MERV: THE FULL STORY by Merv Hughes with Patrick Keane Harper Sports hardback, 368pp, £18.95 from Sportspages (see overleaf)

 IF YOU SEE that old warhorse Merv Hughes being interviewed by a television crew during this summer's Ashes series, be warned: you might not recognise him. It is amazing what marriage, fatherhood and retirement can do to fast bowlers.

That huge moustache is still there, but otherwise one of the modern game's better-known yobbos now cuts a relatively suave figure, looking rather intelligent in spectacles, and dressing as well as the next businessman in the members' section.

To those who know Hughes, the new look is no surprise. There was always more to him than the image of the beer-drinking, pie-eating, fire-breathing fast bowler. Merv: The Full Story is written by Patrick Keane, Hughes's authorised biographer and the Australian Cricket Board's media officer. Hughes drove his man hard, constantly suggesting another player who would be worth a call for a comment, critical as well as laudatory. He really did encourage Keane to tell the full story, or something like it.

The main challenge Hughes faced in his career was the battle of the bulge, and he admits he could have worked harder at controlling his weight and thus lengthened his career. Australian coach Bob Simpson and team physiotherapist Errol Alcott were always warning the big man about his diet, and how the extra weight he carried would one day cause his knees to collapse.

Still, Hughes is not one to entertain regrets and his achievements were formidable. His 212 wickets in 53 Tests left him in eighth place on the list of Australian bowlers, and he took them at a better strike rate than the legendary Ray Lindwall. Through determination and sheer hard work Hughes turned himself into a courageous and canny bowler.

One of his most notable assets was his willingness to promote a personal duel against a key batsman. He and Robin Smith had some memorable confrontations, and Graeme Hick is still recovering from his meetings with the big Victorian. All those confrontations involved the Hughes glare and growl. Merv was a sledger, and the book is full of wonderful anecdotes about his verbal acrobatics as well as a range of conflicting views on whether he went too far.

 Hughes's final year in the game was marked by the collapse of those knees, frustration with selectors and a serious falling-out with Dean Jones, his captain for Victoria, which is covered in depth in the book. In a letter to the ACB in April 1997, a fed-up Hughes wrote of his hurt and embarrassment at the selectors' neglect. `I had felt that the new panel's decision to name Mark Taylor as captain offered me some hope, but the recent demise of another fat boy in David Boon has indicated there are limited positions available for overweight cricketers. With great regret (and overwhelming relief), I must announce that I have now officially retired from international cricket, unless you need me in the next month.'

 Hughes often played Test Cricket like someone amazed at having realised a boyhood dream. After retirement he played on for his club in the working-class, industrial west of Melbourne. No TV cameras, no adoring crowds, just that genuine love of the game. Merv Hughes was a cricketer to admire in many ways, and this well research and beautifully produced book does him justice.

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