The Final Word Cricket Podcast

Season 14, Episode 36: Today’s episode is about Scotland, a nation we’ve not given enough time to over the years. Complicating this is the current mess surrounding Cricket Scotland off the field. Following allegations from national players, the board commissioned a report with its authors concluding in July 2022 that cricket in the country was institutionally racist. The board resigned en masse, and the churn of administrators has continued as reports of racist acts continue to occur and to be investigated. While this has played out publicly and bitterly, the Scottish men’s team came within a few balls of qualifying for the one-day World Cup, while Scotland’s women are on the road to professionalism with a generation of players aspiring to qualify for World Cups themselves.It is here that we pick up our conversations featuring four guests. Toby Bailey - Cricket Scotland’s high-performance boss.Kathryn Bryce - gun all-rounder and captain of the women’s team.Matthew Cross - men’s vice-captain and a veteran behind the stumps.Pete Fitzboydon – Interim chief executiveSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 35: As time wears relentlessly on, archives and artefacts begin to vanish. That is why this week brings about an important foray into a historical moment of great import: the cricketing intervention of Plucka Duck. Speaking of flightless birds, the Kiwis get overturned in one of the great upsets. Jasprit Bumrah is back ahead of the World Cup, the organising of which continues to be shambolic with more fixture changes, while the World Cup 'mascots' are a front for selling NFTs. Australia chop and change their white-ball squad for South Africa, the thrilling talent of Mahika Gaur will debut for England's women, with that squad drawing debate, South Africa's women are in more captaincy disarray, Harmanpreet Kaur doubles down on her Bangladesh meltdown, the Hundred and Metrobank comps roll on, and there's a new segment of Corporate Bullshit.Your Nerd Pledge number this week is:2.46 - Randolph BrazierSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 34: This has been on our wish list for a long time - Adam sits down with Indian great Cheteshwar Pujara. And contrary to reports, he's far from done as a Test batter, determined to get back into the side to add to his 19 tons. In this expansive conversation at Hove, where he's dominating for Sussex in county cricket, the 35-year-old goes back to the very start, explaining how both his father and late mother put in place the foundation for a career that has bucked modern trends in the most wonderful way, whilst never forgetting that his first responsibility is to be a good person.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy 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. MCC Cowdrey walks down the MCC steps in the final over of the Test in 1963 against the fearsome Windies with a broken arm... one of the bravest acts in Test history, right? Daniel Norcross, in for Geoff with Adam this weekend, explains why this tale isn't quite how it seems. Then on to Chuck Fleetwood-Smith - distinctive name, striking career - and a couple of Aussie leggies, one better known than the other. Lastly, a challenge for our listeners that we reckon you'll relish. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:3.61 - Joe McDavitt14.85 - Brendan Sharry6.35 - Max Waters2.85 - Jack Jorgensen4.00 - Jeremy BourkeSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 33: The most predicable coming-out-of-retirement tale is complete, with Ben Stokes doing as we all knew he would – he’s going to India for the World Cup in October to help England defend their World Cup. A lot more, from our night at The Hundred for Adam’s birthday to Wahab Riaz’s own retirement from international cricket… which he hasn’t played for over three years. Throw in India getting rolled by the Windies, Steve Finn’s retirement and an existential crisis for South African Test cricket and it’s another busy week at Final Word HQ, which for the moment is Daniel Norcross’ sitting room in South London. Your Nerd Pledge number this week is:10.60 - Sam DaviesSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 32: One of our favourites from the earliest days of the pod, and one of the most likeable people in the game - Grace Harris. A international career that started in a hurry before stopping just as quickly, the hard-hitting Queenslander is now back in business at the top level. She’s also making the very most of her opportunities on the short-form circuit, winning fans aplenty in India during the WPL and currently calling Lord’s her home as an overseas import for the London Spirit. Most importantly, a great egg.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy 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. Buongiorno from the Eternal City, where history never sleeps and neither does this history program. No Italian cricket on the show but for some reason a lot of Greg Chappell. He could have been one of those bearded Roman soldiers, right? Also, the White Lightning finishes off a classic one-dayer, we squeeze Jack Hobbs' numbers into a certain shape, and do you know which woman played both for and against India?Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:2.07 - Tom Ford & Greg Upon Thames2.60 - Ian Wolstenhome & Andrew Gardner2.35 - Tom Lodewycke6.28 - RhubarbSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 31: Bharat is home to meet his chickens, Geoff is notionally on holiday, but that doesn't mean there aren't still some cold Ashes ashes to rake over. Usman Khawaja has a curious interpretation of what efficiency means, and Mitchell Marsh has a new temp job. Australia have a preliminary World Cup squad, India still have NFI when the World Cup matches will be, and Alex Hales has no more time for England. West Indies spring a couple of surprises on India in the shortest format, and James Rew keeps surprising everyone.Your Nerd Pledge number this week is:7.43 - David PeacockSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 30: In their new book, White Hot, journalists (and Final Word regulars) Tim Wigmore and Matt Roller have documented the dominance of the England men's white-ball team, looking at how they went from relative easybeats at the 2015 World Cup in Australia to dual world champions in the same country seven years later. It's a great tale superbly told both in print and in this interview, with England's 50-over defence the next major assignment - starting in just two months from now.Pick up a copy of White Hot, The Inside Story of England Cricket’s Double World Champions: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/white-hot-9781399411639/Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy 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. Back in the saddle after the Ashes, although technically this episode was not recorded after the Ashes. We bring in Wisden Cricket Monthly Phil Walker for his Mastermind subject, hear from the subject of one of the pledges himself, and take a long tour of northern Queensland trying to figure out just how far everywhere is from everywhere else.Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:1.77 - Louis Jackson 3.33 - Phil Jeffs30.98 - Ciaran O'Kane5.30 - Steve DoddSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordSign up to learn about all the Lord's Taverners projects at bit.ly/tavssignupFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices