The Top Order Cricket Podcast

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu recap the third day of the first Test between the Black Caps and England at Bay Oval. We talk marmalade, world records, Ben Foakes, short-pitched bowling, England's dominance and more Night Hawkery as the Test looks likely to come to a conclusion on day four. We'll be back again around the same time tomorrow to review day three, but 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 Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Colin Munro, 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, Binksy, Baldy and Stu recap the second day of the first Test between the Black Caps and England at Bay Oval. We talk Tom Blundell's superb hundred, English bowling plans and the Nighthawk as NZ edged their way back into this Test as we approach day 3. We'll be back again around the same time tomorrow to review day three, but 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 Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Colin Munro, 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, Binksy, Baldy and Stu recap the first day of the first Test between the Black Caps and England at Bay Oval. We talk NZ's seam attack, Harry Brook's genius and Jimmy Anderson's class as England ended the day firmly on top. We'll be back again around the same time tomorrow to review day two, but 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 Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, Colin Munro, 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

On this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look ahead to the upcoming Test series between the Black Caps and England. We start with squads and selection: NZ's spin options The return of Kyle Jamieson An important series for Neil Wagner Henry Nicholls v Will Young England's many options with bat and ball Then we discuss tactics to consider how the Black Caps will approach BazBall in home conditions. Will they stick with the measured, patient style that brought them success in recent years? Or do they need to fight fire with fire against this new brand of attacking Test cricket? Will the likes of Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Harry Brook change their game at all if the pitch is green and the pink ball starts to move around at the Bay Oval? And finally we make our predictions for what we all hope will be a fascinating series. If you're going to be at the Bay Oval, reach out to us on social media or via email if you'd like to say hello. We're planning to be there for days 1-4 and we'd love to say hi. 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 leave 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 conversations with Cam Fletcher and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Shane Bond, Wasim Khan, Ish Sodhi, Sophie Devine, Barry Richards, 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 look ahead to preview the upcoming Test series between India and Australia. We talk home records, legacies and the wider significance of the series for teams, players and world cricket, before diving into more specific questions. What will Australia's bowling lineup look like? Are their batters, outside of Steve Smith, equipped to deal with India's quality lineup of spinners? Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav have been in great form, but will they play in the first Test? India's recent home record is amazing, but are there areas of concern this time around? Are Australia as good as their recent home record suggests? Will Virat Kohli and Steve Smith rise to the occasion? And who will win the series? If you enjoyed this episode, 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. Dip back into our guest episodes - including our recent conversations with the likes of Jeet Raval, Cam Fletcher and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Shane Bond, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Ish Sodhi, Sophie Devine, Bharat Sundaresan, Melinda Farrell 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 Black Caps' white-ball tour to India and the England v South Africa ODIs, plus news in the build up to the Women's T20 World Cup and debate recent comments by Ian Smith about New Zealand's Super Smash. There's also a short chat with Jim Morrison from New Zealand over-40s and 50s cricket, with details about upcoming games and how you can get involved. New Zealand's tour of India has largely been one way traffic - Black Caps batters have struggled, Shubman Gill has dominated and Kuldeep Yadav has continued his good form - but Raj and Stu attempt to find some positives with the Men's ODI World Cup in mind. The ODIs between England and South Africa have been entertaining, even if the series feels somewhat squeezed into the schedule. We talk send-offs, moustaches, Temba Bavuma and Moeen Ali, again with an eye to the World Cup. Speaking of World Cups, the Women's T20 World Cup isn't far away - but is the result a foregone conclusion? Australia look dominant again on paper, Sophie Devine is racing against the clock to recover from a broken foot and Dane van Niekerk has been left out of the South African squad. Turning our attention to domestic cricket, we discuss recent comments made by Ian Smith about the Super Smash. Is it working in its current iteration? Should it be attempting to compete with the other T20 leagues around the world? And how could New Zealand cricket make that happen? To round out the show, Stu talks with Jim Morrison from New Zealand over-40s and 50s cricket about the upcoming series against Australia for the over-40s and World Cups for both sides later in 2023. What is over-40s/50s cricket? How do you get involved? Where can we watch the games? We'll be back in your feed very soon with a preview of the upcoming India v Australia Test series, but 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 the likes of Cam Fletcher, Dean Foxcroft and Sophie Devine, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Dion Nash, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, 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 Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 7 to 5 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). Now that we're at the business end of the list, we couldn't resist throwing a few extra minutes on the clock to discuss these legends of the game. Baldy reveals the algorithm's best allrounder, Binksy and Raj disagree about another allrounder and we all marvel at the coolest cricketer ever. Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media. 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Finn Allen, Katey Martin, Barry Richards, Gary Stead, Michael and David Hussey, Lesley Murdoch, Jarrod Kimber 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. *SPOILER ALERT* This episode features players from 7-5 in the following order. 7 - Sir Vivian Richards 6 - Jacques Kallis 5 - Sir Garfield Sobers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, the boys look back at an entertaining ODI series between the Black Caps and Pakistan, as well as some news and notes from the New Zealand domestic circuit. There are questions about Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell and Finn Allen, as well as discussion around some of the newer members of the white-ball squads for the upcoming series against India. As we return closer to home, Stu highlights a former East Coast Bays representative who is enjoying an excellent domestic season, the Wellington Blaze break their own record and Baldy gives a shout out to a talented young Australian after an impressive debut. We'll be back in your feed in the coming days with the next episode of our Hall of Fame series. 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 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 most recent conversation with Canterbury Kings keeper/batter Cam Fletcher, plus chats with Ish Sodhi, Dion Nash, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Katey Martin, 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]. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a new year, but regular transmission resumes at Top Order Towers. Raj, Baldy, Binksy and Lippy are together in the same room to review the Test series in Pakistan and Australia, plus highlight a few players from the BBL and Super Smash. We start the show by discussing the drawn series between the Black Caps and Pakistan. Is traditional Test cricket still fun to watch? Did New Zealand get their tactics right? Which players stood out above the rest? Do the Black Caps have (or need) a succession plan at Test level? And is Test cricket shooting itself in the foot as an entertainment product? In the second half of the show, we recap another dominant series win by Australia and try to identify the qualities needed the challenge the Aussies on home soil. There's praise for Travis Head, Baldy's still not convinced by Marnus Labuschagne and we cast our eyes forward to the upcoming series in India. To round out the conversation, we look to the BBL and the Super Smash for standout performances. There are swinging arms, Jonny Wilkinson impersonations, power hitters and really long names as we discuss a host of players who might soon get a taste of international cricket. 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 Cam Fletcher, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Shane Bond, Sophie Devine, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen 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

We’ve only gone and released an impromptu Cricketmas wrap up of England and Pakistan's epic 3-0 series and misquoted Christmas lyrics in an all-time low for TTOP! (You can tell our usual wordsmith didn't write the show notes for this one...) Bazball/Stokesball continues apace and we at TTOP can barely keep up. Binksy and Baldy have done their best to keep abreast of all the goings on in Pakistan as England move to 9-1 under Stokes/McCullum. Harry Brook, the Ahmeds (Abrar and Rehan) get a rap in this segment, as well as the underrated England bowling attack, and we pay tribute to the retiring Azhar Ali. To Australia we go in the second half of the show, for the blink-and-you'll-miss-it first Test between the Australians and the Proteas at the Gabba. Was the wicket dangerously under-par? Was it good bowling or poor batting? Or was it all three? The Goldilocks analogy gets a run early doors as we dissect the shortest of Tests and look forward to Melbourne on Boxing Day. Could Australia really do the unthinkable and drop Scott Boland for the second Test? Spin fans might not like Baldy's tongue-in-cheek solution. We’ll be back again soon to wrap up the Boxing Day Tests from around the 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 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 Abdullah Haider previewing the upcoming New Zealand in Pakistan Test series starting on December 26th. 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, Stu is joined by Abdullah Haider from the Pakistan Cricket Podcast to preview the upcoming series between the Black Caps and Pakistan. The first half of the show focuses on the Pakistan squad, as Abdullah answers questions about injuries to the seamers, shines the spotlight on Abrar Ahmed and Saud Shakeel, before explaining why Pakistan should feel confident despite their series loss to England. Attention then turns to the Black Caps, starting with Stu highlighting the enormous success New Zealand have had under Kane Williamson's leadership and wondering what impact the captaincy change will have on the Black Caps' style of play. There's talk about Glenn Phillips and Ish Sodhi potentially returning to the Test arena, and Stu outlines why New Zealand have a lot to prove to themselves and to the fans over the course of this series. Many thanks to Abdullah for joining the show - you can hear more from him by subscribing to the Pakistan Cricket Podcast, or by following them on Twitter (@PakCricPodcast). And thanks also goes to you, the listener, for joining us throughout 2022. We've been creating content for more than three years now, but we still think it's very cool to have listeners all over the world and we really appreciate you taking the time to hear our thoughts on the great game of cricket. 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 Cam Fletcher, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Mike Hussey, Ish Sodhi, Katey Martin, Finn Allen, Frankie Mackay, Shane Bond 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 continue our tour around the New Zealand provinces as Stu catches up with Canterbury Cricket wicketkeeper/batter Cam Fletcher. The show starts with some BazBall chat, before looking back at an impressive 12 months for Cam, which saw him called into the Black Caps Test squad in addition to a tour to India with NZ A. Cam talks about his experiences in the international environment, how his game has developed over the past few years and the 'finisher' role in T20 cricket. Stu also asks for some insight into Chad Bowes and Henry Shipley, tries to understand why everyone wants to beat Canterbury and there's even an East Coast Bays reference in there for good measure. Plenty more episodes on the way over the holiday season, with a Black Caps v Pakistan Test series preview coming soon, plus the boys are hoping to get together again to review the week that was in other parts of the world. 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 chats with Tim Southee, Sophie Devine, Wasim Khan, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Ish Sodhi, Katey Martin, Shane Bond, 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

In this episode, the Top Order discuss another English Test victory against Pakistan, speculate about the Black Caps squad (recorded before the official announcement) and try to bring some perspective to Australia's sweep of the West Indies. How sustainable is England's attacking approach to the traditional game? What lessons should New Zealand be learning from England's success? Where have Pakistan been hiding Abrar Ahmed and Saud Shakeel? Key takeaways from Australia v West Indies Expectations for the Test series against South Africa There's even unanimous agreement about David Warner-related content, perhaps for the first time ever on the show. We'll be back in your feed again soon to share a conversation with Canterbury wicketkeeper Cam Fletcher, as well as more news and reviews of all the cricket going on around the world over this holiday season. If you 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 Luke Wright, Jeet Raval and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Sophie Devine, Tim Southee, Wasim Khan, Dion Nash, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin, 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 speak with prolific author and journalist Ken Piesse about his life around the game and all the fascinating players he's had the opportunity to meet and work with along the way. Ken shares stories about cups of tea with Keith Miller, reminiscing with Bill Ponsford, writing a book with Max Walker and Neil Harvey's footwork, as well as Sir Don Bradman as we fire questions Ken's way about some of the greats of yesteryear. Ken also shares his views on the future of the game, and there's even a chat about Bert Sutcliffe and a special offer for all the New Zealand listeners out there. We could have spent hours listening to Ken tell stories, and we've no doubt this episode will make you want to book a P & O cruise just to hear more of his yarns. You can find out more about Ken and all his publications, as well as purchase books from his vast collection, at cricketbooks.com.au. Mention that you listened to this episode and Ken will provide free shipping to New Zealand for any of his books. We'll be back again soon to discuss the goings-on in the world of cricket, along with another interview from our trip around the New Zealand domestic provinces. 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 conversations with the likes of Dean Foxcroft, Sophie Devine and Luke Wright, as well as interviews with Shane Bond, Ajaz Patel, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Katey Martin, Barry Richards and many more fascinating people from all across the 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

Holiday season events and work/life admin are making it tricky for us to get a full team together, but in this episode of the show Binksy, Baldy and Lippy take a look back at an entertaining week in the world of cricket. We start the show by discussing how England and Pakistan produced a Test match filled with drama and excitement on one of the most boring pitches of all time. There's a lot of praise for England, as we come to terms with the realisation that Test cricket is changing - and even Binksy might be converted to England's attacking style. We also cast our eye forward a few weeks to when the Black Caps visit Pakistan and the potential make up of that squad. The White Ferns have won the first two T20s against Bangladesh in style, with the usual suspects contributing, but Lippy also shines a light on Maddy Green's recent performances to wonder whether her consistency is here to stay. Finally, we round out the conversation with Australia's win against the West Indies. The 'No run' brigade stole the show, but there's also a word for Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, plus a Baldy conspiracy theory for good measure. We've got more content coming in the next few days - an interview with journalist and author Ken Piesse, which largely features Ken telling stories about legends of yesteryear. 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 conversations with Luke Wright, Jeet Raval and Dean Foxcroft. There's another of these provincial interviews on the way soon, plus you'll find chats with Wasim Khan, Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Sophie Devine, 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

This week on the show it's just Stu and Binksy as we look back at the white-ball series between New Zealand and India. There was plenty of rain, but some excellent performances from the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Tom Latham and Kane Williamson. We talk about crowds, Eden Park and make the case for not tinkering with ODI cricket, before moving swiftly past Australia's first innings runfest in Perth. To round out the show we marvel at the first session of the first Test between Pakistan and England to discuss the bigger picture of this English Test revival under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. We'll be back in your feed again next week (hopefully with a full crew) to discuss the week that was, plus we're planning the final few episodes of our Hall of Fame series and have more interviews lined up for the coming weeks. 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 conversations with Luke Wright, Jeet Raval and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Finn Allen, Dion Nash, Sophie Devine, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin, 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 Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 10 to 8 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). Now that we're at the business end of the list, we couldn't resist throwing a few extra minutes on the clock to discuss these legends of the game. Baldy reveals the algorithm's best fast bowler of all time, plus we discuss two stylish left-handers who scored stacks of runs all around the world. Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media. 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Finn Allen, Katey Martin, Andre Adams, Gary Stead, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Lesley Murdoch, Jarrod Kimber 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. *SPOILER ALERT* This episode features players from 10-8 in the following order. 10 - SF Barnes 9 - Brian Lara 8 - Kumar Sangakkara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show we look back at the T20 World Cup final at the MCG, which saw England add another white-ball trophy to their cabinet. Binksy takes us through the game-day experience, then we break down the key moments of the match, featuring Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi. In the second half of the episode, we bring India and New Zealand into the conversation to discuss a number of questions in the aftermath of this tournament: Are England the best all-format team in the world? Are they the greatest white-ball team of all-time? Do India and NZ need to rethink their T20 strategy? Have India underachieved? And is it time for the Black Caps to hit the reset button? We'll be back in your feed again next week to discuss matches from all around the world, as well as our Hall of Fame series. 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 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 conversations with Luke Wright, Dean Foxcroft and Jeet Raval, plus chats with Ajaz Patel, Sophie Devine, Dion Nash, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin, 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, Raj and Stu look back at an action-packed finish to the group stages of the T20 World Cup. The Dutch knocked South Africa out of the tournament, Pakistan snuck in the back door and now Stu is having nightmares about Inzamam-ul-Haq. Binksy's off to the World Cup final, so in the second half of the show we look ahead to discuss how the semi-finals will be won or lost, in an attempt to predict which two teams will face off at the MCG on Sunday night. Raj makes an outrageous claim about Finn Allen, Stu goes into bat for Mitchell Santner and Binksy explains why it is win-win for him as England prepare to take on India. We talk about Suryakumar Yadav, Jos Buttler, Babar Azam, Devon Conway and many more stars in this wide-ranging conversation about a tournament that has delivered on so many levels. We'll be back next week to review the semi-finals and the big dance, but 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 chats with Ish Sodhi, Luke Wright, Jeet Raval, Wasim Khan, Sophie Devine, Mike Hussey, Melinda Farrell, 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

We couldn't get the whole team together, but Michael and Stu couldn't resist the urge to jump on a call and rave about a magical innings from Glenn Phillips and another dominant performance from the Black Caps. Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Usain Bolt, Michael Clarke, Virat Kohli - the conversation bounced around a bit, before we discussed upsets, excitement and semi-final permutations for a T20 World Cup that seems to provide more and more entertainment every day (when it's not raining). We'll be back in your feed again before the semi-finals, but 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 our recent conversations with Luke Wright, Jeet Raval and Dean Foxcroft, plus chats with Sophie Devine, Wasim Khan, Ish Sodhi, Mike Hussey, Barry Richards, Katey Martin, 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 T20 World Cup has been on fire this past week, with the amazing finishes from the group stages carrying across to the Super 12 phase. Finn Allen and Devon Conway set up a big win for the Black Caps, before Virat Kohli stole the show and broke Pakistan hearts in a game filled with magical moments and plenty of talking points. We discuss no balls, dead balls, good old-fashioned hidings, Duckworth-Lewis and a whole host more as England and South Africa also start their campaigns, just as the West Indies depart during a very eventful opening week of the tournament. We'll be back in your feed soon with more T20 World Cup content and also our Hall of Fame series. 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 our most recent conversation with Luke Wright, plus chats with Finn Allen, Colin Miller, Katey Martin, Jarrod Kimber 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]. We absolutely love hearing from fellow cricket fans from all around the world. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, we speak with Luke Wright, who has joined the Auckland Cricket coaching staff for 2022-23. Luke takes us through the move to Auckland and what he's noticed about the squad so far, before entertaining us with a walk down memory lane to look back at moments from his impressive career. We talk about young talent in the Auckland side, such as Adi Ashok, Simon Keene and Ryan Harrison, then discuss Luke's T20 World Cup win with England in 2010, playing alongside Shane Warne at the BBL and the experiences he's had and lessons learned along the way. Luke has a fascinating perspective on the rise of T20 leagues and the positives and negatives that brings for the international game and players all around the world, and we're sure you'll enjoy this conversation. We'll be back in your feed again next week to discuss the early stages of the T20 World Cup, but 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. Dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Shane Bond, Barry Richards, Sophie Devine, Andre Adams, Finn Allen, 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 the second episode of our 2022 journey around the New Zealand domestic provinces, we speak to Jeet Raval, fresh off leading the Northern Brave to a Super Smash title in 2021/22. Jeet and Stu discuss the ND preseason, look back at Jeet's time with the Black Caps and examine the NZ domestic scene as a platform for developing players for international level. And with the Plunket Shield set to begin next week, Jeet takes us behind the scenes for a closer look at the Northern squad both on and off the field, and outlines the team's goals for the upcoming season. Keep an eye out for plenty more episodes in the coming weeks - we're planning to catch up with a number of cricketers and coaches from around the New Zealand domestic scene. You'll also hear our thoughts on the Men's T20 World Cup throughout the tournament, plus more instalments of our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, which has now reached the top 10. We'd really appreciate it if you 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 - including this one - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our conversations with the likes of Shane Bond, Ajaz Patel, Sophie Devine, Mike Hussey, Jarrod Kimber, Katey Martin and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or your predictions for the T20 World Cup, get in touch at [email protected] or via any of our social channels. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first episode of our 2022 journey around the New Zealand domestic provinces, we speak to Dean Foxcroft, who returns to Otago after Covid left him stranded overseas for 28 months. Dean talks about the challenges of the past couple of years, gives us an update about what he's been up to during that time and details why he was so determined to return and push for higher honours here in Aotearoa. With the Plunket Shield set to begin next week, Dean takes us behind the scenes at the Otago squad both on and off the field, and outlines the team's goals for the upcoming season. Keep an eye out for plenty more episodes in the coming weeks - we're planning to catch up with a number of cricketers and coaches from around the New Zealand domestic scene. The next of these will be a conversation with Jeet Raval from the Northern Brave, dropping on Monday. You'll also hear our thoughts on the Men's T20 World Cup throughout the tournament, plus more instalments of our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, which has now reached the top 10. We'd really appreciate you taking 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 telling a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - including this one - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our back catalogue, featuring conversations with the likes of Mike Hussey, Dion Nash, Shane Bond, Ish Sodhi, Sophie Devine, Barry Richards, Wasim Khan, 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, guest suggestions or your predictions for the T20 World Cup, get in touch at [email protected] or via any of our social channels. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Explainers, questions, answers and predictions - it's World Cup time! In this episode of the show we look ahead to the upcoming Men's T20 World Cup, which starts on 16 October. We set the scene, then deep dive into the key questions facing the teams we each find most interesting, before rounding out the show with players to watch and our predictions for the semi-finals, final and tournament winner. Keep an eye out for plenty more episodes in the coming weeks - we're planning to catch up with a number of cricketers and coaches from around the New Zealand domestic scene, plus there will be more instalments of our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, which has now reached the top 10. We'd really appreciate it if you 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 conversations with the likes of Colin Miller, Dion Nash, Shane Bond, Ish Sodhi, Wasim Khan, Sophie Devine, Daniel Beswick and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or your predictions for the T20 World Cup, get in touch at [email protected] or via any of our social channels. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recorded 28 September 2022 (before the Jasprit Bumrah injury news), in this episode of the show we stop at a number of destinations around the world as we look back at a week jam-packed with white-ball cricket. Australia may have found a solution to Aaron Finch's form slump - but will they find a spot for Cameron Green in their final T20 World Cup squad? Harry Brook is another young star on the rise, but has he done enough to force his way into England's top XI? And India have so many options - how will they choose the right one? We also touch on the New Zealand A tour to India, the White Ferns in the West Indies and the dreaded Mankad, which reared its ugly head again to overshadow Jhulan Goswami's final international game. We'll be back in your feed again in a few days with the next instalment of our Hall of Fame series. 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 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 Sophie Devine, plus chats with Ish Sodhi, Joe Scuderi, Tim Southee, Katey Martin, Niall O'Brien 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 start by discussing an English summer highlighted by the revival of the men's Test side under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. We talk tactics, bowling attacks, preparation and much more as we reflect on the turnaround of England's red-ball side. The remainder of the show has a strong New Zealand focus as we try to understand why the Black Caps simply can't seem to beat Australia. There's a rush for Cameron Green stock, concerns about New Zealand's bowling attack, central contract debate, a Mumbai Indians takeover and even a Joe Carter update as we look back at all that's gone on during the past couple of weeks. We'll be back in your feed next week, most likely with more Top Order Podcast Hall of Fame content. 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 our recent conversation with White Ferns captain Sophie Devine, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Mike Hussey, Ish Sodhi, Katey Martin, Bharat Sundaresan, JP Gavan 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 speak to bat maker and repairer Josh (JP) Gavan about all things bats. Josh's passion for cricket and bat-making shines during the chat as we discuss his introduction to the industry as a 16 year old, current trends, pernickety customers, working with players like Ellyse Perry and Chris Gayle, what to look for when you're buying a bat, and much more. Josh encouraged all of us to seek out local bat makers, but if you'd like to find out more about his work and his products, check out his website, You Tube channel, Instagram, Facebook or simply search JP Gavan in your browser. We'll be back next week to cover the final Test between England and South Africa, the Chappell-Hadlee ODIs and everything else that catches our eye over the next few days. 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 our recent conversation with White Ferns skipper Sophie Devine, plus chats with Mike and David Hussey, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, Bharat Sundaresan, Barry Richards and many more fascinating people from all across the 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 Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 15 to 11 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). We've got four of the most rhythmical bowlers you could ever hope to see, plus a batter who won more Test matches than anyone in the history of the game. There's two Australians, a West Indian, an Englishman and even a Kiwi (!) so you won't be surprised to hear there was a bit of debate as we discussed these entrants. Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media. 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Sophie Devine, Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Barry Richards, Dion Nash 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. *SPOILER ALERT* This episode features players from 15-11 in the following order. 15 - James Anderson 14 - Glenn McGrath 13 - Malcolm Marshall 12 - Sir Richard Hadlee 11 - Ricky Ponting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of the show, we discuss the second England v South Africa Test, the confusing events of the BBL draft and the upcoming tours to India and Australia for NZ A and the Black Caps. England bounced back in a big way after their first Test loss of the home summer, demolishing South Africa in just three days. We talk about Dean Elgar's decision to bat first and play two spinners, the up-and-down nature of the Ben Foakes conversation and whether Ben Stokes is more like Andrew Flintoff or Ian Botham. As the episode continues, we look back at a BBL draft that became a lot more interesting when the Adelaide Strikers selected Colin de Grandhomme. Has CDG retired from international cricket? How did this happen? We're all very confused. Then we look ahead to upcoming tours to India and Australia for New Zealand's men's teams and the return of the A programme, featuring the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Joe Walker, Matt Fisher and Ben Lister. We'll have another episode dropping into your feed later this week - the next edition of our Test Cricket Hall of Fame - but 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 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 Sophie Devine, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Ish Sodhi, Katey Martin, 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 discuss the first Test between England and South Africa and the two Black Caps v West Indies white-ball series. Topics include: Are England bad again? Are South Africa favourites to make the World Test Championship final? Is it cruel to keep picking Zak Crawley? Future Tours Programme Changes for the 2nd Test? In the second half of the show, the focus shifts to the Black Caps and their historic series wins in the Caribbean. We discuss: What we learned from the two series Trent Boult's future availability Competition for spots between Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham and Michael Bracewell Whether the West Indies will ever get their best XI on the field. We'll be back next week to review the second England v South Africa Test, and with another edition of the Test Cricket Hall of Fame. 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 a recent conversation with White Ferns captain Sophie Devine, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Mike Hussey, Tim Southee, Katey Martin, 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 Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 20 to 16 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). We've got three seamers with the epic combination of skill and pace, plus two batters who rarely played the flashiest innings on show but so often played the most important one. Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media. 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Sophie Devine, Ish Sodhi, Mike Hussey, Barry Richards, Jacob Oram, Gary Stead 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. *SPOILER ALERT* This episode features players from 20-16 in the following order. 20 - Waqar Younis 19 - Wasim Akram 18 - Dale Steyn 17 - Alistair Cook 16 - Rahul Dravid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Top Order Podcast, the panel discuss the medal matches at the Commonwealth Games,. Lippy soaks up the bronze glow of the White Ferns' efforts, before Baldy navigates the choppy water to highlight Australia's gold, further enhancing their status as one of the all-time great teams in any sport. As we move to the men's game, we talk about what we've learned from the Black Caps' European tour, before Baldy explains why he has prepared remarks and why the ICC needs to act now - before it is too late. Keep an eye on your feed in the coming days for the next instalment of our Test Cricket Hall of Fame. 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 our recent conversation with bronze medalist Sophie Devine, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Katey Martin, Niall O'Brien 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 Top Order Podcast, the UK takes centre stage as we review the week that was. Baldy makes up for Binksy's absence with extra levels of enthusiasm, including an unscheduled chat about the England v South Africa series - mainly to delight in everything Jonny Bairstow. The panel then moves over to Scotland to discuss the recent performances of the Black Caps, which included a first T20 hundred for Finn Allen and Mark Chapman loudly shouting 'Don't forget about me!' To round out the show it's back to England for reaction to the first few days of the cricket at the Commonwealth Games, highlighted by a crucial win for the White Ferns. We'll be back next week with more news and views, but 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 Sophie Devine, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Katey Martin, 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 Top Order crew are together in the same room again to look back at the week that was. We start by discussing the Black Caps v Ireland T20 series, which featured strong performances by a middle order featuring Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham and Michael Bracewell. But where do they all fit in to plans for the upcoming T20 and ODI World Cups? Ben Stokes has retired from ODI cricket - Does that mean the cricket calendar is broken? Is there any way to fix it? Baldy introduces a new segment as a cunning plan to discuss spin bowling, Binksy tells us why 410* doesn't impress him, there's a shout out for Will Williams and plenty more on a windy night in Auckland. We'll be back in your feed next week, so 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 and moving towards more video content in future. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including our recent conversation with Sophie Devine looking ahead to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, plus chats with Finn Allen, Shane Bond, Lesley Murdoch, Gary Stead, Colin Miller, Barry Richards and many more fascinating people from all across the cricket 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, White Ferns captain Sophie Devine joins the show a few days out from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Sophie talks about the excitement in the squad for the Games experience, what new coach Ben Sawyer has brought to the group and her goals and expectations for the tournament. We also discuss NZC's new pay parity deal and how that will impact women's cricket in New Zealand at all levels, plus Sophie's experience at the Fairbreak Invitational and the busy few months she has ahead of her at the Hundred and the WBBL. Look out for another This Week in Cricket show in the coming days, and 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 - including this one soon - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Rachin Ravindra, Katey Martin, Lockie Ferguson, Dion Nash, Mike Hussey, 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

This week on the show, Stu is joined by former NZ U19 captain Marc Ellison to discuss the Black Caps v Ireland ODI series and the general Irish cricket landscape. We look back at brilliant performances from Michael Bracewell and Harry Tector, missed opportunities for Ireland, the challenges the squad faces when competing with the more established international sides and the role Finn Allen could play in NZ's upcoming World Cup campaigns. The full Top Order crew will hopefully reunite again soon, but 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 chats with Wasim Khan, Ken Rutherford, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, 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're joined by Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University, Jamie Barker, to discuss England's remarkable fourth-innings chase against India and the dramatic change in attitude that has been on display since Rob Key, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took charge. It's always fascinating to hear Jamie's views on a wide range of topics that have relevance to any high-performance role, and this episode is no different. We talk about the importance of clarity, whether this positive mindset is sustainable, and Binksy finally discards his own pessimism to let his England fan flag fly. Jamie helps us understand the psychology behind a mindset shift, the key factors that enable such a shift to happen so quickly, why we often see a 'new manager bounce' across all sports and much more. We'll be back next week to discuss the Black Caps' tour to Ireland, Australia in Sri Lanka and look ahead to the White Ferns' Commonwealth Games campaign. 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 this one! You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Wasim Khan, Mike Hussey, Ish Sodhi, Katey Martin, Dion Nash 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 Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 25 to 21 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). We've got a former prime minister, a knight, a game-changer, genuine pace and a star from way back when as we welcome entrants from England, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia and the West Indies. Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media. 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, Jacob Oram, Colin 'Funky' Miller 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. *SPOILER ALERT* This episode features players from 25-21 in the following order. 25 - George Lohmann 24 - Imran Khan 23 - Allan Donald 22 - Adam Gilchrist 21 - Curtly Ambrose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 30 to 26 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). All five of this episode's inductees are members of the 10,000 run club, we've got grumpy leaders, unique stances and a few Top Order personal heroes as we welcome entrants from Australia, India, Pakistan and the West Indies. Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media. 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Ajaz Patel, Frankie Mackay, Dion Nash, Rachin Ravindra 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. *SPOILER ALERT* This episode features players from 30-26 in the following order. 30 - Allan Border 29 - Sunil Gavaskar 28 - Younis Khan 27 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul 26 - Steve Waugh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Black Caps v England series is over and who could have predicted the past month of action? In this episode, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the key moments and players. We discuss: Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes and the England turnaround NZ's selection decisions The Ajaz Patel dilemma Whether the Black Caps should have a glass half-full or half-empty view of the series Runs from Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Pope, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell NZ cricket depth Listener questions And much more as we deep-dive back into this fascinating series. June was a disrupted month for us with life and illness getting in the way, but we're expecting to be back on track in July. 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 chats with Wasim Khan, Dion Nash, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Lesley Murdoch, Lockie Ferguson 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

Just the two of us this week after a couple of late scratchings, but Michael and Stu talk through the events of another fascinating Test match at Trent Bridge. Records tumbled, catches went down, there were runs galore and the game was perfectly poised until Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes took hold of the match with a five-over barrage of boundaries that the Black Caps couldn't recover from. We discuss Ollie Pope, Daryl Mitchell, Joe Root, Brendon McCullum and much more as we try to make sense of the performances from both sides. Are England good now? What's gone wrong for the Black Caps? Why Neil Wagner? Will Zak Crawley and Will Young keep their spots for the third Test? And isn't Test match cricket fantastic? 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 chats with Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin, Tim Southee, 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

It's an unexpected bumper episode this week, with plenty of talking points from an action-packed Test match at Lord's between England and the Black Caps. We talkEd through the back-and-forth nature of the game, Joe Root's match-winning hundred, outstanding bowling displays, not-so-outstanding batting displays, whether spin will play a part in this series, Brendon McCullum's fingerprints, changes for the second Test and much more as we reviewed the rollercoaster ride that played out at the home of cricket. After a brief detour to Sri Lanka to discuss Australia's T20 series against the hosts, we examined the comments made by ICC CEO Greg Barclay in an interview during the England v New Zealand Test and what they mean for the future of international cricket. We'll be back again next week to review the second Test at Trent Bridge. 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 chats with Matt Henry, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin, Jarrod Kimber, Dion Nash, Wasim Khan 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 Top Order Podcast crew is a man down this week, with Raj out of action, but the remaining trio look back at a somewhat puzzling week for New Zealand cricket, plus an IPL final triumph for the Gujarat Titans. We start the show in India, discussing IPL 2022 as a whole and highlighting the impact of two of the tournament's biggest stars - Hardik Pandya and Jos Buttler. It's been a strange week back here in Aotearoa, with the White Ferns' latest contract list missing some big names - most notably Amy Satterthwaite. We try to make sense of this decision. Was it bold, confusing, disrespectful or all of the above? Finally, we look ahead to the Black Caps v England Test series by discussing a New Zealand side that doesn't feel quite as assured as they did a year ago - particularly after a loss to the First-class Counties Select XI. What will the bowling attack look like at Lord's on Thursday? Will the batting line-up fire? Will Brendon McCullum's impact on England be instantly noticeable? Plus bold predictions, mind games and plenty more as we gear up for what promises to be a fascinating series. We'll be back next week to review the first Test, but before then 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 the recently retired Katey Martin, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Shane Bond, Finn Allen, Wasim Khan 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 focus mainly on New Zealand and England, as the excitement builds for the first Test at Lord's starting on 2 June. We talk about what we might have learned from the warm-up fixture against Sussex, which saw two days rained out and a solid hit out for most of the available squad. Is Michael Bracewell in serious contention to play a part in the upcoming series? And who will fill the number five spot if Henry Nicholls isn't fit for the first Test? We stay in England to discuss the first Test squad announced under Brendon McCullum, which included a couple of potential debutants in Matthew Potts and Harry Brook, plus a batting reshuffle that could see Ollie Pope at three. Before we wrap up the show with an overview of the upcoming IPL playoffs, we give a quick shout out to the legend that is Katey Martin, as well as some spin chat prompted by Ish Sodhi's move from ND to Canterbury for the 2022-23 domestic season. 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 chats with the recently retired Katey Martin, Black Caps' stars Lockie Ferguson, Ajaz Patel and Tim Southee, plus greats of the game like Mike Hussey, Barry Richards, Shane Bond, 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

A busy week for the Top Order crew has meant this episode is a little delayed (recorded evening of Monday 16 May), but on the show we discuss: The sad news about Andrew Symonds Brendon McCullum's appointment as the England men's Test coach Kiwis winning the Fairbreak Invitational Black Caps' central contracts and what that might mean for upcoming tours and the T20 and ODI World Cups. And some news from the IPL We'll be back early next week with another This Week in Cricket, covering the England Test squad, Katey Martin's retirement, IPL semi finals and plenty more. 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 chats with Wasim Khan, Barry Richards, Dion Nash, Matt Henry, 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 Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 35 to 31 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). There's a thirst for runs, a dislike for batters and a bit of confusion as we welcome entrants from Australia, England and Sri Lanka. And for those of you looking for the YouTube link we reference in the episode, here it is. Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media. 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Ajaz Patel, Frankie Mackay, Dion Nash, Graham Thorpe 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. *SPOILER ALERT* This episode features players from 35-31 in the following order. 35 - Ken Barrington 34 - Herbert Sutcliffe 33 - Dennis Lillee 32 - Mahela Jayawardene 31 - Fred Trueman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show we discuss the Black Caps' Test squad for the upcoming UK tour, which landed with very little fanfare and a lot of familiar names. At first glance, the expected lineup for the first Test starting on 2 June picks itself, but should Matt Henry be in the conversation? Can they find room for Ajaz Patel? And will Trent Boult and Daryl Mitchell still be at the IPL? (Since we recorded the episode, Henry Nicholls has had scans on a calf injury suffered in training, so watch out for news on that.) As the conversation turns to England, we examine recent comments made by Ben Stokes - most notably that he plans to bat at 6 and Joe Root will bat at 4 - as he starts to make his mark on the Test side. We finish the show with a quick summary of the IPL as it draws closer to the playoffs. Lippy gets excited about Devon Conway's three 50s on the bounce, but it looks like it will be too late for CSK, with Gujarat, Lucknow, Rajasthan and RCB firming as top 4 favourites. This episode is our 200th release, and as we raise the bat again we want to say another big thank you to everyone who has supported the show in any way, whether it be downloading and listening, joining the podcast as a guest or simply spreading the word to family and friends. We love recording the shows, and connecting with cricket fans and characters from all over the world has made the past few years extra special. We'll be back later in the week with the next instalment of the Top Order Podcast 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 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 chats with Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Kristy Havill, Barry Richards, Rachin Ravindra, 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 of the Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 40 to 36 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). Some very esteemed guests feature in this edition, including our first Lord and some of the more impressive Test batting averages you're likely to find as we welcome entrants from Australia, England, the West Indies and South Africa. Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media. 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Shane Bond, Joe Scuderi, Ajaz Patel, Frankie Mackay, Daniel Beswick, Graham Thorpe 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. *SPOILER ALERT* This episode features players from 40-36 in the following order. 40 - Keith Miller 39 - Ian Botham 38 - Jack Hobbs 37 - George Headley 36 - Graeme Pollock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show we look back at form reversals at the IPL, with the Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and RCB on the slide, and CSK and Mumbai picking up wins. We discuss MS Dhoni picking the captaincy again at CSK, Devon Conway's triumphant return and the highlight the consistency shown by the two new franchises, Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans. In the next part of the show we look at the Australian squads named for the Sri Lanka tour, then move to England to discuss the changes taking place at the ECB and the outlook for the Test match squad in particular. Will Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad return? Is England set to prioritise red-ball cricket? Is rest and rotation over? And how will Ben Stokes handle the captaincy? Finally, we finish the show by highlighting the upcoming Fairbreak Invitational, a global women's T20 tournament that is set to feature players from 40 nations, including New Zealanders Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Katey Martin. There's another Hall of Fame episode on the way later in the week, but 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 chats with Wasim Khan, Finn Allen, Joe Scuderi, Katey Martin, Bharat Sundaresan, Shane Bond 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