The Top Order Cricket Podcast

Note: Bit of a problem with Stu's audio for the final 5-6 minutes of the episode. Recording remotely is presenting a few challenges, but we'll get there in the end! The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the Day 16 match between Australia and Pakistan. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh set the platform for Australia with big hundreds after Warner was dropped early in his innings by Usama Mir, and the Aussies made 367 - but should it have been even more? Abdullah Shafique and Imam ul-Haq then did the same for Pakistan, combining for a century opening stand and it seemed like we were set for a classic run chase, but wickets fell too regularly and when Adam Zampa dismissed Babar Azam and then Iftikhar Ahmed, the total proved out of reach to give Australia a much needed win. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the match between India and Bangladesh. With Shakib al Hasan out injured, this match was always going to be tough for Bangladesh, but their openers made a great start to put India under pressure. Enter Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, who took wickets and slowed the run rate as India took a firm grip on the game that they never released. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill played their part, but Virat Kohli's unbeaten hundred guided India to another comfortable win. Do they have any weaknesses? Can anyone stop them in this World Cup? We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the first game of the fourth round of matches, between the Black Caps and Afghanistan. After more than a few nervy moments, two big partnerships and some excellent out cricket saw New Zealand to another impressive win to make it 4 from 4 to open the tournament. Stu and Baldy discuss dropped catches, some great catches, spin-bowling dreams, the efforts of Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman with the bat, plus the two bowling attacks who both did an excellent job. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*Note Raj’s audio isn’t great in this episode, but given the daily nature of these shows, we’ve decided to release. Should be fixed for tomorrow’s episode! The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the Day 13 match between South Africa and the Netherlands. The Proteas made a brilliant start to the tournament, but the Netherlands knocked them out of the T20 World Cup in 2022 - could they pull off another upset? Yes, they can! In a case of Double Dutch Delight, The Netherlands pulled off another remarkable upset, made more remarkable by the dire straits they were in three-quarters of the way through their innings. Raj and Baldy were fulsome in their praise for the Netherlands, but had to put the hard question out there. Which South African side is 'real'? The tournament is well and truly wide open... We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the Day 12 match between Australia and Sri Lanka. Two former champions, both winless in the tournament before this game, this was always going to be an important match for one team to get back on track. Australia, despite a few wobbles with ball and bat, did just that, with important contributions from the likes of Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including our recent conversation with Mike Hesson, plus chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show we’re taking a brief detour away from our daily updates of the 2023 Cricket World Cup to speak with one of the best cricketing minds in the business. Mike Hesson took the Black Caps to their first ever World Cup final, their first ever number-one ranking in any format, and more recently guided RCB to three playoff spots in the past four seasons of the IPL. In this extended conversation, Stu talks with Mike about what goes into a World Cup campaign, how to balance development with winning and Rachin Ravindra's breakthrough innings. Mike also shares some memories from the 2015 World Cup, including that epic semi-final against South Africa, Brendon McCullum's impact at the top of the order and soaking in the atmosphere of the Black Caps' run to the final. To round out the conversation, Mike discusses the differences in team-building between the IPL and international cricket, what it was like to walk into the RCB dressing room with stars like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and the pressure that comes with that high-profile tournament. We'll be back again every day throughout this World Cup to review the previous day's games. If you've enjoyed this episode, please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into more of our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the match between England and Afghanistan, which saw the first major upset of the tournament. Baldy and Stu discuss the contrasting performance of both sides - Rahmanullah Gurbaz's fearless approach, the skill of Mujeeb, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, struggles for Sam Curran and Chris Woakes, passive England and what it all means for the tournament as a whole. We'll be back later in the day to bring you an extended interview with former Black Caps and RCB coach Mike Hesson. Then tomorrow we'll be here again with more news and views from the Cricket World Cup. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the blockbuster encounter between India and Pakistan at Ahmedabad. The stars were out, and so were the blue shirts in the crowd, but did the game live up to the hype? Raj and Baldy also discuss the news that Kane Williamson's thumb is fractured, which leaves him with another race against the clock to feature before the end of pool play. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the match between the Black Caps and Bangladesh in Chennai, which was played on a much different pitch than we expected. Lockie Ferguson bowled fast, Daryl Mitchell hit sixes and Kane Williamson did Kane Williamson things but left the field in pain once again. Raj and Stu discuss selection, New Zealand's excellent start to the tournament, cross their fingers for Kane and look ahead to the hype-fest that is India versus Pakistan. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the match in Lucknow between Australia and South Africa, which saw a second consecutive hundred to Quinton de Kock, an Aussie batting collapse, a Kagiso Rabada peach, a few dropped catches and some umpiring controversy for good measure. Stu and Baldy discuss whether we should hand South Africa the trophy now, if the sky is falling for Australia and briefly preview the Black Caps' next fixture against Bangladesh. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode Binksy, Raj, and Baldy get together to break down India vs. Afghanistan, and preview the clash between Australian and South Africa. What can we take from the Indian performance? There certainly seems to be nothing that can stop India at the moment, but how much are they missing Shubman Gill? Afghanistan surprised a little with the bat, but was the decision to hold back Rashid a turning point in the match? Looking forward to Aus x SA Thursday night, it's a must-win game for both sides. The new surface at Lucknow might be a little bit of an unknown quantity, but who is best placed to exploit those conditions? Is it Klaasen, Miller, and the explosive South African batting, or can Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood contain the Rainbow Nation? Baldy asks, what will we get from Zampa and Maxwell? We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the day 6 double-header, featuring England v Bangladesh and Pakistan v Sri Lanka. In the early game, the dodgy Dharamasala outfield didn't stop England piling on the runs as a Dawid Malan hundred powered them to a big total and a commanding victory. Later in the day, we finally saw a close game (at least on the scorecard) as Pakistan achieved the highest successful run chase at a World Cup in a game that saw 4 hundreds scored - Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama for Sri Lanka, and Abdullah Shafique and Muhammad Rizwan for Pakistan. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the Day 5 match between the Black Caps and Netherlands, which saw New Zealand record a 99-run victory courtesy of an all-round batting effort led by 70 from Will Young and a 5-wicket haul for Mitchell Santner. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the match between India and Australia, which saw a win for the home side as Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin combined for 6 wickets and a big partnership from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul steadied the ship after an early wobble. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the a day of contrasts that saw Bangladesh take on Afghanistan and South Africa against Sri Lanka. In game one, Shakib al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz combined for 6 wickets as Bangladesh restricted Afghanistan to 156 all out. The second match saw 754 runs across both innings, as hundreds to Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram - his 49-ball effort breaking a men's World Cup record - helped South Africa to a record-breaking, and match-winning 428-5. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the second match of the tournament, between Pakistan and the Netherlands, in which a somewhat scratchy Pakistan found contributions from the likes of Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf to help them secure a win despite an impressive all-round performance from Bas de Leede. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here, and the Top Order Podcast has you covered with regular game reviews and recaps. In this episode of the show, we discuss the opening match of the tournament, between England and the Black Caps, in which a sublime partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway secured a dominant victory for New Zealand. We'll be back again tomorrow with more news and views, but until then please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup is almost here, and what better way to celebrate than a two-part bonanza of cricket content. In this first episode, we take a close look at the four sides that we feel most aligned with - India, Australia, England and the Black Caps. For each team, we discuss: Why will things go well? What are the potential weaknesses? Key players? Any injury concerns? Potential best XI? There's chat about Jasprit Bumrah's swing, Mitchell Marsh's hot form, Joe Root's form dip and why New Zealand always make the semi-finals, even when it seems like they aren't one of the best four squads. The second part of this preview covers the other six teams, plus booms/busts and our predictions, so check that out as well for the full preview experience. During the tournament, we're planning to provide regular game reviews, so let us know on our socials or in the comments section on YouTube what you'd most like to see from us during the World Cup. Please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Finn Allen, Sophie Devine and Matt Henry, coaches such as Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup is almost here, and what better way to celebrate than a two-part bonanza of cricket content. We recommend you listen to part 1 first, but in this second episode, we take a look at South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and the Netherlands, before looking at tournament booms and busts and our predictions. For each team, we discuss: Why will things go well? What are the potential weaknesses? Key players? Any injury concerns? Potential best XI? We ponder whether South Africa are good or not, how much the Naseem Shah injury could hurt Pakistan's chances, delight over the host of spin options for Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in particular, highlight why the Netherlands should be every Kiwi's second-favourite team and debate whether Shakib al Hasan can lead Bangladesh to an unexpected semi-final berth. To round out the preview, we make our predictions for the semi-finalists, finalists and tournament winner, plus the player of the tournament. Bring on the games! During the tournament, we're planning to provide regular game reviews, so let us know on our socials or in the comments section on YouTube what you'd most like to see from us during the World Cup. Please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Finn Allen, Sophie Devine and Matt Henry, coaches such as Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. In the meantime, if you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including our recent conversation with Kristy Havill previewing the Women's World Cup, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Ken Rutherford, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Katey Martin, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. You can also hear our memories of Shane Warne in our latest Hall of Fame episode. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of the show, we've got one eye on the ICC Men's World Cup as we discuss England v New Zealand, Australia v South Africa and the Pakistan v India Cup. The Black Caps named their World Cup squad this week, with spots for Will Young, Mark Chapman and Jimmy Neesham, but Finn Allen and Adam Milne miss out. Did they get the balance right? Through the lens of the current ODI series against England, we also take a deeper dive into the squad and how they might line up at the tournament: Who are the key players in the batting lineup and why is it Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell? How will four seamers fit into three spots? Trent Boult is awesome On the England side, questions still remain about Harry Brook and whether he's doing enough to force his way into the squad. Liam Livingstone is putting his hand up, though, as is Gus Atkinson, who is shining among a number of England seamers all fighting for game time. Over in South Africa, the Australians continue to outplay the home side - even ones who weren't initially named in the starting XI. We debate whether Marnus Labuschagne's match-winning performance as a concussion substitute and the hundred that followed will be enough to get himself on the plane to India. We also shine the spotlight on South Africa to ask: Are they serious contenders at this World Cup? The Asia Cup has moved to the Super 4 phase, India and Pakistan played a one-dayer over two days and Virat Kohli scored his 47th ODI hundred. There was a hundred too for KL Rahul, who returned from injury to strengthen his case for a spot in the starting XI, and high praise from us for Kuldeep Yadav, who has roared back into form over the past 12 months and now looks primed to have a big impact on the World Cup. We'll be back again next week to start our World Cup previews, but in the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Shane Bond, Finn Allen, Jeetan Patel, Sophie Devine, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of the show, we travel around the world to discuss England v Black Caps, Australia v South Africa and the first few Asia Cup games. The first three T20s between England and New Zealand weren't even moderately close, but there were still plenty of talking points: How aggressive will Finn Allen be at the World Cup? And how consistent does he need to be across the tournament for his overall performance to be treated as a success? Is Adam Milne in better form than Lockie Ferguson? Kane Williamson is going to the World Cup - what does that mean for Will Young, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham and Rachin Ravindra? Is all the chopping and changing of players an issue for the Black Caps? How can England make room for Harry Brook in their squad? And what role will Gus Atkinson play? Australia have dominated their T20 series with South Africa, and we look at which of the Aussie fringe players are pushing hard for a World Cup role. Does Marcus Stoinis' success with the ball ease any concerns about Australia's 5th bowling option? Will Tanveer Sangha play a significant part in the World Cup? How much pressure is David Warner under? Are South Africa just tricking everyone? And have the major white-ball tournaments taken on extra significance for South Africa now that they appear to have relegated the Test game? The Asia Cup pool stages are underway - Pakistan's bowling attack is still very good, Ishan Kishan has surely locked down India's wicketkeeping spot and we debate whether Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan can provide more threat than banana skins during the upcoming World Cup. We round out the show with more New Zealand news - a new CEO, Corey Anderson's BBL gig and an impressive win against Australia A. We'll be back again next week, but in the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Shane Bond, Finn Allen, Jeetan Patel, Sophie Devine, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Matt Henry, Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, George Dobell and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Top Order Podcast Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we discuss and compare the careers of the two greatest batters, and cricketers (if you agree with the algorithm), that the world has ever seen: India's Sachin Tendulkar and Australia's Sir Donald Bradman. Sachin Tendulkar captured the hearts of a billion people during a glittering career that spanned more than two decades. From his Test debut at 16 (!) until his record-breaking 200th match, the Little Master's poise, balance and stroke-making earned him comparisons to 'The Don', even from the man himself. On the other hand, Sir Donald Bradman played only 52 Tests - 37 of them against England - but left such a mark on the game of cricket that he may well be statistically the greatest sportsperson of all-time. Therefore, it'll come as no surprise that he also sits atop the Top Order Podcast Hall of Fame. Do you agree with our assessment? Or have we got things horribly wrong? Don't be shy to tell us how you feel via social media or at [email protected]. We'll be back next week with more action from around the world, including the white-ball series between England and the Black Caps, plus the early action in the Asia Cup. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube - if you prefer a video panel discussion, check out our channel and be sure to subscribe. You can also dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Shane Bond, Lesley Murdoch, Jeetan Patel, Barry Richards, Jarrod Kimber and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu discuss the return of both Trent Boult and Ben Stokes as the New Zealand and England squads for the Men's ODI World Cup start to take shape. In the first half of the episode, we cover England, and the un-retirement of Ben Stokes, which has made headlines this week. Was Harry Brook unlucky? Will Jofra Archer make a late appearance? And who is Gus Atkinson? As the conversation moves to the Black Caps, we discuss the squad balance needed for Indian conditions and what questions are yet to be answered over the next few weeks as New Zealand take on the UAE and England in T20 and ODI series. How seriously are the selectors looking at Kyle Jamieson? Is there room for both Will Young and Mark Chapman? Which allrounders will make the cut? Plus another edition of Kane Williamson watch and confirmation that South Africa will send a weakened Test side to New Zealand in February 2024. If you'd like take a look at the Taniwha Cricket fundraiser we mentioned on the previous episode, you can find the Givealittle page here. We'll be back again next week, but in the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Wasim Khan, Finn Allen, Dion Nash, Sophie Devine, the Hussey brothers, Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(Note: A few technical difficulties mean the sound levels are a bit lower for the first 16 minutes or so of this episode, and the reason for the delayed release. Aiming to have another episode up by the end of the week.) Recorded on 8 August 2023, Binksy, Baldy and Stu steer away from the short-form leagues to tidy up a few loose ends from the Ashes and discuss some early Men's ODI World Cup news. We debate over-rate penalties, ball changes and David Warner, before Baldy whips out his depth chart (an actual chart with Post-it notes and everything) as the conversation moves to potential Australia and England squads for the next Ashes (which we now realise is in November 2025, not 2024 as stated). In the second half of the episode, Binksy explains why he hasn't enlisted the help of the BCCI to schedule an upcoming barbecue, Stu channels his inner Lloyd Christmas over the latest Kane Williamson injury update, Baldy's depth chart makes another appearance and we outline why India's depth could hurt them as we start to focus our attention on another major ICC event. If you'd like take a look at the Taniwha Cricket fundraiser we mentioned on the show, you can find the Givealittle page here. We'll be back again next week, but in the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Wasim Khan, Finn Allen, Shane Bond, Georgia Wareham, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Sophie Devine, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drama, controversy, moral victories, rain, retirement, boring Aussies, Bazball heroes, photos with the urn – even some cricket! The fifth Test of this fascinating Ashes series is in the books, and Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the key moments and storylines from the final Test between England and Australia for 2023. Stuart Broad flipped the bails, announced his retirement and then delivered the fairytale finish that his career deserved as England squared the series 2-2 with a win at The Oval. Was that scoreline a fair result? Why are Australia copping so much criticism? Was it a missed opportunity for both sides? And have England saved Test cricket? There's also praise for Chris Woakes and Usman Khawaja, Ricky Ponting calls for an investigation and spin even gets a mention as we discuss the performances of Moeen Ali and Todd Murphy as well as the absences of Jack Leach and Nathan Lyon. We'll be back next week with more news and views from all the cricket currently going on around the world. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Georgia Wareham, Matt Henry, Sophie Devine, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu recap the rain-affected 4th men's Ashes Test at Old Trafford, discuss a few talking points from the Black Caps' T20 squad to face the UAE and England, plus give a shout out to Virat Kohli for his 29th Test hundred in his 500th international match. Were England robbed? What happened with Australia's team selection? Should Ben Stokes have declared? Is Pat Cummins a good captain? Plus Zak Crawley's dominant display, Mark Wood rockets, Chris Woakes 5-fors, Marnus Labuschange's match-saving hundred, changes and storylines for The Oval and much more from another fascinating instalment of this edition of the men's Ashes. We round out the show by discussing a potential Black Caps debut for Dean Foxcroft and Adi Ashok, as well as the return of Kyle Jamieson for the upcoming T20 tour of the UAE and England. Then we bemoan the continued creep of T20 league cricket, which looks set to impact South Africa's Test tour of New Zealand in the summer of 2024, and Stu continues his year-long apology to Virat Kohli after the King's 29th Test hundred during the second Test between India and the West Indies. We'll be back next week to wrap up the final men's Ashes Test, plus whatever else catches our eyes from all the cricket currently going on around the world. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Georgia Wareham, Rachin Ravindra, Sophie Devine, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show, Binksy, Raj and Stu recap the week that was and look ahead to the 4th men's Ashes Test at Old Trafford. We start by discussing India's dominant victory against the West Indies, which saw a big century on Test debut for Yashasvi Jaiswal and a 12-wicket haul for Ravichandran Ashwin. Alick Athanaze offered some glimmers of positivity for the West Indies, but, apart from winning the battle of the uniforms, it was a tough outing for the home side. In New Zealand news, Gary Stead received a contract extension that will see him remain as head coach through to the end of this World Test Championship cycle in 2025. Did this come as a surprise? Were there other candidates in the mix? Should NZC have given more thought to a split coaching role? Or does Stead's outstanding record as coach speak for itself? Attention then turned to the Kiwis on display around the world, including Matt Henry, who starred in the Vitality Blast, combining with Ish Sodhi to bowl Somerset to the title. Is the best still yet to come for Henry in international colours? At Major League Cricket in the USA, Devon Conway scored the first 50 of the tournament, but it was Corey Anderson who had us all wondering what might have been if injuries hadn't disrupted his international career. We give our initial thoughts on the tournament so far, and whether it has the potential to become a significant part of the cricket calendar. We round out the show by looking ahead to the next men's Ashes Test, fresh off Australia securing the women's Ashes with a narrow victory in the second ODI. Both teams have questions around selection, with David Warner, Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh in the spotlight for Australia and an absent Baldy making a case for Michael Neser to play. But will we actually be looking at largely unchanged sides in a few days' time? And will the rain stay away long enough for a result? We'll be back next week with more of the same, including the Tests in England and the West Indies. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Shane Bond, Georgia Wareham, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Sophie Devine, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the 3rd Ashes Test at Headingley, which saw England secure a crucial win to keep the series alive. After yet another close finish, there's plenty to discuss about these two good cricket sides who both still have a lot of questions to answer. Is Bazball good again? Why was this Mark Wood's first Test of the series? How much did Australia miss Nathan Lyon? Has England wrestled back the momentum? Is David Warner about to be dropped? What's happening with Australia's lower order? Plus struggles for Jonny Bairstow and Scott Boland, Zak Crawley's impact, the Moeen Ali at 3 experience, Chris Broad's Simpsons fandom, Ben Stokes with the tail, some (brief) New Zealand news and more! If you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram and YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. Dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hussey, Bharat Sundaresan, Finn Allen, Sophie Devine, Wasim Khan, Gary Stead, Shane Bond, Barry Richards and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Baldy review the second Ashes Test of 2023. Australia won the Test, but who is winning the PR battle? There was controversy galore - from Mitchell Starc’s (non) catch, to the Alex Carey/Jonny Bairstow run out and the reaction of the MCC members at Lord’s - but are all the distractions making it hard to step back and consider which team is actually playing the better cricket? And if Australia continue to win, will it be the end of BazBall? The end of Brendon McCullum? Ben Stokes and Steve Smith provided highlights, Nathan Lyon’s 100th consecutive Test ended with injury and both sides have plenty of questions to consider in the short turnaround before the third match in the series. We’ll be back again next week to review all the action, but please take the time before then to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at growing this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Wasim Khan, Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Jeetan Patel, Colin Munro, Sophie Devine, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, we cover a lot of ground. From India's Test squad, to the women's and men's Ashes, across to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers and back to New Zealand. We start by discussing India's Test squad for their upcoming tour to the West Indies, which does not include Cheteshwar Pujara, but instead features the young talents of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Was it the right call? More Ashes content follows, as the two series continue to deliver maximum entertainment both on and off the field. We recap a closely fought women's Test, which saw individual highlights for Tammy Beaumont, Sophie Ecclestone, Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland and many others, and another Australian victory. On the men's side, it's been non-stop banter. Zak Crawley's predicting a big win for England. Ollie Robinson is claiming a points victory, but Pat Cummins and his Australian side have preferred to let the former players do the majority of the talking. Over in Zimbabwe, it's been a run-fest so far at the ICC ODI World Cup Qualifiers. The home side has been piling on the runs, and are in pole position to nab one of the two remaining 2023 World Cup spots as the Super Six begins. On the other hand, the West Indies' campaign is in tatters after their second loss of the tournament - Logan van Beek's incredible Super Over, in which he plundered 30 from the bowling of Jason Holder, saw The Netherlands home after the scores were tied at 374 (no that's not a typo) at the end of the first 100 overs. To round out the show, we discuss Kane Williamson's social media tease, as well as the impact of Michael Bracewell's injury for the Black Caps' World Cup chances and Leigh Kasperek's return to the White Ferns. We'll be back next week to wrap the second men's Ashes Test between England and Australia, plus the World Cup qualifiers and anything else that grabs our attention across the cricket world. In the meantime, if you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram and YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Wasim Khan, Sophie Devine, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Bharat Sundaresan, Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Barry Richards and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, we review the first Ashes Test of 2023, which saw Australia defeat England by 2 wickets. Zak Crawley signalled England's intent from the first ball, and from there the game see-sawed back and forth in front of a raucous crowd until Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon combined with the bat to carry Australia across the line. We talk declarations, tactics, leadership, throwing your bat into the air, Australia's number XIs, Ricky Ponting blanking Kevin Pietersen, whether England care more about entertaining than winning and how over the course of one match Australia went from the World Test Champions to the plucky underdogs against the big bad Bazballers. We also discuss the individual performances of Usman Khawaja, Joe Root, Nathan Lyon, Alex Carey and Jonny Bairstow, as well as looking ahead to the second Test at Lord's. We'll be back again next week, most likely with our Test Cricket Hall of Fame. In the meantime, if you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes as well as some selected interviews are available on YouTube. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Wasim Khan, Shane Bond, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Sophie Devine, Tim Southee, Finn Allen, George Dobell and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of the show, we look ahead to one of the most anticipated Ashes series in a while, as the recently crowned World Test Champions look to become the first team to win a series against England in the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes era. We start by discussing why this particular series feels different - and more exciting - than in recent years, before working our way through the big questions of the series. Who are the potential game-changers? Has Scott Boland done enough to be selected ahead of Josh Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc? Can Travis Head maintain his red-hot form? After being a shining light of an otherwise disappointing Ashes series for England in 2021, do we expect a repeat performance from Mark Wood? What role will spin play? Will Zak Crawley last the series? Who will win and why? Plus Jonny Bairstow, Marnus Labuschagne, bold predictions and much more! We'll have plenty of Ashes coverage throughout the course of this series, with reviews of every Test match and hopefully some special guests along the way. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube for anyone who would like to watch along as you listen. You can also dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Luke Wright, Shane Bond, Georgia Wareham, Barry Richards, Daniel Brettig and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, we look back at the World Test Championship final, which saw Australia defeat India to claim the title. We discuss the selections - most notably India leaving Ravichandran Ashwin on the bench - the toss, the pitch, the over rates, the format and even some of the actual cricket in what proved a fascinating contest, despite Australia holding the upper hand by tea on Day 1. There's praise for the brilliant partnership between Travis Head and Steve Smith, questions about India's decision to bowl Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami for the entire first hour on Day 1, and a conversation about Scott Boland to discover what makes his performances at Test level so impressive. We also touch on the controversy surrounding Cameron Green's catch - and Shubman Gill's reaction - the brilliance of Steve Smith's catch to dismiss Virat Kohli, and completely forget to mention the two fighting knocks by Ajinkya Rahane or the fact that Daniel Vettori made sure at least one New Zealand hand remained on the mace. To round out the show, Stu discusses the talking points from the Black Caps' contract list - most notably the absence of Ajaz Patel and Jimmy Neesham, and potentially some good news for those hoping to see Trent Boult back in black more regularly over the next 12 months. Hot on the heels of this episode, we'll be back again with a full preview of the Ashes. You can also check out our most recent Test Cricket Hall of Fame episode, which featured a discussion about Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne to try to answer the question: Who is the greatest Test spinner of all time. Please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube for anyone who would also like to watch along as you listen. You can dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Rachin Ravindra, Shane Bond, Georgia Wareham, Barry Richards, Dion Nash, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Top Order Podcast Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we discuss and compare the careers of Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia's Shane Warne in order to determine who is the greatest ever spinner (and bowler) in the history of Test cricket. With more than 1500 Test wickets between them, it's hard to split these two giants of the game, but we do our best as we look at the stats, plus all the intangibles that made these players special. Do you agree with our assessment? Or have we got things horribly wrong? Don't be shy to tell us how you feel via social media or at [email protected]. We'll be back early next week to preview the Ashes and celebrate the holders of the World Test Championship mace. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube - if you preview a video panel discussion, check out our channel and be sure to subscribe. You can also dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Shane Bond, Lesley Murdoch, Jeetan Patel, Barry Richards, Jarrod Kimber and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we look ahead to the World Test Championship final between India and Australia at The Oval. Is it growing in stature as an ICC event? Or is it losing some lustre second time around? Do Australia care more about this game or the Ashes? Is India in desperate need of an ICC event victory? Can India fit both Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja into their playing XI? Shami & Siraj v Cummins & Starc Smith & Labuschagne v Kohli & Pujara Kishan or Bharat to wear the gloves for India? And who will win? Around the 39.30 mark, we discuss England's victory against Ireland. Is the ease of England's win a red flag for Test cricket? Will Josh Tongue feature in the Ashes? Is golf really that fun? How do you get Ben Duckett to believe in the leave? Plenty of content coming up over the next few weeks - we'll have a review of the World Test Championship final, a full preview of the Ashes, and we've also got some Test Cricket Hall of Fame content dropping on Friday. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Rachin Ravindra, Shane Bond, Georgia Wareham, Barry Richards, Dion Nash, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, we discuss the IPL final, which saw the Chennai Super Kings defeat the Gujarat Titans, plus the upcoming Test match between England and Ireland. The IPL 2023 final was a thriller, with Ravindra Jadeja hitting 10 off the final two balls of the match to seal yet another title for CSK - a fitting way to end a fantastic tournament. We discuss the key moments and key players - Mohit Sharma's final over, Devon Conway's greatest win, MS Dhoni's status as a legend of Indian cricket, how to get Stephen Fleming on the Black Caps' coaching staff, Hardik Pandya's leadership and much more. To round out the show, we look ahead to Ireland's visit to Lord's, where Barnards Green's Josh Tongue will make his England debut and Josh Little is a notable absentee. We'll be back next week to preview the World Test Championship Final and look ahead to the Ashes. We've also got some Test Cricket Hall of Fame content not far away. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Rachin Ravindra, Shane Bond, Georgia Wareham, Barry Richards, Dion Nash, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Top Order Podcast, we look back at the final week of the IPL 2023 round robin - then make our predictions about who will win it all. We start the show by discussing RCB and the Rajasthan Royals - two teams who most likely view this year's tournament as a big missed opportunity. Virat Kohli hit back-to-back hundreds, Faf du Plessis lead the run charts, Yashasvi Jaiswal looks set for international stardom and the smile came back to Yuzvendra Chahal's face, but still these sides failed to reach the playoffs. What went wrong (other than a no ball)? We then cast our eye over the four remaining teams: Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and the Mumbai Indians. Can GT ride Shubman Gill's red-hot form all the way to the title? Will Devon Conway and MS Dhoni be wrapped in a big hug after the final ball is bowled? Can Marcus Stoinis pull off two match-winning innings in a row? Or will Cameron Green's long levers be lifting the trophy when all is said and done? We'll be back next week to wrap up the IPL playoffs and look ahead to the English international summer, including the build-up to the World Test Championship Final and the Ashes. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Lockie Ferguson, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Tim Southee, Shane Bond, Georgia Wareham, Barry Richards, Rachin Ravindra, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show we talk about the runfest at the IPL, which saw Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh and Shubman Gill post individual scores of 98+ within a span of five days. Throw in impressive performances from players like Glenn Maxwell and Rinku Singh and the question becomes: Is bat dominating ball too much? The Rajasthan Royals would argue otherwise, as their epic collapse against RCB reflected their collapse in this tournament as the playoff picture starts to take shape - with the Gujarat Titans now confirmed as a top 2 side. In the second half of the show, we're back in New Zealand to discuss David White's decision to step down as CEO. On the field, it's been an incredibly successful decade, particularly for the Black Caps, but is NZ Cricket set up well for future success? Or does the road ahead look challenging? Speaking of challenging, the reported contract offer from the Mumbai Indians to Jofra Archer suggests that international cricket's future is under threat perhaps even sooner than many predicted. Throw in the ICC revenue model for the next World Test Championship cycle and you start to wonder how long before cricket's employment model is completely flipped on its head. We round out the show by discussing Rory Burns' hair, and Daryl Mitchell's lack of it. Fortunately, though, what Mitchell lacks in the hair department he makes up for with runs - his hundred for Lancashire a notable performance from the County Championship, where Steve Smith is struggling, Michael Neser is on fire and it looks as though Ben Foakes has not done enough to retain his spot in England's Test side. We'll be back next week as the IPL playoffs and the English international summer take shape, including the build-up to the World Test Championship Final and the Ashes. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Cam Fletcher, Shane Bond, Georgia Wareham, Barry Richards, Rachin Ravindra, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show, we look back at a host of topsy-turvy results at the IPL and the Black Caps tour to Pakistan, which finished with a New Zealand victory in the final ODI. For all our jokes about the IPL, the 2023 edition is delivering incredible finish after incredible finish. The only constant is drama - and the Gujarat Titans winning - with all 10 teams still in the hunt for a top 4 spot. The Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals were terrible, now they are the form teams, while the Lucknow Super Giants and Trent Boult's Rajasthan Royals are on the slide. We discuss impactful performances from Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Glenn Phillips, Jos Buttler and Wriddiman Saha - plus the arguably less positive impact made by Virat Kohli. In the second half of the episode, we look at the positives from the Black Caps' ODI series with Pakistan, and ponder the World Cup selection questions that still remain unanswered. Should New Zealand favour specialists like Will Young, Mark Chapman, Tom Blundell and Ish Sodhi? Or lean towards allrounders like Jimmy Neesham, Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra? Has Adam Milne done enough to take Lockie Ferguson's spot as the designated speedster? And does Devon Conway need to pack his wicketkeeping gloves or not? We'll be back next week with more from the IPL and other news from around the world, including the build-up to the World Test Championship Final and the Ashes. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Dean Foxcroft, Shane Bond, Katey Martin, Dion Nash, Matt Henry, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show we look back at another busy week at IPL 2023, the white-ball series between the Black Caps and Pakistan, and discuss reports that The Hundred might be coming to an end in the not-so-distant future. Right when we thought the IPL playoff picture was becoming clearer, Punjab beat CSK in a thriller and the Mumbai Indians came from the clouds to beat Rajasthan thanks to Tim David and his long levers. Then LSG followed up their mammoth 257 with 108, which RCB and particularly Virat Kohli enjoyed quite a lot. KL Rahul got injured, Devon Conway remained awesome, Harry Brook watched a lot of videos of himself, Mitchell Marsh listened to the podcast, Kyle Mayers hit it to the moon and MS Dhoni is still hitting sixes - just another week at the IPL. Over in Pakistan, Daryl Mitchell has emerged as the front-runner for Kane Williamson's number-three spot in the Black Caps' ODI squad thanks to back-to-back centuries, Mark Chapman's historic T20 series encouraged the selectors to change his return ticket home, but it's been the home side who has had the better week - thanks in large part to the Mumbai Cements Player of the Week: Fakhar Zaman. We round out the episode with a discussion about The Hundred, which started with a lot of fanfare, but, if you believe recent reports, may not have much longer to run. Has it been a failure? Or has it been the injection of life that English cricket needed? And now that all this talk of franchise contracts is clearly here to stay, do we all need to take a moment to think about what we want our great game to look like in five, ten, twenty years' time? *Note: apologies for the technical difficulties with Binksy’s microphone - back to normal service next episode. We'll be back next week with more from the IPL, the Black Caps' tour to Pakistan and other news from around the world. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and our recent episodes (plus a few from the backlist) are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our conversations with special guests - including Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Dean Foxcroft, Shane Bond, Katey Martin, Barry Richards, Matt Henry, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show, we take a pause from our regular format to answer listener questions framed around the 2023 edition of the IPL. What's going on with KL Rahul? Why do the Sunrisers Hyderabad suck? Will Sam Curran be England's next T20 captain? Would India A win the World Cup? Is Arshdeep Singh the best death bowler of all time? Can CSK continue their excellent run? Will Ajinkya Rahane Bazball India to the World Test Championship mace? Are the Rajasthan Royals good? Who has the best haircut at the IPL? And much more! We'll be back next week to discuss the Black Caps' tour to Pakistan, the IPL and anything else that takes our fancy from the world of cricket. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel, including our latest in-studio recordings. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Finn Allen, Shane Bond, Sophie Devine, Mike Hussey, Wasim Khan, Melinda Farrell, Rachin Ravindra, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, we start by discussing an action-packed week at the IPL, in which the Rajasthan Royals made their way to the top of the ladder while David Warner's Delhi Capitals remain winless after five games. There's been runs for Devon Conway, Faf du Plessis, Harry Brook and Shimron Hetmeyer, wickets for Rashid Khan, Mark Wood and Yuzvendra Chahal, plus signs of life for the star-studded Mumbai Indians batting line-up as the teams look to separate themselves from a condensed field. Attention then turns to the Black Caps' tour to Pakistan, where at the time of recording the hosts led the T20 series 2-1. Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra and Adam Milne are putting their hands up, Matt Henry looks a class above, but a full-strength Pakistan side featuring Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Iftikhar Ahmed launching sixes everywhere is putting pressure on a number of Kiwis hoping to stake a claim for a World Cup spot later in 2023. We also touch on the Brendon McCullum gambling ads and run our eyes over Australia's Ashes squad as the hype begins for what is shaping up to be a fascinating Test series. We'll be back again next week to discuss more Black Caps v Pakistan and all the goings on at the IPL. In the meantime, please give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are now available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel, including our latest in-studio recordings. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Finn Allen, Dion Nash, Sophie Devine, Mike Hussey, Wasim Khan, Melinda Farrell, Barry Richards, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a brief departure from our This Week in Cricket episodes, Stu is joined by Abdullah Haider from wicketsandruns.net and the Pakistan Cricket Pod to discuss the Black Caps' upcoming white-ball tour to Pakistan. We talk about the Pakistan Cricket coaching staff merry-go-round, Babar Azam's captaincy, who has the best chance to break into the Black Caps' ODI World Cup squad following the injury to Kane Williamson, the return of Shaheen Shah Afridi, whether Martin Guptill's performances at the PSL were enough to push for a return to international cricket, an Ihsanullah breakout and much more as we look ahead to the 5 T20s and 5 ODIs. The Top Order team will be back together again next week to discuss the early part of this tour, plus all the goings on at the IPL. In the meantime, please give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are now available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel, including our latest in-studio recordings. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Shane Bond, Rachin Ravindra, Katey Martin, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Sophie Devine, Wasim Khan, Cole McConchie, Barry Richards and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at an action-packed week at the IPL, which saw plenty of runs, some very fast bowling and, unfortunately, too many injuries. We also discuss the Black Caps v Sri Lanka series, the conclusion of the Plunket Shield and New Zealand's upcoming tour to Pakistan. The IPL has started with a bang - Virat Kohli sixes, Mark Wood rockets, Jos Buttler catches and incredible crowds - but a serious injury to Kane Williamson looks likely to rule him out of the ODI World Cup later in 2023. We discuss the implications for the Black Caps, whether Hardik Pandya should be seriously considered as India's white-ball captain, if Kyle Mayers has springs inside his bat and whether the Punjab Kings can maintain their impressive start to the tournament. In the second segment of the show we discuss the white-ball series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, which has so far been dominated by a largely second-string Black Caps' side. We talk about Rachin Ravindra's composure, tally up the gains from our skyrocketing Will Young stock and discuss the squads for the upcoming T20 and ODI tour to Pakistan. To round out the show, we touch on the strong finish to the NZ domestic season for Central Districts, a win for NZ A against the Aussies and wonder if Rory Burns running down the wicket is a sign of things to come in the County Championship. We'll be back again soon to discuss more news from the IPL and the Black Caps' tour to Pakistan. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are now available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel, including adding our latest episodes, like this one! You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including recent conversations with Cam Fletcher, Luke Wright and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Shane Bond, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Sophie Devine, Andre Adams, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's that time of year again - the Indian Premier League is set to begin at 3am New Zealand time on 1 April and fill the cricket calendar for the following two months. We cast our eyes over all the squads and make our tournament predictions in this jam-packed episode. We start the show with a shout out to the Mumbai Indians for winning the WPL - Nat Sciver-Brunt starred in the final, alongside Hayley Matthews, New Zealand's own Amelia Kerr and many more in a tournament that felt like a huge success and a fantastic advertisement for our great game. As our attention turns to the men's edition, we run through each of the 10 teams in alphabetical order to answer questions like: Will the Chennai Super Kings spin their way to another trophy? How will the Delhi Capitals overcome the absence of Rishabh Pant? Can Hardik Pandya lead the Gujarat Titans to back-to-back titles? Is it a case of no Brendon McCullum, no chance for the Kolkata Knight Riders? How angry will Lucknow Super Giants fans be about KL Rahul's strike rate this season? Has Suryakumar Yadav forgotten how to bat, and what does that mean for the chances of the Mumbai Indians? Can super Sam Curran propel the Punjab Kings to their first playoff appearance since 2014? Do the Rajasthan Royals have any weaknesses? Will a happy Virat Kohli be the star of an RCB side that's stacked with stars? Are the Sunrisers Hyderabad the sleeping (or singing) giants of this competition, even despite the departure of Kane Williamson? And who will win it all? If you enjoyed the episode and the work we do on the podcast, we'd love it if you could take the time to visit www.sportspodcastgroup.com and vote for us as the Cricket Podcast of the Year. We're delighted to have made the shortlist, and honestly wouldn't be still recording these episodes if it wasn't for all the support and kind words we've received from listeners over the past few years. We'll be back again next week to discuss the white-ball series between the Black Caps and Sri Lanka and discuss the early stages of the IPL. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel, including adding our latest episodes, like this one! You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including recent conversations with Cam Fletcher, Luke Wright and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Shane Bond, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, David Hussey, Ajaz Patel, Sophie Devine, Barry Richards, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Top Order team are all back together under the bright studio lights this week as we look back at the Black Caps' convincing win against Sri Lanka, which wrapped up a 2-0 series victory. Kane Williamson's magnificence was to the fore once again as he delivered his sixth Test double century, passing 8000 Test runs during yet another milestone performance. Henry Nicholls got in on the act as well, repaying the selectors' faith with a double century of his own on his way to the player of the match award. Then Blair Tickner and Michael Bracewell chipped in, New Zealand won by an innings to make it three Test victories in a row and all the Black Caps' doubters have disappeared, right? To round out the show, we touch on the topsy-turvy India v Australia series, a stunning performance by Sophie Devine for RCB at the WPL and the Major League Cricket draft, which included some familiar names like Corey Anderson, Wanindu Hasaranga and Aaron Finch. If you enjoyed the episode and the work we do on the podcast, we'd love it if you could take the time to visit www.sportspodcastgroup.com and vote for us as the Cricket Podcast of the Year. We're delighted to have made the shortlist, and honestly wouldn't be still recording these episodes if it wasn't for all the support and kind words we've received from listeners over the past few years. We'll be back again next week to discuss the white-ball series between the Black Caps and Sri Lanka and catch up on all the other cricket going on around the world, including the WPL and the IPL. In the meantime, please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including recent conversations with Cam Fletcher, Luke Wright and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Shane Bond, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Sophie Devine, Gary Stead, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This New Zealand home summer continues to deliver incredible moments, and in this episode of the show Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the Black Caps' final-ball victory against Sri Lanka, plus review the Border-Gavaskar series. Just when we thought we'd seen one of the best Test finishes of all-time, Kane Williamson and Neil Wagner combined to deliver more late drama as the Black Caps (just) got over the line at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. We talk Daryl Mitchell, Matt Henry, run chases, giant hearts, watching while driving and the positives for Sri Lanka as we unpack the emotions and highlights from another incredibly entertaining Test match. In the second half of the show, we review what turned out to be quite a dull finish to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but the series as a whole had a number of talking points. We discuss Virat Kohli, Australia's young spinners, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, the World Test Championship final and much more. If you enjoyed the episode and the work we do on the podcast, we'd love it if you could take the time to visit www.sportspodcastgroup.com and vote for us as the Cricket Podcast of the Year. We're delighted to have made the shortlist, and honestly wouldn't be still recording these episodes if it wasn't for all the support and kind words we've received from listeners over the past few years. We'll be back again next week to review the second Test between the Black Caps and Sri Lanka and catch up on all the other cricket going on around the world. In the meantime, please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including recent conversations with Cam Fletcher, Luke Wright and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Barry Richards, Dion Nash, Katey Martin, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Tim Southee, Sophie Devine, Finn Allen and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at Australia's win against India in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, look ahead to the Black Caps v Sri Lanka series and reflect on the first few days of the WPL. Pitches are in the spotlight again in India, but has all the pitch talk overshadowed the excellent performances of Nathan Lyon, Cheteshwar Pujara and Travis Head? The Black Caps are about to start another series, this time against Sri Lanka, with an unchanged side. But does Gavin Larsen's departure signal that change is on the horizon? To round out the show we highlight some of the stars from the opening days of the WPL. There's praise for Hayley Matthews, Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma, we discuss the decision to allow no balls and wides to be reviewed, and what a platform this tournament could be for the growth of women's cricket, particularly in India. We'll be back next week to review the tests between India and Australia, the Black Caps and Sri Lanka and plenty more cricket from around the world. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including recent conversations with Cam Fletcher, Luke Wright and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Sophie Devine, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu reflect on an incredible Test match between England and New Zealand, which saw the Black Caps win by a single run. We discuss the key moments and players, including Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Ben Foakes, Tom Blundell and, of course, Neil Wagner. The panel also looks ahead to NZ's next assignment, against Sri Lanka, in a week's time. We finish the show with a shout-out to yet another tournament win for the incredible Australian Women's side at the T20 World Cup, and decide that if it weren't for Ravi Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel then the Border-Gavaskar Trophy would probably be quite a closely fought series. We'll be back next week to review the third Test between India and Australia, plus preview the Black Caps v Sri Lanka. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including recent conversations with Cam Fletcher, Luke Wright and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Sophie Devine, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of the show, Raj, Baldy and Binksy look back at the Test matches between New Zealand and England, and India and Australia. Fresh off a trip to the Bay Oval, the panel discusses an England side that continued their winning ways against a Black Caps team struggling to put a complete performance together in the Test arena. We talk about the viability of pink-ball Tests, there's more praise for Harry Brook and Ben Duckett - plus the Jimmy Anderson/Stuart Broad duo - before looking ahead to potential events at the Basin Reserve. Attention then turns to India, where Australia put real pressure on the hosts until the spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel took charge with bat and ball to propel India to a comfortable victory in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It was great to catch up with a number of listeners at Bay Oval - some new, some who have been with us from Day 1. If you do enjoy the show, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including recent conversations with Cam Fletcher and Luke Wright, plus chats with Dion Nash, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Ish Sodhi, Andre Adams, Lesley Murdoch, Barry Richards and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices