The Final Word Cricket Podcast

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

Season 14, Episode 29: He is just about everybody's favourite, and it's obvious why. Stephen Fry has been a comedy and literary hero for Geoff and Adam, starting with his work on Blackadder and with Hugh Laurie, and building through the decades. He also adores cricket, even though from childhood he hated all other sport. So all these years later he ended up spending a year as president of the Marylebone Cricket Club - both part of and subject to a time of great change. We sit down with Stephen to talk about change, creativity, collaboration, and the difficulties of fighting any sort of system.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

Season 14, Episode 28: There are World Cups coming out our ears, with details of the schedule for the men's T20 version next year starting emerge even while the BCCI is still changing the 50-over schedule that is due to start in two months. "Relax!" they're saying. "Go with the flow!" We also check in with our USA correspondent Cam Ponsonby about Major League Cricket and the mysterious New York stadium - is it too much to hope that it's in Flushing, Queens? The Bangladesh women's team eyes off Test cricket, Australia's women tour Ireland, and the County Championship rolls on.Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:4.31 - Michael FallonSupport 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

The Ashes, just in general: We knew it would be big. It always is. We didn't know that four of the five matches would be in balance into their final hour. So much conversation, irritation, celebration over the course of six weeks. Time to look back over it all.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comFind out what you can do for summer at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City – More extra, less ordinary!https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/london/summer-2023https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/stratfordcity/summer-2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ashes, 5th Test at The Oval, Day 5: IT IS OVER. We started the day with a chaseable target remaining for Australia. We stopped in the middle for a long time for rain. But either side of that, the series built to the kind of climax that it deserved. Steve Smith was there. So was Moeen Ali. Ben Stokes was involved. As was Travis Head. Chris Woakes did his thing. Todd Murphy was terrific. And at the end, of course, there he was: Stuart Broad.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comFind out what you can do for summer at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City – More extra, less ordinary!https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/london/summer-2023https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/stratfordcity/summer-2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ashes, 5th Test at The Oval, Day 4: It was all about Stuart Broad as the fourth day started at The Oval, but not so much when the bowling began. Australia were supposed to be cooked, but not yet. Usman Khawaja and David Warner put on their best stand of the series before rain once again intervened.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comFind out what you can do for summer at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City – More extra, less ordinary!https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/london/summer-2023https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/stratfordcity/summer-2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ashes, 5th Test at The Oval, Day 4: While we were recording the Day 3 Daily show, Stuart Broad decided to retire. Not a helpful piece of timing for podcasters, but very good timing for Broad, who explained his decision as eloquently as ever and has a strong rationale. One of the great Ashes competitors, amongst a far broader career that deserves to be recognised as well, we thought that Stuart Broad was worth an episode of his own. Thanks for all the fun over the journey.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comFind out what you can do for summer at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City – More extra, less ordinary!https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/london/summer-2023https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/stratfordcity/summer-2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ashes, 5th Test at The Oval, Day 3: Halfway through the last Test of the series and Bazball was still blazing. Pat Cummins battled, Todd Murphy performed beyond his years, but this was England's day, with Crawley and Duckett starting off the top before Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow had their say. We have one, perhaps two, bumper days to come. And yes, Stuart Broad announced his retirement while we were recording this, so we didn't know.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comFind out what you can do for summer at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City – More extra, less ordinary!https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/london/summer-2023https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/stratfordcity/summer-2023 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. Fine, it hasn't exactly been weekly in the middle of the Ashes, but we didn't manage to put together this episode. Featuring an innings that left everybody speechless, a detour back to some very early Ashes stories, prodigious feats on a first visit to foreign soil, and another regular six-hitter tallies up.Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:19.04 - Matthew Chapple14.90 - Brett Birkenstock2.43 - David Honeyball10.00 - Nigel BrowneSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comTitle track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ashes, 5th Test at The Oval, Day 2: One team pushes ahead, the other pulls them back. So it has been all through this Ashes series. Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne had the go-slow. Stuart Broad got things moving. Steve Smith, was he run out or not? The umpires say no. Todd Murphy smokes some shots off Mark Wood. Pat Cummins is back in the runs. And by the end of day four we have a shootout.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 out what you can do for summer at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City – More extra, less ordinary!https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/london/summer-2023https://www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/stratfordcity/summer-2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices