The Final Word Cricket Podcast

Season 14, Episode 13: Cricket is getting rich, which means the BCCI is getting richer. Over the last week a huge yet unsurprising story broke that India's board is angling to take a huge share of ICC revenue for itself, putting one administration above everywhere else in the world. So what? Don't they bring in that cash? Well, it's never that simple. As senior editor of ESPNcricinfo, Osman Samiuddin has been on the beat for years, and is here to explain.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 12: England's fast bowlers are going down. One by one, and all at once, in a familiar story ahead of the Ashes. What does Archer's future hold, four years on from his furious debut? Amidst this, England have named a squad for their Ireland Test that gestures at their plans for the five Tests beyond it - bad luck Ben Foakes - while Australia have released their next summer schedule with some changes to the recent template. Ireland and Bangladesh play two stunners, Peter Siddle gets another chapter, David White finishes up as New Zealand's cricket boss, and there's all the domestic action.Your Nerd Pledge (revisit) this week:8.62 - Matt MaySupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title 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. This week, it's hat-tricks, the state upper house, and the Centenary Test... a couple of times. It's a true north talking about that week in March 1977, the date of which happens to be a clue in one case when digging for some iconic commentary. Is Anil Kumble sexy enough? Let's find out. To finish, a revisit that may never be solved but we're trying our best.Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:4.80 - Joel Emonson8.62 - Matt May3.53 - Michael Bell1.10 - Vivek Arcot3.17 - Nick Dempsey6.80 - Rudi VollerRevisits8.16 - RamaswamySupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 11: Go back 20 years, and Irish cricket was considered a contradiction in terms. Now Ireland is one of the game's success stories, rising to Full Member status and trying to grow in all directions. Lucky then that Andy Balbirnie isn't afraid of hard work. Since taking over as men's captain in 2019 he has had plenty of it, needing to combine being a batting lynchpin with being a strategist, motivator, statesman and advocate, and keeping an eye firmly fixed on how things can improve in the future. During the final series of Ireland's World Cup qualifying stage, he tells his story with The Final Word.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 10: Who needs to play tour matches before a major Test engagement, anyway? Its not like Australia's most recent tour was affected by a team taking time to adjust. Time to play other sports instead. On another note, it was a major week in the women's game with two of the game's iconic fast bowlers, Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Shabmim Ismail, retiring from international duty. India has squad changes for the World Test Championship final, a familiar voice will be the new MCC president at Lord's, Ireland take a curious attitude to their Test match at that venue, and Jofra Archer leaves the IPL still troubled by his limited injury recovery.Your Nerd Pledge number this week:5.65 - Jake CunliffeSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title 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. This week, let's begin with the apocryphal contributions of Olivia Newton-John, and work our way down to the coastal town of Warrnambool for what could and should be the greatest collaboration of all between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. With a little more Warwick Armstrong Style for those who celebrate.Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:50.00 - Phillip Wing17.17 - Alex Malin6.35 - Thom Kelly3.99 - Chewbacca Snuffleupagus3.73 - Joey McGahan7.71 - Claire Danny Daniel10.00 - Will DaySupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 9: When it comes to the second half of the 20th century, few figures had a bigger influence on English cricket than Dennis Amiss. But those born in recent decades might not know much of him, as a player and a personality defined by understatement even with the height of his achievements. Aggressively opening the batting when possible, resolutely defending when necessary, and going large in a way that predated Graeme Gooch's theory of 'daddy hundreds', he took on the best fast bowlers of his era - Holding, Roberts, Lillee, Thomson - and found a way against the best spin - Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar. Later he ran Warwickshire cricket, signed Brian Lara, was a national selector and held senior positions at the English board. Quite the CV for a Birmingham lad who grew up working at the family tyre shop around the corner from Edgbaston. Just after his 80th birthday, in the Midlands sunshine, Dennis is as chipper as ever.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 8: Nick Hoult from the Telegraph leads this show, after a huge news week in England that includes suggestions from the top of the ECB of abandoning the new format and league that they have spent the last few years arguing for. Other stories include England players becoming likely to refuse national contracts in favour of T20 franchises, and a masterful week of needling from Stuart Broad. Also this week, Kohli squares off with Gautam Gambhir to become a Champion of the Proletariat, Sri Lanka make history against Ireland, Nepal offers a mixed bag during its Asian Premier Cup win, Steve Smith arrives in Sussex, and the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy rolls on alongside the County Championship.Your Nerd Pledge number this week:4.63 - Tim AndrewsSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title 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. This week, with a coronation coming up, let's go back to the last time one was necessary. In step with that, we have England's most ineffective captain, Australia's selectors trolling Wally Hammond, another rare record for Vinoo Mankad, another appearance for Henry Olonga, and the end of our search for a bowler who took 10 and none.Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:4.65 - Tobi Wilson4.50 - Aravind3.43 - Shawn Rajanayagam, Stuart Akers, Real Victor Trumper10.20 - Matthew DaviesSupport the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 14, Episode 7: Victorian captain, back in the Test side for India, then not in the Ashes squad, Peter Handscomb's cricket career is still the proverbial rollercoaster. These days he is learning to take the ride. Now in a stint playing for Leicestershire, Handscomb sits down with The Final Word for a long and frank conversation about the hard winning of self-belief, the role of anxiety, the complications in enjoying the highs, and the process of letting go.Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalwordFind previous episodes at finalwordcricket.comHelp our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices