Stumped

The England vice captain Ollie Pope joins us to reflect on a dramatic Ashes series. Pope was ruled out of the contest after dislocating his right shoulder in the second Test. He discusses his recovery and the influence of Stuart Broad on his career. Plus, he reacts to England being docked World Test Championship points for a slow over rate during the Ashes series.Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma all reflect on a pulsating Ashes series which finished all square at 2-2 after Stuart Broad on his 167th and final Test clinched victory for England in their fifth Ashes Test.The USA Correspondent for Cricinfo, Peter Della Penna also gives us his verdict on the first edition of the Major League Cricket tournament which concluded this week with MI New York lifting the trophy.Picture: Stuart Broad of England holds a stump following Day Five of the LV= Insurance Ashes 5th Test Match between England and Australia at The Kia Oval on July 31, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Is the two-match ban given to India captain Harmanpreet Kaur by the International Cricket Council sufficient? Jim Maxwell doesn’t think so. On this week’s Stumped, Jim states that her behaviour following her dismissal in a One Day International against Bangladesh brought the game into disrepute and he advocates for a year-long ban in addition to her being stripped of the national team captaincy. Harmanpreet hit her own stumps with her bat after being dismissed and criticised the umpires in the post-match presentation. Australia have retained the men’s Ashes after rain decided the outcome of the fourth Test with England. Alison Mitchell, Charu Sharma and Jim discuss whether poor conditions are an inevitability that Test cricket has to put up with, or whether there’s a way around it. Plus, we meet England’s youngest ever international cricketer. Leanne Davis left exam revision behind to make her debut in an ODI against South Africa in July 2000 as a 15 year old, but she only played once more for her country. 23 years on, she’s living in Adelaide working in the non-profit sector, helping young people affected by cancer.Image: Harmanpreet Kaur of India cuts a dejected figure following the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Semi Final match between Australia and India at Newlands Stadium on February 23, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

We’re heading to America to meet the co-owner of a Major League Cricket franchise. Anand Rajaraman is an entrepreneur who has sold businesses to Amazon and Walmart, as well as being an early investor in Facebook. His latest start-up is the San Francisco Unicorns and he aims to make cricket a mainstream American sport. The first question is: Why has he named his team after a mythical creature?Plus, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma are joined by England fast-bowler Kate Cross following the conclusion of a thrilling Women’s Ashes. After losing the first Test and T20 of the multi-format series England looked down and out, but managed to rally and draw the series. Unfortunately for them, Australia retained the Women’s Ashes as they were the holders. We get Kate’s thoughts on her side’s performances and whether the structure of the series needs to be reviewed.Image: Ali Khan and Nosthush Kenjige of USA make their way off following the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier Zimbabwe 2023 9th and 10th Playoff match between USA and UAE at Takashinga Cricket Club on July 06, 2023 in Harare, Zimbabwe. (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

Alison Mitchell is joined by Clint Wheeldon and Sunil Gupta to reflect on an exhilarating Ashes series across both the men’s and women’s game, with more thrills still to come. England looked down and out in the women’s multi-format series after losing the one-off Test at Trent Bridge, but they have rallied and inflicted three consecutive defeats on the reigning world champions Australia. One win from the remaining two one-day internationals would be enough for the tourists to retain the urn, but England have the momentum.Meanwhile, the men’s Test series is delicately poised. A win for the hosts at Old Trafford would level the scores at 2-2 going into the fifth and final match at the Oval, but similarly to their female counterparts, Australia only need to draw the series to ensure that they won’t be relinquishing the Ashes. The team give their predictions on which way it will go.Plus, Teja Nidamanuru joins us after helping the Netherlands qualify for their first 50-over World Cup in 12 years. The occasion will mean more than most for the middle-order batter as the tournament is being hosted in the country of his birth, India. He tells us about moving to New Zealand as a six-year-old, playing in England and working a full-time job to support his cricket career.Image: England players Mark Wood (r) and Chris Woakes celebrate victory after day four of the 3rd LV= Ashes Test Match at Headingley on July 09, 2023 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Where has it all gone wrong for West Indies? Charu Sharma, Jim Maxwell and Nikesh Rughani discuss the decline of a once-great cricketing nation as they failed to reach the World Cup in India later this year. The two-time champions were beaten by Scotland, Netherlands and Zimbabwe in qualifying matches and won’t appear at a men’s 50-over World Cup for the first time ever. The third Ashes Test between England and Australia is under way at Headlingley but the controversy of Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal in the second Test at Lord’s continues to linger. Jim gives his view on UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s claim that the visitors went against the spirit of cricket.Plus, we pay tribute to Steve Smith as the Australian plays his 100th Test match having just become one of the quickest batters to reach 9000 Test runs.Image: HARARE, ZIMBABWE - JULY 01: Shamarh Brooks of West Indies makes their way off after being dismissed during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier Zimbabwe 2023 Super 6 match between Scotland and West Indies at Harare Sports Club on July 01, 2023 in Harare, Zimbabwe. (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma all react to the landmark review into cricket in England and Wales, which says racism, sexism, classism and elitism are "widespread" throughout the sport.We also ask, how England can find a way back against a dominant Australian team in the Women's Ashes.With the second Test coming from the Home of Cricket at Lords, Alison Mitchell speaks to Australian legend Merv Hughes and former England pace bowler Angus Fraser on their favourite Ashes memoriesAnd, the creator of the children's cartoon programme Bluey, Joe Brumm joins us to discuss why they included cricket into one of their episodes and how the sport is inspiring young children.Picture - Bluey (Credit ABC)

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss the drama of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston - from Ben Stokes’ shock first-innings declaration, to Pat Cummins’ match winning performance with the bat to what’s next for England’s bowlers.Plus Australia’s Usman Khawaja tells Alison Mitchell just what it was like being in the away dressing room when Cummins’ scored the winning run.And with the Women's Ashes series underway, we hear from former England cricketer Katherine Sciver Brunt on what the sporting rivalry means to her and she calls for a worldwide effort to ensure international cricket thrives.(Photo: Australia batsmen Nathan Lyon (l) and Pat Cummins celebrates after winning the match during day five of the LV= Insurance Ashes 1st Test Match between England and Australia at Edgbaston on June 20, 2023 in Birmingham, England. Credit: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta meet at Lord’s to look back on the World Test Championship final and preview the upcoming Ashes series. We’re joined at the home of cricket by former Australia opener and coach Justin Langer, who reveals the player he thinks will be the key in the men’s Ashes, what it’s like facing the very first ball of the series, and how he’s finding life after coaching.Plus, ex England captain Clare Connor discusses her experience of being the first female president of the Marylebone Cricket Club, and tells us about the work that the club’s charitable arm is doing to improve lives all over the world.

On this week's Stumped, Jim Maxwell and Alex Hartley are at The Oval where the ICC World Test Championship Final is taking place between Australia and India. They are joined by Charu Sharma and reflect on a dominant batting display from Australia including an unbeaten 146 from Travis Head. They also debate the decision made by India to drop Ravichandran Ashwin and whether it was the right one.The team react to the return of Moeen Ali to Test cricket for the Ashes after Jack Leach was ruled out due to a back stress fracture. Plus, how much of an advantage could Australia have in the Ashes, with former England head coach Andy Flower now among the visitors ranks in a consultancy role?And we are joined by Kuwait's Maryam Omar who is one step closer to fulfilling her dream of playing in the Women’s Big Bash. This year she lined up alongside Sana Mir, Shabnim Ismail and Katherine Sciver-Brunt for the Sapphires squad at the Fairbreak Invitational tournament and tells us how her journey began.Photo: Travis Head of Australia interacts with Steve Smith as he reaches his century during day one of the ICC World Test Championship Final between Australia and India at The Oval on June 07, 2023 in London, England. (Credit: ICC via Getty Images)

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma reflect on arguably the greatest Indian Premier League final ever and ask whether MS Dhoni should retire now after winning his fifth title with Chennai Super Kings? The final spanned three days after heavy rain on Sunday meant the final was held on Monday which was the reserve day. It finished at 1:35 on Tuesday morning. Plus after Alison Mitchell’s trip to Uganda we are joined by Consy Aweko who captains the Uganda women's team to hear how cricket was established in the country and the challenges that they face. She also tells us how successful the team have been recently and their maternity policies.Jim Maxwell shares his thoughts on how big a loss it will be for Australia in the upcoming Women’s Ashes without their captain Meg Lanning. Lanning will remain in Australia because of medical reasons. Photo: Captain MS Dhoni of the Chennai Super Kings after their victory against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 29, 2023 in Ahmedabad, India. (Credit: Getty Images)