The Top Order Cricket Podcast

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

In this episode of the Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 45 to 41 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). With four current players to discuss, including three of the so-called Big Four and a spin scientist, time goes out the window as we debate which of these present stars has had the biggest impact on the Test stage so far, and whether they'll move up - or down - this list in the coming years. 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, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Tim Southee, Katey Martin, 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 45-41 in the following order. 45 - Wally Hammond 44 - Kane Williamson 43 - Virat Kohli 42 - Ravichandran Ashwin 41 - Steve Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show we take stock of IPL 2022 as the games tick past the halfway mark of the competition. We talk about the biggest surprises so far, try to figure out what's gone wrong for Mumbai and CSK, plus discuss the no-ball drama featuring Rishabh Pant and what that means for his long-term leadership outlook. There's also Dale Steyn's hair; Lippy singing a song; praise for Jos Buttler, KL Rahul and T Natarajan; and plenty of humble pie as we reflect on our preview as well as looking forward to what's still to come as the tournament moves closer to the business end. We'll be back later in the week with another instalment of our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame. In the meantime, if you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and 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 conversations with Jacob Oram, Wasim Khan, Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, 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 Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 50 to 46 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). As we move into the top 50 on our list, this group includes one of the all-time leading wicket-takers, a controversial figure (especially in New Zealand), two greats of West Indian batting and then one of England's most famous cricketing names. Are any of this group ranked too low? Or are they lucky to be here? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media - or give us some praise if you think we've got things spot on! 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. 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. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Finn Allen, Shane Bond, Michael Hussey, Tim Southee, Katey Martin, George Dobell 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 50-46 in the following order. 50 - Courtney Walsh 49 - Greg Chappell 48 - Clyde Walcott 47 - Everton Weekes 46 - Len Hutton 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 55 to 51 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). As we near the halfway point of our top 100, every player's list of achievements gets more and more impressive. There's wickets and runs galore in this group, as we visit South Africa, Pakistan, England and Australia to welcome five new members to the Hall. And for those of you who've listened to the episode, here's the link to Merv Hughes telling the story we referenced during our chat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRH4VIasS3Q. Are any of this group ranked too low? Or are they lucky to be here? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media - or give us some praise if you think we've got things spot on! 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. 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. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Rachin Ravindra, Wasim Khan, Dion Nash, Joe Scuderi, Matt Henry, Katey Martin, Daniel Brettig 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 55-51 in the following order. 55 - Javed MIandad 54 - Shaun Pollock 53 - Stuart Broad 52 - Kagiso Rabada 51 - Matthew Hayden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The international cricket calendar is thinning out, but there's still plenty to talk about this week. The IPL leaderboard is starting to take shape - with powerhouse franchises CSK and Mumbai Indians languishing at the bottom of the ladder. Ravi Ashwin is in the news again for deciding he'd had enough of batting for the night, but his Rajasthan Royals are looking like an impressive outfit - despite not always picking their full complement of overseas players. Later in the show we turn our attention back to the NZ home summer. Now that it is (almost) over, we reflect on the performance of the White Ferns and the Black Caps, and discuss candidates putting their hand up for upcoming international tours, such as Tom Bruce. 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. We'll be back later in the week with the next instalment in our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, but in the meantime dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Michael and David Hussey, Finn Allen, Matt Henry, Katey Martin, Ajaz Patel, 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

We start the show this week raving about Australia's World Cup win - one of the most dominant all-tournament displays that we've ever seen. Both Alyssa Healy and Rachel Haynes broke the record for most runs in a World Cup, and the professionalism of the entire Australian squad shone through in a tournament that has been a great advertisement for the game. As we start travelling the world, we speak briefly about an Australian ODI series loss to Pakistan, with Babar Azam in a starring role and questions about Aaron Finch. Jos Buttler is off to a flying start at the IPL with his Rajasthan Royals winning their first two games, but it's been tough going for both Mumbai and CSK. South Africa's spinners demolished Bangladesh, leading them to another Test victory as they continue their march up the World Test Championship ladder. But is it time to move back to neutral umpires? We finish the show by discussing the final two games of the New Zealand v Netherlands ODI series, which featured hundreds for Tom Latham, Will Young and Martin Guptill in Luteru Ross Taylor's 450th and final game for the Black Caps. Only one episode this week - we'll be back again next week with a couple of shows, including a return to the Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame. 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 - you'll find chats with Lockie Ferguson, Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Chris Brown, 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

After a pair of back-to-back draws, both the Pakistan v Australia and West Indies v England series burst into life in the deciders. We look back at the two series as a whole to discuss the key performers and talking points. Is Nathan Lyon the GOAT again? Have Pakistan found their opening partnership for the next 10 years? How did Pat Cummins find success when every other bowler struggled? Is Kyle Mayers the new Scott Boland? Should Joe Root still be the captain of England? What's next in the ECB red-ball reset? And plenty more! We'll be back next week with our regular This Week in Cricket show, covering NZ v the Netherlands, South Africa v Bangladesh, the World Cup final and the IPL. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. We'll be diving back into the Hall of Fame over the next few months while the IPL takes centre stage. A few of our episodes are also available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. Dip back into our guest episodes - including our recent conversation with Kristy Havill previewing the Women's World Cup, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Ajaz Patel, Katey Martin, George Dobell and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The IPL is about to dominate the world cricket calendar in April and May, but before it does we take a look at the many series and tournaments going on across the globe. We start in New Zealand with the Black Caps taking on the Netherlands, and discuss impressive performances from Will Young and Michael Rippon in the first ODI. At the IPL, it looks like it might be a tough season for Kane Williamson's Sunrisers Hyderabad, but why don't the betting agencies rate the Rajasthan Royals? And are we in for a run-fest over the next few months? Bangladesh beat South Africa in an ODI series and now sit at the top of the Super League table - can they repeat the dose in the Test series with the Proteas missing their entire first-choice seam attack? And back in Aotearoa, the Women's World Cup continues to deliver exciting finishes as we reach the semi-final stage. We talk about the drama of the final pool game between India and South Africa, potential departures from the White Ferns and Australia's ability to keep marching on no matter how tricky the situation gets. We finish with a few highlights from the Plunket Shield action of the past few days. The Auckland train keeps rolling, with Simon Keene continuing the amazing start to his first-class career, and Jeet Raval and Bharat Popli bat through an entire day for Northern Districts. We'll be back later in the week with a red-ball recap, covering the West Indies v England and Pakistan v Australia Test series in detail. 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, Tim Southee, Jarrod Kimber, Frankie Mackay, Shane Bond and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. You can also hear our memories of Shane Warne in our latest Hall of Fame episode. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Three episodes in three days! This time recording remotely, so if you listen carefully you'll hear the added bonus of a cricket in Stu's garage. So much cricket going on right now and in this episode we cover the brilliant fightback from Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Pakistan in the second Test against Australia, plus a few talking points from the series as a whole while the third match plays out. For what it's worth, Baldy's tactics to talk up Pakistan worked a treat, as they lost 7-20 after we finished recording. In moving to the West Indies v England series, we discuss the state of Test pitches around the world: Are they an issue? If so, what needs to be done? Closer to home, the Women's World Cup semi-final race is hotting up, but it's all gone wrong for the White Ferns, while Australia continue to look unstoppable. We also talk about things we're watching out for in the Black Caps series against the Netherlands, and look at this week's Plunket Shield highlights (apologies to Troy Johnson for Stu calling him Troy Robinson in the heat of the moment when mentioning his 194* for Wellington). Here's the link to the Zak Foulkes delivery we mentioned on the show - poles everywhere! https://scoring.nzc.nz/#ma4d00ecf-9067-486f-b2ef-ff6b4e9ed0a0$$2_015_02 If you think you know more about the IPL than we do, we'd love for you to join our season long fantasy league for 2022. Just click the link to join, and then feel free to boast about your success on our social media channels when you hit the front: https://fantasy.iplt20.com/season/league/join/55KVSLIGB80110 We'll be back next week to discuss everything going on in the world of cricket. 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 conversations with Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Wasim Khan, Bharat Sundaresan, Matt Henry, Katey Martin and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. You can also hear our memories of Shane Warne in our latest Hall of Fame episode. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*Note this is Part 2 of our IPL 2022 Preview - we recommend you listen to Part 1 first, but up to you if you're only keen to hear info about your team! It's that time of the year once again - this time with 10 teams and 2 months of IPL action set to dominate our screens. After a tournament explainer from Baldy, we put the timer on the clock for each side - starting with the defending champion Chennai Super Kings all the way through to the Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad. Will Devon Conway win the orange cap? Can the Mumbai Indians overcome the loss of so many key players? Did anyone have a better auction than the Rajasthan Royals? Can Lockie Ferguson bowl the Gujarat Titans to a title in their first season? Will the addition of Shreyas Iyer be the final piece to help Brendon McCullum's KKR go one step further in 2022? Which team will win it all? And so much more! Part 2 includes the following teams: Mumbai Indians Punjab Kings Rajasthan Royals Royal Challengers Bangalore Sunrisers Hyderabad We'll be back in your feed again later in the week with our This Week in Cricket show, discussing the World Cup, West Indies v England, the Black Caps and plenty more. 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 conversations with Barry Richards, Finn Allen, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Bharat Sundaresan, Tim Southee, Katey Martin and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. You can also hear our memories of Shane Warne in our latest Hall of Fame episode. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's that time of the year once again - this time with 10 teams and 2 months of IPL action set to dominate our screens. After a tournament explainer from Baldy, we put the timer on the clock for each side - starting with the defending champion Chennai Super Kings all the way through to the Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad. Will Devon Conway win the orange cap? Can the Mumbai Indians overcome the loss of so many key players? Did anyone have a better auction than the Rajasthan Royals? Can Lockie Ferguson bowl the Gujarat Titans to a title in their first season? Will the addition of Shreyas Iyer be the final piece to help Brendon McCullum's KKR go one step further in 2022? Which team will win it all? And so much more! Part 1 includes the following teams: Chennai Super Kings Delhi Capitals Gujarat Titans Kolkata Knight Riders Lucknow Super Giants Part 2 will be in your podcast feed tomorrow! In the meantime, if you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including our recent conversation with Kristy Havill previewing the Women's World Cup, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. You can also hear our memories of Shane Warne in our latest Hall of Fame episode. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have the Black Caps and the IPL disrespected Ross Taylor and the Netherlands? Did England disrespect the West Indies? And did Baldy disrespect Nathan Lyon? We cover all this and much more as we look back at another busy week on the cricket calendar. There's reward for Michael Bracewell and Dane Cleaver in the Black Caps squad, but no George Worker despite his stellar season for the Aces. We've got a logjam at the Women's World Cup, with a crucial few days ahead for the White Ferns - but are Australia simply too good? Plus we discuss the first West Indies vs England Test match, in which we realised Joe Root is still very good at batting, and react live to Babar Azam's heroics during the final stages of the Pakistan fightback against Australia to debate whether Pat Cummins should have enforced the follow-on, and whether Nathan Lyon's GOAT status is under threat. We'll be back in your feed later in the week to preview the upcoming IPL - we went team by team during an overview of the tournament that's set to dominate the cricket calendar from the end of March to the end of May. 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, and hope to release the video version of our upcoming IPL preview. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including our recent conversation with Kristy Havill previewing the Women's World Cup, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Graham Thorpe, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Finn Allen, Frankie Mackay, George Dobell and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. You can also hear our memories of Shane Warne in our latest Hall of Fame episode. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's been a very sad week in the cricket world, with the passing of both Rod Marsh and Shane Warne, but on the field it's been very busy. We start the show by discussing the last-over drama and excitement of the Women's World Cup so far. Deandra Dottin said 'give me the ball', Nat Sciver almost carried England to a record chase and the White Ferns overcame the weather and Bangladesh to pick up their first win of the tournament. As we move around the world, news of a drinks break in Pakistan wakes us from a near slumber as we talk through one of the more boring Test matches in recent memory. Then it's off to India to talk about an incredible individual performance from Ravindra Jadeja, which helped India seal a big win in Virat Kohli's 100th match. Will anyone ever again beat India in a Test series at home? There's also chat about Ben Stokes and his role in the upcoming West Indies v England series, a shout out for the Eden Park groundstaff and a few words remembering the impact Rod Marsh had on both Australian and English cricket. We'll be back in your feed next week to discuss the many different international series and tournaments going on around the world, and our IPL preview will follow soon after that. In the meantime, if you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including our recent conversation with Kristy Havill previewing the Women's World Cup, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Ken Rutherford, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry, Katey Martin, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. You can also hear our memories of Shane Warne in our latest Hall of Fame episode. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The cricket world was rocked this week by the news that Shane Warne had passed away at the age of 52. Since then, there's been an outpouring of tributes from family, friends, teammates, opponents and many others from all around the world. And, to be honest, it's hit us harder than we thought, considering three out of four of us spent most of his career cheering against him. So we thought the best way we could pay tribute was to make him an early entrant into our Test Cricket Hall of Fame and discuss what made him such an icon of the game. We talk about our first memories of the King of Spin, his impact on the art of legspin and the consistency he showed throughout his career. We discuss what made him such an outstanding bowler, ponder some unanswerable questions and generally marvel at the feats of one of the best cricketers we've ever seen. We'll be back in your feed in about 24 hours to discuss the Women's World Cup, India v Sri Lanka, Pakistan v Australia and more in our regular This Week in Cricket show. 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 - Ken Rutherford and Mike Hussey stand out as a couple of guests who shared stories about Shane Warne. We'd love to hear your own memories of Shane Warne bowl, so don't hesitate to contact us on social media or via email at [email protected] and we'll happily share your stories next week. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show we discuss a bounce back performance by South Africa to draw the Test series with the Black Caps, then try to make sense of the upcoming England Test tour to the West Indies and recap a winning week for Auckland and Otago on the NZ domestic circuit. There are plenty of apologies during the New Zealand v South Africa segment as we examine what changed so drastically from the first Test to the second. Where did it go wrong for the Black Caps? How did Dean Elgar and his side get things so right? Who else thought Colin de Grandhomme's international career was over? Is this a sign of things to come for South Africa? And are NZ's dreams of retaining the World Test Championship mace all but over? Later in the show, we briefly move away from New Zealand to discuss the upcoming West Indies v England series. We talk about our expectations for both sides, and whether there's a way back for Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson during the English home summer. And then we round things off with shout outs to a few winners on the NZ domestic circuit, with the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and Ford Trophy seasons coming to a close, as well as recapping an impressive win for the White Ferns during the World Cup warm up matches. We'll be back in your feed next week to discuss the many different international series and tournaments going on 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 most recent conversation with Kristy Havill previewing the Women's World Cup, plus chats with Wasim Khan, Ajaz Patel, Dion Nash, Colin 'Funky' Miller, George Dobell and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time since 1998, Australia are in Pakistan for a Test series and it's one that holds a lot of importance in the cricket world, both on and off the field. We talk through the key questions facing both sides, plus our expectations for the series. Will Shaheen Shah Afridi outshine the Australian pace attack? How will Marnus Labuschagne go in foreign conditions? Is Nathan Lyon under pressure? Will the pitches favour spin or seam? Are we about to watch a World Test Championship final preview? Who will win the series? And will any of our bold predictions come true? *NOTE: Since we recorded the episode last night (Tuesday 1 March, NZ time), Haris Rauf has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss the first Test (https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/pak-vs-aus-2021-22-haris-rauf-ruled-out-of-first-test-against-australia-after-testing-positive-for-covid-19-1303174). Pakistan's bowlers aren't having much luck at the moment! We'll be back in your feed later in the week to review the Black Caps v South Africa Test series, look ahead to England v West Indies and recap a weekend of trophies on the NZ domestic scene. 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 most recent conversations with Kristy Havill previewing the Women's World Cup, plus Wasim Khan, Matt Henry, Mike Hussey, Colin 'Funky' Miller, 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

We love a World Cup at the Top Order Podcast and after a year’s delay, the 2021 Women’s ODI World Cup is about to begin. So to help us look ahead to the next month of action, we’re joined by contributing writer at Locker Room, Canterbury Magician and World Cup Operations Coordinator (among many other things!) Kristy Havill. How much should we read into the White Ferns' 4-1 ODI series win against India? Is it serious that teams could contest a game with only 9 fit players? Have the White Ferns settled on a starting XI? Is Amelia Kerr's incredible run of form a sign of things to come? Which teams will make the semi-finals? Who are the players to watch? And can anyone beat Australia? If you want to hear or read more from Kristy Havill, the link below is a great place to start: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/lockerroom/profile/Kristyhavill/posts. It includes her brave and brilliant story with Amelia Kerr, regular World Cup coverage and interviews with key players involved in the tournament. We'll be back in your feed again next week with a preview of the upcoming Australia v Pakistan Test series, a wrap of the second Black Caps v South Africa Test and plenty more cricket 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 conversations with Georgia Wareham, Matt Henry, Mike Hussey, Frankie Mackay, Melinda Farrell, 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

This week on the show we review a great week for both the Black Caps and the White Ferns, as well as a host of other topics as we look back at the week that was. We start by discussing the amazing performance from Matt Henry, which saw him record the third-best bowling figures in a Test innings for New Zealand, as well as smashing a quick 50 at #11. There's praise for Tim Southee, Tom Blundell and Colin de Grandhomme as well as Gary Stead for his decision to promote Neil Wagner to #5 in the absence of Kane Williamson. But will South Africa bounce back in the second Test? We remain in Aotearoa to chat about the White Ferns, who have looked more and more impressive with every game of their series against India, highlighted by contributions from many different players within the squad. Then it's a quick look at the domestic scene, with the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and the Ford Trophy up for grabs this weekend. As we venture offshore, we discuss a changing of the guard for the Indian Test team, with Pujara, Rahane, Saha and Ishant all left out. There are questions around the Australian white ball team, despite winning their T20 series 4-1 against a Sri Lankan side that showed a lot of promise. Will Aaron Finch make it to the next T20 World Cup? And how much is the IPL going to impact international tours for both Australia and New Zealand? We'll be back in your feed again later this week with a special guest to preview the Women's World Cup. 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 conversations with Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Frankie Mackay, Firdose Moonda, 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, we take a look back at an IPL auction that saw 11 Kiwis picked up (to join Kane Williamson, who was retained). We talk through our initial reactions, the most croresome buys, the biggest waste of crore and which teams had the best auction. We then discuss the White Ferns' wins against India in the first two ODIs, which included hundreds to Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr, plus a batting order reshuffle involving Sophie Devine. Moving around the globe, we head to Australia to chat about their T20 series against Sri Lanka, another setback for Will Pucovski and the latest rule to combat slow over rates. Finally, there's a word or two on the India v West Indies white-ball fixtures and Kieron Pollard's advice to his side. We'll be back in your feed again soon to discuss the first Test between the Black Caps and the Proteas, the White Ferns, Australia v Sri Lanka and much more in our next This Week in Cricket show. 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 conversations with Matt Henry, Mike Hussey, Frankie Mackay, Firdose Moonda, 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

With the Black Caps v South Africa Test series starting on Thursday, we decided to break from tradition and release this stand-alone episode before our regular This Week in Cricket show. We discuss potential lineups, key matchups, two batting orders missing important players, bold predictions and series winners as we deep-dive into this eagerly anticipated series, which sadly is only two Tests, both at the home of cricket, Hagley Oval. Ravindra or De Grandhomme for the first Test? Is Tom Blundell under serious pressure for his place in the side? Are South Africa the real deal after beating India? Will Dean Elgar regret his pre-game comments? Have New Zealand lost their aura of invincibility at home? Should Ross Taylor have been recalled? And can the Black Caps, who have never beaten South Africa in a Test series and only won 4 individual Tests against the Proteas, make history at Hagley Oval over the course of the next two weeks? We'll be back in your feed again later this week to discuss all things IPL auction, the White Ferns, Australia v Sri Lanka and much more in our This Week in Cricket show. 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 conversations with Finn Allen, Mike Hussey, Frankie Mackay, Firdose Moonda, 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

Hours after we recorded our This Week in Cricket episode earlier in the week, news came out that England Cricket legends Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad had been dropped from the Test squad to tour the West Indies. Binksy added a short instant reaction into that episode but the frustration was still brewing, so Baldy jumped on a call to help him talk through the latest in a series of changes going on in English Cricket. Why have they done this? Was it the right thing to do? Is there any way back for Jimmy and Stuart? And what about Dawid Malan? We were planning to pop this segment into our Great Resignation episode, but after the Pat Cummins' press conference, there was quite a bit to digest, so here it is as a stand-alone episode. Enjoy! We'll be back in just a few days with a preview of the Black Caps v South Africa Test series, as well as a recap of the IPL auction and plenty more as the week continues. If you can't wait for that, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Daniel Beswick from Emerging Cricket, Mike Hussey, Rachin Ravindra, Georgia Wareham, Bharat Sundaresan, Jacob Duffy and many more fantastic characters from around the world. You can also find all our written content, featuring our Hall of Fame series, at our website. 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. We've also made a few of our episodes available on YouTube - we're chipping away at populating this channel. 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

What a week it has been at the English and Australian cricket boards! The fall out from The Ashes has led to a clean out at the ECB and the resignation of Justin Langer. Recorded on Tuesday night, there's plenty of debate as we discuss: Should Langer have been retained? What were Cricket Australia thinking? Will England's clean out change anything? Who will take the reins in the coming weeks? And much more! We'll be back in your feed tomorrow with a short episode featuring Baldy and Binksy talking through the clean out in the English Test side (Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad!!!) and Pat Cummins' press conference about the coaching situation. 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 chipping away at populating this channel. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Finn Allen, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Katey Martin, Graham Thorpe, George Dobell and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We start the show this week with Binksy's reaction to the breaking news that England have dropped James Anderson and Stuart Broad from their upcoming Test tour to the West Indies, before we travel the world again to discuss a wide range of news from the cricketing week that was. We go in-depth on the Black Caps' Test squad to face South Africa, which features call-ups for Cam Fletcher and Blair Tickner, as well as recalls for Colin de Grandhomme and Hamish Rutherford. Should anyone feel snubbed? How will the batting order line up at Hagley? And how worried are we about Kane Williamson's elbow? Selection discussions continue with a look at the White Ferns' World Cup squad, including the omission of Leigh Kasperek. The conversation then turns to youthful exuberance as we look back the the ICC U19 World Cup and a few future stars that caught our eye, before jetsetting off to the conclusion of the Ashes, the West Indies v India ODI series and the upcoming IPL auction. We'll be back in your feed later this week to discuss the coaching merry-go-round that is Cricket Australia and ECB, with thoughts on Justin Langer, Chris Silverwood, Ashley Giles and what's next. 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 chipping away at populating this channel. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Tim Southee, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Katey Martin, George Dobell and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's show was recorded about 20 minutes after the conclusion of the Ashes Test, so naturally we start by discussing the final-day drama. We talk declarations, Heather Knight's big hundred and 4-day Tests as the multi-format series now shifts to ODIs. From long-form cricket we move to T20s, recapping the finals of the BBL and Super Smash, which resulted in wins for the Perth Scorchers, Wellington Blaze and Northern Brave. Should the Sixers have been allowed to retire Jordan Silk? Are the Blaze too good? And have any uncapped Super Smash players made a case for international honours? We finish the episode by discussing the entertaining T20 series between the West Indies and England, which was perfectly poised at 2-2 when we recorded the show. Rovman Powell smashed a hundred, Adil Rashid bowled a googly and Raj and Binksy go head-to-head on a prediction for the final game before Baldy gives us an update on the U19 World Cup. Only the one episode from us this week, but we'll be back again in a week's time to circle the cricketing world once 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 chipping away at populating this channel. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Ajaz Patel, Mike Hussey, Shane Bond, Katey Martin, Jarrod Kimber, Jacob Oram 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 Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 60 to 56 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). There's plenty of debate around the table as Baldy and Raj go into bat for an Australian captain, before Binksy threatens to pack up his mic and go home. Lippy sneaks in references to Chris Martin, Mark Richardson and Shane Bond, we talk too much talent, 'that grip' and the most runs in a calendar year, plus share more tales about the joys of watching West Indian fast bowlers from the 1980s. Are any of this group ranked too low? Or are they lucky to be here? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media - or give us some praise if you think we've got things spot on! 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. Our next This Week in Cricket show will look back at the Super Smash and BBL finals and the women's Ashes, but if you can't wait for that, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Daniel Beswick from Emerging Cricket, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fantastic characters from around the world. 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. We've also made a few of our episodes available on YouTube - we're chipping away at populating this channel. 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 60-56 in the following order. 60 - AB de Villiers 59 - Graeme Smith 58 - Joel Garner 57 - Pat Cummins 56 - Mohammad Yousuf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's episode we begin by taking a look at both the BBL and the Super Smash as those competitions head into the playoff rounds. Baldy is upset about a snub for Glenn Maxwell, there's confusion about Steve Smith and Lippy thinks the Wellington Blaze are unbeatable, but that anything could happen on the men's side of the draw. We also speculate about the prospect of a Women's World Cup without fans, and whether the rain will stop in Australia so that the women's Ashes players can take the field. As the show continues, we talk about whether it's time for India to panic after South Africa's 3-0 win in the ODI series, which followed their impressive showing in the Tests, and Raj highlights the impact that players like Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen are having on the Proteas. And then to round out our world tour, there's a stopover in the West Indies, where Binksy gives us the lowdown on the first two T20 matches with England. We'll be back in your feed later this week with the next instalment of our Hall of Fame series, 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 chipping away at populating this channel. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Tim Southee, Joe Scuderi, Jeetan Patel, Katey Martin, Jarrod Kimber, Dion Nash and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And check out the earlier episodes from our Hall of Fame series, in which we countdown the 100 greatest Men's Test cricketers of all time. 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 was one-way traffic in the men's Ashes this summer, but there was still plenty to talk about as we looked back at the series in detail. Did England give themselves the best opportunity to succeed? Will any of their 'promising' batters ever become consistent at Test level? Did Mark Wood become Neil Wagner in disguise? How much longer will Chris Silverwood be coach and Joe Root be captain? And can Binksy's Blueprint for success save English cricket? As we shone the light on Australia, everything became much brighter: Will we one day be talking about Cameron Green as an all-time great? Why are there still question marks about Justin Langer's reappointment? Did the 4-0 scoreline flatter Australia? Will Scott Boland play more than 10 Tests? And how did we go with our bold predictions? We'll be back in your feed next week to discuss the cricketing week that was, 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 chipping away at populating this channel. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes - including our latest with rising star Rachin Ravindra. There are also conversations with history-maker Ajaz Patel, Mike Hussey, Graham Thorpe, Katey Martin, Bharat Sundaresan, Jacob Oram and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And check out our Hall of Fame series, in which we countdown the 100 greatest Men's Test cricketers of all time. 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 discuss the Black Caps postponed tour to Australia and what might have been had the tour gone ahead. We debate which players had their flights cancelled, whether Colin de Grandhomme's return to form in the Super Smash and Ford Trophy will be enough to return him to the international stage, and highlight two moments of absolute genius from Amelia Kerr. As the show continues, Baldy takes a look to the future by introducing us to a potential star at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, before we review South Africa's highly entertaining Test series victory over India. There were disputes, disrepute, retirements and, best of all, three quality matches. Who will succeed Virat Kohli as Indian Test captain? How worried should NZ be about this South African side? And how good is Keegan Petersen? We'll be back in your feed later this week for an in-depth look at The Ashes, 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 chipping away at populating this channel. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes - including our latest with rising star Rachin Ravindra. There are also conversations with history-maker Ajaz Patel, Mike Hussey, Graham Thorpe, Katey Martin, Bharat Sundaresan, Shane Bond and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And check out our Hall of Fame series, in which we countdown the 100 greatest Men's Test cricketers of all time. 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