob Bernard is an artist who grew up in Manchester and moved to study fine art in Sheffield in 1984 where he spent the next 25 years working as a graphic artist.
In 2019, aged 56, Bob was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
‘I quickly realised that I needed to ‘own’ my Parkinson’s and returned to painting. I am trying to use my Parkinson’s as a positive, as an opportunity to make art.’
He has exhibited at shows locally, nationally and internationally, and is a member of Peak District Artisans.
Read an extract
From the Prologue: Headingley, 1981
Later, when England toured thousands of miles away in Australia, cricket lived only on Radio 4 long wave, with regular breaks bizarrely given over to the shipping forecast. Even now I can name the cool-sounding maritime areas: Dogger, Viking, Cromarty, South Utsire. There was no chance of live coverage on television, so I would lie in that same bedroom with a radio pressed to my ear.
Listening to Test Match Special drift across the oceans. Australian vowels stretched thin, every sentence sounding like a friendly question. The commentary describing sunshine and roaring crowds at the MCG: a world impossibly far from my freezing room, from the turbulence below.
Ball by ball. Over and over.
First, there was Headingley and Botham. But then there was the moment cricket became more than just a game. Something else entirely. A refuge and a promise. A promise to visit Australia for a full Ashes series.
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Where the money goes
100% of the author’s proceeds go to the charity, Cure Parkinson’s.
About Cure Parkinson’s
We’re here for the cure. Cure Parkinson’s is working with urgency to find new treatments to slow, stop and reverse Parkinson’s. Our funding and innovation has redefined the field of Parkinson’s research, enabling the world’s leading researchers to prioritise the next generation of drugs for clinical trial. Together we will conquer Parkinson’s.
Further information at cureparkinsons.org.uk
Cure Parkinson’s is the operating name of The Cure Parkinson’s Trust. The Cure Parkinson’s Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales (1111816) and Scotland (SCO44368) and is a company limited by guarantee – company number 05539974 (England and Wales).
