The Final Word Cricket Podcast

New Zealand set up the Test match beautifully on Day 5 at Lord’s but England refused to play ball. What gives? Ollie Robinson is out, and the draw leaves plenty of questions about who will feature in the second Test. You can support the show at patreon.com/thefinalword Get 20% off playing kit at WoodstockCricket.co.uk with the code TFW20 The Final Word is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What a tussle on the fourth day. Tim Southee finished with six wickets, Rory Burns finished with his best Test century, and England finished up just over a hundred runs behind on the first innings. But with the whole third day lost to rain, it will take something impressive for New Zealand to set up this match for a win. You can support the show at patreon.com/thefinalword Get 20% off playing kit at WoodstockCricket.co.uk with the code TFW20 The Final Word is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. Today: raise the bat. 50 episodes of this indulgence are somehow in the bag. We'll have both Mad Dogs and Englishmen, midday sun or otherwise. A closer look at the fitting finish to an epic Test series, an exhibition of T20 perfection, some pure filth from 100 years earlier, and the Final Word's party number gets another run. This is also the week for a chaotic attempt at Julio Pledge! The far less accomplished game on the show. Your new Nerd Pledge numbers: 4.19 – Dan Walsh & Alastair Wilson 2.73 – Brian Stratford 3.24 – Dane Hansted 3.69 – Sam Littlejohn 2.13 – Harrison Payne Your Julio Pledgers: Nick Rice Anand Viswanathan Paul Dennett Jagannathan Tiruvallur Eachambadi Ross Davey Alex Pranav Lalan Susheel R Ramasahayam Brian Withington Rob Kingston Eleanor Higgs Richard Oakley Mohit Mark Peckham Matt Whitehouse James Mulcahy Matt Featherstone Peter James Patrick Blondi Josh Williams Tane Aikman Plus revisits and confirmations. Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  To help Nick Tewson raise funds for Lord's Taverners with his big bike ride: click here.  To do your own Tavs adventure, look here.  For a discount subscription to Wisden Cricket Monthly, the magic key is bit.ly/wcmtfw Get 20% off Woodstock kit with code TFW20 at woodstockcricket.co.uk The Final Word is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by Urthboy Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He resumed the day on 136 and just kept going. But not everything was Conway’s way. Mark Wood started a speed spell for England, and the match rattled and rolled. Then came Neil Wagner to add some flourish in ways that only he can. NZ’s first innings is wrapped, and England have started a decent reply. You can support the show at patreon.com/thefinalword Get 20% off playing kit at WoodstockCricket.co.uk with the code TFW20 The Final Word is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Win the toss, bat first, and make a ton. It couldn’t be easier for Devon Conway, who is unbeaten overnight with the highest score ever made on debut at Lord’s. England went with an interesting bowling approach, and couldn’t break through often enough despite a fine show of quality. A proper tussle on the first day. You can support the show at patreon.com/thefinalword Get 20% off playing kit at WoodstockCricket.co.uk with the code TFW20 The Final Word is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 10, Ep 6: Daniel Brettig joins the show to discuss Cricket Australia's new and old appointment as CEO, as well as Dan's own appointment at The Age. We look at a crazy year in the life of Boom Boom Afridi, the upcoming Test between England and New Zealand, the arrival home at last for Australia's players, another round of political strife in Afghanistan cricket, the county wrap and the new World Cup format. Plus another Milk Round. Your Nerd Pledge number this week: 3.65 – Nick Dempsey Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Message from anywhere on earth with your ZOLEO, at zoleo.com Check out CBUS Super at https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summer The Final Word is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by Urthboy Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. Today: a trip across Australia's lines from the Brisbane to the Barassi. Some cryptic stuff about numbers that don't equal other numbers. A couple of the great counterattacks, and the fastest in the world in more ways than one. Jean Valjean is back, along with 1970s beer advertisements and even more time than usual in the 1800s. Your new Nerd Pledge numbers: 5.43 – Cheemgadar & Peder Roberts. 2.22 – Srikanth Agaram & John Tucker 2.00 – Rob O'Neill Plus revisits and confirmations. Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  To support Declan Lawlor's Lord's Taveners run along the Thames, click here.  To do your own Tavs adventure, look here.  For a discount subscription to Wisden Cricket Monthly, the magic key is bit.ly/wcmtfw Get 20% off Woodstock kit with code TFW20 at woodstockcricket.co.uk Check out CBUS Super at cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summer The Final Word is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by Urthboy Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 10, Ep 5: Is he the first live-streaming superstar? The cricket world turned to a dodgy video feed from a gale-struck Canterbury as Darren Stevens produced one of the more audacious innings in the first-class game. Fifteen sixes later, he nearly reached a double ton while his batting partner made 1 run. It was just the latest in a series of scarcely believable episodes in an unusual cricketing life, having turned into a bowler at 35 years of age and still playing at 45. He joins the Final Word to talk through all of it. Also! Friend of the show and sometime co-host Isabelle Westbury joins us to discuss a week of major stories about the treatment of women players by the Indian board, and we're back with some vintage Winnie News and a brand new Milk Round. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 1.22 – Peter Brown 12.22 – Ollie Chauhan Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Message from anywhere on earth with your ZOLEO, at zoleo.com Check out CBUS Super at https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summer The Final Word is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by Urthboy Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. Today: the innings that even Robelinda agrees could have been the best of all. A player with the same number in a whole lot of categories. The genius behind the Doug Ring Cycle, another of the great comebacks, catching a few at the beach in Bellingen, and the Final Word's most shameful miss in the history of this show. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 1.46 - Al Saunders 4.29 - Daniel O'Connell & Brook Quinn 2.28 - Harry Wojciechowski 5.40 - Jim Carnegie & Chris Prout Plus revisits and confirmations. Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com You can help the Lord's Taverners via Declan's run of the Thames here. And the Alan Igglesden campaign we mentioned is here, for Test cap #540. Get 20% off premium kit from WoodstockCricket.co.uk with the code TFW20 Check out CBUS Super at cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword The Final Word is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by Urthboy Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 10, Ep 4: Horror movies teach us that if you don't nail the monster properly, it always comes back. Australia's ball-tampering story was never buried properly the first time around. This week we speak to Peter Lalor about the news side of the story that won't go away. We also cover various squads, the county championship, and have a breezy chat with Australia's nearly-there cult hero Michael Neser.  Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 7.70 - Eranda Jayawickreme redux 1.34 - John Trevelyan Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com Get a discount Wisden Cricket Monthly subscription at bit.ly/wcmtfw Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword Get some primo gear from Woodstock Cricket with 20% off full-priced kit. Enter the code TFW20 at woodstockcricket.co.uk Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summer The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by  Urthboy Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices