What's it all about

Cricket Lexicon by John Leigh, David Woodhouse (Faber and Faber, 266pp) £9.99

Arm-Ball To Zooter by Lawrence Booth (Penguin Books, 304pp) £12.99

Cricket is one of the most complex sports. Not only are the laws so bewildering that even those at the top of the game - including the odd Test captain - are often uncertain about them, but there are more quirky terms and expressions than you can shake a stick at.

A few attempts have been made to clear the muddied water over the years, but two new offerings hit the bookshops on the same day, just in time for the Ashes/early Christmas markets.

As if to add some pre-publication spice, the authors of Cricket Lexicon accused Lawrence Booth, the author of Arm-Ball To Zooter of being "ungentlemanly" and pinching their idea. Not exactly a row of Blair-Brown proportions, but unusual in literary circles. Booth's dignified response was that these were "two different books", and even a cursory glance shows he is right.

Cricket Lexicon, by John Leigh and David Woodhouse, is a well researched guide to the way the modern game is written about, aimed at those who enjoy wallowing in cricket's rich language and literature more than the casual reader. As you might expect from scholars who met at Cambridge University, respectively writing doctorates on Voltaire and Byron, this is what might be described in some circles as a "highbrow" publication. It is entertaining and informative, but not packed with laughs (and why should it be) and unlikely to lure in anyone who is not a cricket (and literary) nut.

The preface is a fascinating insight into the way language evolves and emerges, and Wisden Cricinfo can be proud that more than a fair share of those held up to be the best of the modern writers are current or former staff. The lexicon itself is not going to make the game straightforward to the uninitiated, but readers of broadsheets might find a few grey areas cleared up. I am not sure when I last read or heard that a player had "gone in the arse", but there you go.

Arm-Ball To Zooter, on the other hand, is far more light-hearted and certainly doesn't take itself nearly as seriously. Those familiar with Booth's unrivalled Spin output on the Guardian website will not be surprised at its tone. He takes phrases and aspects of the game and moulds them into something amusing and irreverent without undermining the sport's essence and history. Where else will you find subject headings covering John Travolta and Albania alongside Extras and Ambush Marketing.

The big difference between the two is that Arm-Ball can be read through as if it were a normal book rather than a reference work. I found I looked up a couple of words and was sucked in to see what had been said about another. Two hours - and more than a few belly-laughs - later, I resurfaced.

As Booth said, these are two very different books. If you want to laugh and yet still end up knowing more about the game, then buy Arm-Ball To Zooter. If you want something a bit more cerebral, then go for Cricket Lexicon. Ideally, get them both.