The Top Order Cricket Podcast

Keen listeners of the show might be looking for our discussion about the evolution of T20 cricket, but two brilliant semi-finals had us buzzing with excitement so we decided to jump on the mics again for this extra episode to look back at these great games and then look forward to the big dance. Emotions were running high, but Binksy remained gracious in defeat in the face of Lippy's celebrations as we discussed the Black Caps' impressive victory against England, which had a few eerie similarities to that memorable World Cup final in 2019. We talk about the outstanding knocks from Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham, the impact of Devon Conway's injury and whether match-up cricket has gone too far. Later in the show, Baldy attempts to claim underdog status for all Australians, despite Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis powering them across the line against Pakistan. Raj wants to know why David Warner walked off the field despite being not out and we discover that the secret to winning at cricket is to not play cricket. Of course, we finish with predictions, but these have now become so meaningless that they've morphed into a strange game of reverse psychology - good luck trying to decipher that nonsense. In a few days' time, we'll be back again to re-live the glory and heartbreak of the final, but while you are waiting 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'd love to hear if you're enjoying the change to the format of our shows and the more regular releases. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Tim Southee, Niall O'Brien, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin, Daniel Brettig, 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

The T20 World Cup is the focus again this week with the semi-finalists now confirmed after New Zealand's win against Afghanistan booked them a date against England to compete for a place in the big dance. On the other side of the draw, the only unbeaten side left in the tournament, Pakistan, will face a resurgent David Warner and an Australian team who could well be hitting form at exactly the right time. Did the best four teams make the semi-finals? Can Australia and New Zealand upset the top seeds? Will the Black Caps make any changes? And will it be Babar Azam, Eoin Morgan, Aaron Finch or Kane Williamson holding the trophy aloft in just a few days' time? We'll be back again next week to re-live the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup and hopefully, with three runners in the race, at least one of us will be celebrating a famous victory. In the meantime, on Friday you'll see two more episodes drop into your podcast feed - our take on the evolution of T20 cricket as a format and what that means for the global game. A big topic and once we started talking we kept talking for a while, so the episode will release in two parts, both dropping on Friday afternoon New Zealand time. Please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show. We'd love to hear if you're enjoying the change to the format of our shows and the more regular releases. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Matt Henry, Niall O'Brien, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin, Daniel Brettig, 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

Baldy has birds on the mind during this edition of the Test Cricket Hall of Fame, as we count down from 70 to 66. There's pigeons, peacocks, ducks and geese, but best of all, there's a Kiwi. We discuss why Australia hasn't produced more great Test allrounders, as well as the evolution of the flipper and some brilliant batters from South Africa, Pakistan and England - including one who might be a lot higher on this list by the time they retire. 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 we've got things spot on! *SPOILER ALERT* This episode features players from 70-66 in the following order. 70 - Alan Davidson 69 - Clarrie Grimmett 68 - Hashim Amla 67 - Inzamam ul-Haq 66 - Joe Root 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 preview the semi-finals and final of the ICC T20 World Cup, but if you can't wait for that, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Daniel Beswick from Emerging Cricket, Jeetan Patel, Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin and many more fantastic characters. 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. 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 another case of World Cup fever this week and there's plenty to talk about, despite Pakistan and England having a jump on the field so far. We start the show by reflecting on an outstanding performance by the Black Caps against India, in a game so crucial that many described it as a World Cup quarter-final. Was Daryl Mitchell's promotion a happy accident? Ish Sodhi was man of the match, but did he bowl the most important spell of the game? Will Virat Kohli's final T20 World Cup as captain end in disappointment? And could Afghanistan still spoil New Zealand's party? As we continue our jaunt around the World Cup, we move to the two most impressive teams of the tournament so far: England and Pakistan. Should we already pencil these two teams into the final? Is anyone hitting the ball better than Jos Buttler at the moment? How about Asif Ali? Who will finish second in Group 1 behind England? Should Australia drop Steve Smith? And is it just a coincidence that teams batting second are winning the majority of the games? Plus Ben Stokes is heading to Australia for the Ashes (will Jofra Archer join him?), the IPL is expanding, Lippy's got a name to watch for the India v New Zealand Test series and Sophie Devine eats Super Overs for breakfast. We'll be back again next week to preview the business end of the T20 World Cup, but also look out for another episode of our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame on Friday - there's even a New Zealander in this one! 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'd love to hear if you're enjoying the change to the format of our shows and the more regular releases. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Katey Martin, Finn Allen, Daniel Beswick, Jarrod Kimber, Bharat Sundaresan, Mike Hussey, Graham Thorpe, Wasim Khan and many more. 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

There's some outrageous claims on this episode of the Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame as we explore the careers of five fantastic batters ranked from 75 to 71. Is it better to occupy the crease or score your runs quickly? Does a great player have to be a great leader? Is it a good idea to meet your heroes? And did Binksy really say that Baldy has ranked the best English batter of all time at #73? 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 call us out via email or on social media to share your views - or give us some praise if we've got things spot on! SPOILER ALERT This episode features players from 75-71 in the following order: 75 - Michael Clarke 74 - Geoffrey Boycott 73 - Kevin Pietersen 72 - Michael Hussey 71 - Virender Sehwag 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. Of course, our upcoming This Week in Cricket show will feature a heavy dose of the ICC T20 World Cup, but if you can't wait for that, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Daniel Beswick from Emerging Cricket, Jarrod Kimber, Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin and many more fantastic characters. 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. 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 T20 World Cup has reached the Super 12 stage and there's been some cracking games already. We start with a shout out to Namibia and Scotland for their superb efforts during the group stage, before reminding ourselves that we've pretty much got every prediction wrong so far in the tournament. That hasn't mattered a lick, though, because the cricket has been fascinating and there's a huge week ahead. England smashed the West Indies, Pakistan beat India by 10 wickets, Australia sneaked over the line against South Africa and Lippy's nervous about a massive week for the Black Caps that could define their success or otherwise at this World Cup. We hit on a few key questions for the remainder of the tournament: How will the pitches change the way the games are played? Will this be the World Cup of the likes of Babar Azam, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, rather than the out and out power hitters? Is being in the 'Group of Death' actually a good thing? And will any of our predictions come true? Plus there's a quick preview of the bidding process for the IPL teams (since recording, we've learned the teams will be based in Lucknow and Ahmedabad and sold for a LOT of money), the Old Trafford Test has become the Edgbaston Test and there's a quick round up of impressive Kiwis at the WBBL and during the first round of the Plunket Shield. Of course we'll be back again next week with more T20 World Cup coverage, but also look out for another episode of our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame in the coming days - this one got very spicy! 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'd love to hear if you're enjoying the change to the format of our shows and the more regular releases. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Katey Martin, Finn Allen, Niall O'Brien, Jarrod Kimber, Bharat Sundaresan, Mike Hussey, Graham Thorpe and many more. 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 Ashes are still six weeks away, but the boys, particularly Baldy and Binksy, couldn't resist taking a brief detour away from the T20 World Cup to discuss the lay of the land leading into a series that always provides plenty of talking points. Will the English players have to quarantine? What grounds will the games be played at? Which spots are up for grabs in the Australian line up? Are we enjoying the banter? And will Ben Stokes play a part? Keep an eye out for our T20 World Cup coverage 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. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Katey Martin, Finn Allen, Niall O'Brien, Jarrod Kimber, Bharat Sundaresan, Mike Hussey, Graham Thorpe and many more. 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

Katey Martin has represented the White Ferns nearly 200 times across an almost 18-year international career, including a rare Test match in 2003. We’ve heard her dulcet tones as part of the Spark Sport commentary team and through the stump mics, and she joined us last week from MIQ after the UK tour. In this candid chat, Katey took us into the White Ferns camp to discuss events both on and off the field over the past few months - first looking back to evaluate the England series and then looking ahead to the upcoming ODI World Cup in New Zealand in March/April 2022. We talked goals and expectations, the growth of the women's game, riding in a cricket-ball-shaped bus, dial-up internet, what it's like to be sledged by Alyssa Healy and plenty more in this conversation with one of the game's great characters. 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. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our recent guest episodes, which include the likes of Niall O'Brien, Jarrod Kimber, Bharat Sundaresan, Mike Hussey, Tim Southee, Frankie Mackay and many more. There's also plenty of T20 World Cup content for you, with our preview of the event and a conversation with Daniel Beswick from Emerging Cricket. 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

Eighteen months ago it was hard to imagine we'd have the final of the IPL and the opening games of a T20 World Cup within the same week, but in this new-normal world that's exactly what happened. We talk the excellent turnaround from CSK, led by Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni, who powered to victory via the bats of Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali, and an excellent campaign from the full squad. There's also plenty of love for KKR and their Kiwi contingent for the way they stormed into the final. Speaking of Faf du Plessis, we discuss his omission from the South African T20 World Cup squad, as well as Imran Tahir and Chris Morris, and debate whether the West Indies should have made an exception for Sunil Narine. As the T20 World Cup conversation continues, our Universe Boss correspondent provides a Chris Gayle update, before we discuss the opening day of the tournament, which saw hosts Oman defeat Papua New Guinea and Scotland upset Bangladesh. For more T20 World Cup coverage, check out our preview of the tournament, which focuses largely on the Super 12 stage, plus our episodes with Niall O'Brien and Daniel Beswick, which include content about the group stage. 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. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Jarrod Kimber, Bharat Sundaresan, Mike Hussey, Tim Southee and many more. In the coming days you'll also hear from Katey Martin of the White Ferns and Otago Sparks as she shares stories from the UK tour and her career. 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 World Cup time, which also means it's preview time! The show starts with an epic Baldwin explainer, before we each select a team to discuss in more detail (no prizes for guessing who we choose). With our biases out of the way, Raj poses four big questions to the group: Which player/s are you most excited to watch? Who is your dark horse team to lift the trophy? Which team will underwhelm? And who will make the semis, final and win it all? We focused largely on the Super 12 stage of the tournament and beyond, but for a rundown of the early stages, you can dip back into recent episodes with Daniel Beswick from Emerging Cricket and Niall O'Brien, commentator and former Ireland wicketkeeper/bat. Have we got it spot on? Or have we got it all wrong? Don't be shy to let us know on all our social media channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and please take the time to give us a like, subscribe and/or a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Jarrod Kimber, Bharat Sundaresan, Mike Hussey, Tim Southee, Niall O'Brien and many more. Next week you'll also hear from Katey Martin of the White Ferns and Otago Sparks as she shares stories from the UK tour and her career. 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

Niall O'Brien's international career spanned well past a decade, and included more than 100 ODIs, 30 T20Is and Ireland's first Test match in 2018. He's now a player agent and commentator working all around the world, and joined us from the UAE to discuss the upcoming Men's T20 World Cup and take a stroll down memory lane. We talk Ireland's chances and T20 opportunities on the biggest stage for sides in the first round of the group stage, before Niall takes us into his backyard and schoolground to re-live growing up in a cricket-mad family that's had a huge impact on the game in Ireland. We bounce around from Sydney grade cricket alongside the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee, to ICC World Cups and famous victories against Pakistan in 2007 and England in 2011 - including Niall's match-winning knock in the West Indies. Niall recounts phone calls from Mum telling him to be nicer on commentary to his baby brother Kevin, Trent Johnston's epic speech in 2007, keeping to Murali, being sledged by Warne, throwdowns in the carpark, whether it's ever okay to keep in short sleeves and the pride he has to have represented Ireland over such a long career. As you'd expect, it's a fun chat with plenty of laughs along the way. You can view the Breaking Boundaries documentary we referenced in the podcast via this link - it's an absolute cracker! Keep an eye on your feed over the coming days for our in-depth preview of the Men's T20 World Cup - we focused mainly on the Super 12 stage, but in the meantime scroll further back in our feed and have a listen to our recent conversation with Daniel Beswick from Emerging Cricket, who gave us the lowdown on the first stage of the tournament. 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. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Jarrod Kimber, Bharat Sundaresan, Mike Hussey, Tim Southee and many more. Next week you'll also hear from Katey Martin of the White Ferns and Otago Sparks as she shares stories from the UK tour and her career. 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 the same old Top Order, but a new episode structure, with more regular programming heading your way. And it all starts with an old favourite, This Week in Cricket, where we go around the cricketing world to discuss what's caught our eye. The Ashes are on (hopefully), and England have named a nearly full-strength squad, but does Joe Root have enough support to get a positive result? It's business time at the IPL and CSK are already through to the final after another quality knock from Ruturaj Gaikwad and some MS Dhoni magic. But there's no place for the star-studded Mumbai Indians, who were pipped to the post by Lockie Ferguson and his Kolkata Knight Riders. The door to the Women's World Cup title creaked open a little when India broke Australia's ODI streak and then kicked on with strong performances throughout the rest of the tour. Keep your eyes on your feed in about a week's time for more on the Women's World Cup and the White Ferns tour of the UK, as Katey Martin joined the show to take us inside the camp. And the resignation of both Wasim Khan and Ian Watmore has us trying to join the dots, while there's also talk of New Zealand attempting to reschedule their cancelled tour to Pakistan. As mentioned earlier, we're changing things up at The Top Order, which hopefully means more content for you, the listener, but also more focused content so you can pick and choose what you are after. In addition to our This Week in Cricket shows, we'll have one more episode each week where we'll dive into a bigger topic - the first of those is an in-depth preview of the Men's T20 World Cup - and in many weeks we'll also have a third episode for you to enjoy, which will include our Hall of Fame series and special guests. 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. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. If you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Daniel Beswick from Emerging Cricket, Jarrod Kimber, Bharat Sundaresan, Mike Hussey, Tim Southee and many more. 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 Hall of Fame is back, and in this episode we discuss two spinners with very different styles, a pair of seamers that made life very uncomfortable for batters and one of the best sweepers the game has ever seen. Raj highlights a clash with The Don, Lippy makes the case for consistent spinners to get more respect, Binksy re-lives Headingley 1981 and Baldy hands out the first award at 'The Toppies'. 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 call us out via email or on social media to share your views - or give us some praise if we've got things spot on! SPOILER ALERT This episode features players from 80-76 in the following order: 80 - Bill O'Reilly 79 - Rangana Herath 78 - Makhaya Ntini 77 - Bob Willis 76 - Andy Flower 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. Of course, regular programming will continue. We'll be interspersing episodes revealing players with our This Week in Cricket shows and interviews as the IPL comes to a conclusion and we head towards the ICC T20 World Cup. And if you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Daniel Beswick from Emerging Cricket, Jarrod Kimber, Bharat Sundaresan and many more. 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. 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 said in one of our recent podcasts that it was a buzz to discover we’ve got listeners in places as diverse as Spain, Singapore, Nepal and El Salvador, and although the Test playing nations - sometimes a select few - tend to dominate the media, we wanted to shine a light on some of the other cricket going on around the world. To that end, we were joined by Daniel Beswick, one of the founding members of the Emerging Cricket platform, to discuss the the outlook for Associate Cricket sides in the current environment and the T20 World Cup qualifiers. Topics include: Is Associate Cricket on the rise? What are the biggest challenges? The value and importance of major tournaments, such as the upcoming T20 World Cup Opportunities for Associate players in franchise competitions such as the IPL and BBL Cricket at the Olympics What now for Afghanistan Cricket? Are the USA a potential sleeping giant? Players to watch and predictions for the T20 World Cup qualifiers And much more. If you haven't already, we recommend you check out the incredible coverage provided by Daniel and the rest of the team at Emerging Cricket, at their website, on Twitter or via the Emerging Cricket podcast. You'll also find links on their website to support the work they are doing, or find more information about contributing your own work. Of course, we also recommend you dip back into our back catalogue, you'll find our recent work on our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, plus interviews from all around the world, including the likes of Jarrod Kimber, Tim Southee, Bharat Sundaresan, Finn Allen, Shane Deitz, Mike Hussey and many more. For more information about all of our episodes, head to our website. From next week, we'll be changing up the format of our shows slightly - shorter, but more regular, episodes, which will hopefully allow us to provide more focused content - so keep your eyes on our podcast feed for more information Finally, 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're also slowly adding our interviews to our YouTube channel. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, or just to say hello, we'd love to hear from you at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's another instalment of the Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, and in this episode wicketkeeping and captaincy take centre stage. You'll hear Binksy more animated than ever before, while we discuss his cricketing hero in an attempt to split two great wicketkeepers (it's not even close, he tells us!). Raj is impressed by a whippy Australian, Baldy starts second-guessing himself and suggesting version 2.0 of the list is on the way, while Lippy uses two of the great West Indian leaders to make as many references to New Zealand cricket as possible. There's big bats, the art of wicketkeeping and Baldwin family memories as this labour of love continues. SPOILER ALERT This episode features players from 85-81 in the following order: 85 - Mark Boucher 84 - Ian Healy 83 - Ray Lindwall 82 - Frank Worrell 81 - Clive Lloyd 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 call us out via email or on social media to share your views - or give us some praise if 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. Of course, regular programming will continue. We'll be interspersing episodes revealing players with our This Week in Cricket shows and interviews as the IPL comes to a conclusion and we head towards the ICC T20 World Cup. And if you haven't already, dip back into our guest episodes, which include the likes of Jarrod Kimber, Tim Southee, Bharat Sundaresan, Finn Allen and many more. 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. 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 were planning to take a pause of our This Week in Cricket episodes to dive into our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, until the Black Caps tour of Pakistan was abandoned just hours before the first ODI was scheduled to begin. Then, the morning after we'd talked through our initial reactions to that news, more stories broke - the upcoming England Men's and Women's tours to Pakistan have also been cancelled, and reports of a scare related to the England v White Ferns ODI series - so Baldy and Binksy got together again to react to a situation that appears to still be evolving, as politics and sport collide once more. In the remainder of the show, you'll find a quick whip around other news, including: White Ferns v England ODIs so far; Virat Kohli stepping down from the captaincy of India's T20 side and RCB at the end of the ICC T20 World Cup and the IPL; Amazing catches and an evergreen Darren Stevens in the Vitality Blast; and Covid disruption to the New Zealand home summer schedule. If you haven't already, be sure to check out our Hall of Fame, both via our website and by listening to earlier episodes (we've introduced 100-86 so far, with 85-81 coming later this week). You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups and discussions about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with our rankings, and whether you have your own stories and memories to share about these legends. 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. 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 start by trying to make sense of the cancellation/forfeiture/postponement (??) of the 5th England v India Test. What was the result of the series? Does that matter? Was this all about the IPL? Is this current fixture list actually sustainable for the players? We also look back at what was an entertaining series to discuss the impressive contributions from Rohit Sharma and the confusing puzzle that is the English batting lineup. In the second part of the show we race through a number of topics to review the week that was: Australia look set to cancel their Test with Afghanistan Tom Latham and Ajaz Patel shine in Bangladesh White Ferns lose a nail-biter in the final T20 against England The IPL is back again The ins and outs of the T20 World Cup squads If you haven't already, be sure to check out our Hall of Fame, both via our website and by listening to earlier episodes (we've introduced 100-86 so far). You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups and discussions about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with our rankings, and whether you have your own stories and memories to share about these legends. 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. 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 New Zealand teams are back in action, there's drama in Pakistan and Shardul Thakur has become the world's greatest allrounder - it's been a busy week! We start the show by discussing the news that Pakistan coaches Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis have resigned from their roles only hours after the T20 World Cup squad was announced, before celebrating wins for both the White Ferns and the Black Caps over the past few days. There's Sophie Devine's milestone performance, Ajaz Patel shining in overseas conditions once again and we debate whether we can learn anything from the matches in Bangladesh. England v India takes centre stage after the swish as we try to make sense of a series that has seen public opinion fluctuate from 'Sack Virat Kohli' to 'India are the greatest team of all time' and 'England have found the answers to their problems' to 'England are terrible at Test cricket'. We also shine a light on outstanding performances from Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur and Chris Woakes, discuss whether Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson need a rest and make our predictions for the 5th and final Test. If you haven't already, be sure to check out our Hall of Fame, both via our website and by listening to earlier episodes (we've introduced 100-86 so far). You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups and discussions about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with our rankings, and whether you have your own stories and memories to share about these legends. 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. 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 Hall of Fame returns! We get the time machine out this week to discuss four of the best from the post-war era, plus an Aussie speedster from the 2000s who fans from other countries loved to hate. Binksy shares stories from English cricket folklore, Baldy brings the stats and talks up a hometown hero, there's a spinner for Lippy to rave about and Raj gets so excited his shirt comes off! SPOILER ALERT This episode features players from 90-86 in the following order: 90 - Denis Compton 89 - Neil Harvey 88 - Mitchell Johnson 87 - Alec Bedser 86 - Jim Laker 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 call us out via email or on social media to share your views - or give us some praise if 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. Of course, regular programming will continue. We'll be interspersing episodes revealing players with our This Week in Cricket shows (England v India, England v White Ferns & Bangladesh v Black Caps and more!). And if you haven't already, dip back into our recent guest episodes, which includes Jarrod Kimber taking us on a deep dive of New Zealand Cricket on and off the field, and evaluating the World Test Championship as a format, and Tim Southee talking about the pride the Black Caps felt after finally getting their hands on another ICC trophy. 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. 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 another jam-packed lockdown episode with plenty going on as we cast our eyes around the world to discuss the week that was and look ahead with excitement. Are we in a special era of fast bowling? Will Shaheen Shah Afridi become one of Pakistan's greats? Are highlights packages getting worse? What impact has The Hundred had on the women's game? How much fun are the commentators having at the CPL? Will the return of Suzie Bates be enough for the White Ferns to upset England? And how excited is Raj about the upcoming Black Caps v Bangladesh series? In the second half of the show, we turn our attention to the England v India series in an attempt to figure out why we got our predictions so wrong for the 3rd Test. Did Virat Kohli make the wrong decision to bat first? Has Jarvo got someone on the inside? Is the Indian batting line up just as fragile as the English one? Can Joe Root do it again? Will Ravichandran Ashwin finally get a game? And will any of us get our predictions right? If you haven't already, be sure to check out our Hall of Fame, both via our website and by listening to earlier episodes (we've introduced 100-91 so far). There's another episode on the way at the end of this week. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups and discussions about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with our rankings so far. 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. 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 back to lockdown here in New Zealand, but Raj returns as we gather on Zoom to review the cricketing week that was and the second Test between England and India. We start the show with another thrilling Test match, as Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales get the West Indies home against Pakistan. There's New Zealand news, with Shane Bond joining the Black Caps coaching staff for the T20 World Cup, and Molly Penfold getting a White Ferns call up. Adam Milne gets a shout out during some Hundred predictions that haven't aged well, and Baldy finally joins the conversation to weigh in on the Justin Langer saga and Australia's T20 World Cup squad. A downcast Binksy begins the England v India conversation as we look back at what became an impressive win for Virat Kohli's side. We talk bouncers, captaincy, Bumrah and Shami smashing it to all parts, Joe Root, the war of words, Jarvo, Mohammed Siraj, whether England dropping Dom Sibley and Zac Crawley will make any difference at all, and whether Lippy will get to see Ravi Ashwin bowl during the series. If you haven't already, be sure to check out our Hall of Fame, both via our website and by listening to earlier episodes (we've introduced 100-91 so far). You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups and discussions about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with our rankings so far. 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. 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're a man down on this episode, with Raj unavailable, but we soldier on to review the cricketing week that was. We start with a solo performance by Stu, as the Black Caps squads and New Zealand Cricket's plans for the rest of the year were announced on Tuesday morning - the day after our initial recording. He runs through the team lists and a few initial thoughts, particularly about the T20 World Cup side and the spin-heavy look, which includes the likes of Mark Chapman and Todd Astle (full team lists and info available here). Plus, of course, there's a shout out to Riccarton Cricket Club and their potential debutant Cole McConchie, and thoughts on the White Ferns tour to England. The podcast restarts proper with Baldy hitting the replay button as we discuss Australia's woes and whether there are any positives they can take from the T20 series loss against Bangladesh - or whether it even matters at all with so much cricket still to be played before the World Cup. We talk about scheduling challenges for The Hundred, and introduce a new segment - Media Watch - which this week highlights George Dobell's live blog of the first England v India Test. After the swish, we break down the Trent Bridge Test, in which a potentially fascinating Day 5 was washed away by the rain. Who came away with the points victory? Why didn't India play Ravi Ashwin and will we see him at all in this series? Will anyone other than Joe Root score runs for England? Will The Ashes be cancelled? Is Virat Kohli still good? And who will win the second Test at Lord's? If you haven't already, be sure to check out our Hall of Fame, both via our website and by listening to earlier episodes (we've introduced 100-91 so far). You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups and discussions about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with our rankings so far. 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. 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 doors to the Hall of Fame are open once more and players 95 to 91 enter The Club. It's a group of five that could send you down a YouTube rabbit hole for days - there's two of India's greatest leaders, a scary and skilful West Indian speedster, an English wicketkeeper who reminded Raj of his younger days and brought a smile to Binksy's face, plus another classy batter who always went to another level against Australia. And, remarkably, there's still no sign of Martin Crowe. SPOILER ALERT This episode features players from 95-91 in the following order: 95 - Kapil Dev 94 - Alan Knott 93 - Andy Roberts 92 - MS Dhoni 91 - VVS Laxman Are any of this group ranked too low? Or are they lucky to be here? As always, the four of us don't agree about everything, and we'd love to hear what you think. Don't hesitate to continue the conversation by calling us out via email or on social media to share your views - or give us some praise if 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. Of course, regular programming will continue. We'll be interspersing episodes revealing players with our This Week in Cricket shows (next up, a review of the first England v India Test and everything else going on this week) and guest appearances. And if you haven't already, dip back into our recent episodes, which includes Jarrod Kimber taking us on a deep dive of New Zealand Cricket on and off the field, and evaluating the World Test Championship as a format, and Tim Southee talking about the pride the Black Caps felt after finally getting their hands on another ICC trophy. 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. 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 doors to the Hall of Fame are finally open, and in this episode Baldy walks three Englishmen, a West Indian and an Aussie past Nathan Lyon, Mark Waugh and Shakib al Hasan - our benchmark players who remain stuck in the foyer. We put six minutes on the clock as Baldy makes the case for each inductee, then talk longevity vs peak performance, wicketkeeping, legacies and whether it matters or not if people like you. Lippy finds a way to bring up a famous Black Caps win despite there not being a New Zealander in sight and Binksy apologises profusely to Baldy's family as we put these rankings under the microscope. As expected, there's plenty of debate and often we don't agree, so don't hesitate to continue the conversation by calling us out via email or on social media to share your views - or give us some praise if we've got things spot on! We'd love to hear what you think. SPOILER ALERT This episode features players from 100-96 in the following order: 100 - David Warner 99 - Graham Gooch 98 - Ian Bishop 97 - David Gower 96 - Alec Stewart 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. Of course, regular programming will continue. We'll be interspersing episodes revealing players (95-91 will be next) with our This Week in Cricket shows and guest appearances. And if you haven't already, dip back into our recent episodes, which includes Jarrod Kimber taking us on a deep dive of New Zealand Cricket on and off the field, and evaluating the World Test Championship as a format, and Tim Southee talking about the pride the Black Caps felt after finally getting their hands on another ICC trophy. 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. If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the show we talk about the start of The Hundred, try to figure out what's real and what's not from the West Indies v Australia matches and look ahead to an intriguing Test series between England and India. We start by discussing The Hundred as Lippy attempts to understand why the competition appears to be so divisive, realise that cricket is still cricket and cricket is fun to watch, but what's going on with those graphics?! Then we take another opportunity to quiz Baldy about what's going on with this Australian white-ball side. Are they good? Or not? Have they completely mismanaged their selections and plan for the year? Or not? Or is it way too early to tell? And why can the West Indies score more runs in 20 overs than they can in 50? Raj has the answer, which may have something to do with the Universe Boss Chris Gayle. We round out the episode by looking ahead to what we hope will be a fascinating Test series between England and India. How excited are the spinners among us about watching Ravi Ashwin for five Tests? How many runs will Joe Root need to score for England to have a chance? How will Ollie Robinson fit into England's bowling attack? There's Broad and Anderson v Kohli, Sharma, Pant and co, and optimistic Binksy makes an appearance during prediction time. If you enjoyed our latest episode - the introduction to our Top Order Podcast Test Cricket Hall of Fame, keep an eye out for the next instalment - where we introduce players 100-96 and debate their inclusion. It's not far away. If you haven't listened yet, there's plenty of time to catch up, but we suggest you do so as these episodes will become a regular feature as we countdown from 100-1. You can also find extensive write ups about the Hall of Fame on our recently revamped website. You can also dip back into our recent interviews - Jarrod Kimber takes us on a deep dive of New Zealand Cricket on and off the field, and evaluates the World Test Championship as a format and Tim Southee talked about the pride the Black Caps felt after finally getting their hands on another ICC trophy. As always, we love hearing from our listeners, 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. It really helps others find the show.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 here! We've been teasing this for a while, and Baldy's been putting in hours and hours of work behind the scenes to get us ready to begin. Now here it is: the Top Order Podcast Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame. In this episode, Baldy sets the parameters for discussion: What makes a great player? What are the criteria for selection? Stats or the eye test? Longevity or peak performance? Does winning matter? Is it possible to compare eras? Lippy then hijacks the notable omissions conversation to ask Baldy why a Black Caps legend hasn't made the cut, before we chat through players 103-101 (Shakib Al-Hasan, Nathan Lyon and Mark Waugh) who currently sit just outside the Hall and thus provide the benchmarks for selection. 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 hope is this list will generate plenty of debate, both on the podcast and on our social channels, so don't hesitate to continue the conversation by calling us out if you disagree - or give us some praise if we've got things spot on! Of course, regular programming will continue. We'll be interspersing episodes revealing players (100-96 will be next) with our This Week in Cricket shows and guest appearances. And if you haven't already, dip back into our recent episodes - Jarrod Kimber takes us on a deep dive of New Zealand Cricket on and off the field, and evaluates the World Test Championship as a format; Tim Southee talked about the pride the Black Caps felt after finally getting their hands on another ICC trophy; and Iain O'Brien was incredibly candid sharing stories from his career and his philosophy on life and cricket as he moves into a coaching gig with Cricket Wellington. 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. It really helps others find the show. 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 hat-trick of quality guests, normal service resumes as we discuss recent events across the cricketing world. We talk about the raft of Black Caps performing on the English county circuit, including Glenn Phillips, Finn Allen, Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne, and the prospect of huge competition for spots as New Zealand builds towards the T20 World Cup. Baldy really enjoys it as he's questioned about Australia's performances against the West Indies: Are they any closer to knowing their best XI in T20 cricket? Should Mitchell Marsh be in that lineup? Are there problems behind the scenes? And we heap praise on the West Indies who, even after their recent series losses to South Africa, look an incredibly united cricket side that are so fun to watch and so dangerous in the white-ball formats, with a batting lineup featuring the likes of Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard, plus the emergence of bowlers like Obed McCoy and Hayden Walsh. After a swish, it's England's turn to receive our praise, with their incredible limited-overs depth demonstrated by series wins against Sri Lanka, followed by Pakistan with a complete team swap in between. Binksy explains why it's easier to make the step up to international cricket in ODIs and T20s than it is in Test match cricket, and why we should all have posters of Joe Root on our wall. Raj takes us through Sri Lanka's off-field struggles and Lippy asks: Will they even qualify for the 2023 World Cup? If you haven't already, dip back into our recent episodes - Jarrod Kimber takes us on a deep dive of New Zealand Cricket on and off the field, and evaluates the World Test Championship as a format; Tim Southee talked about the pride the Black Caps felt after finally getting their hands on another ICC trophy; and Iain O'Brien was incredibly candid sharing stories from his career and his philosophy on life and cricket as he moves into a coaching gig with Cricket Wellington. Coming up, you'll be introduced to Baldy's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, in a series of podcasts and written material that's bound to ruffle a few feathers and generate plenty of debate. As always, we love hearing from our listeners, 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. It really helps others find the show.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 speak with one of the best in the business. Jarrod Kimber has written for Wisden, Cricinfo and many many more cricket sites and publications around the world. He’s authored books, worked as a commentator, an analyst and made an award-winning film (Death of a Gentleman). We've been admirers of his work for a while and were particularly taken with all the New Zealand content he's produced lately, so we invited him on the show to talk about the Black Caps journey from mediocrity to World Test Champions. After some P Diddy chat and a bit about Jarrod's own cricket fandom, we talk about the many factors behind New Zealand's growth as a cricket side in recent times, which sees them hold top spot in both Tests and ODIs after beating Virat Kohli's India in the WTC final. We discuss what makes Kyle Jamieson so special, why Neil Wagner takes wickets even though everyone knows exactly what he's trying to do, the role of analysts at the international level and where New Zealand sits compared with the Big Three of India, England and Australia. To finish the show, we pan out to take a wider look at the World Test Championship, ICC tournaments, associate nations and franchise cricket to examine how they can all co-exist and what the best version of a cricket calendar might look like. There's even a lawn-mowing metaphor! For more great content from Jarrod, we highly recommend you check out his YouTube channel, or his podcasts Red Inker and Double Century. There's plenty in there for cricket lovers from all around the world. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of banter, plus timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world, including recent chats with Tim Southee and a wonderfully candid Iain O'Brien. 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. It really helps others find the show. 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

Tim Southee, Blackcaps seamer and recent member of New Zealand's elite 300 Test wicket club, joins the show to re-live the glory of the World Test Championship Final and the tour to England. We talk celebrations, the mace's journey home, what it means to win an ICC tournament after coming so close in 2015 and 2019, and the growth of this Blackcaps side during Tim's impressive career. Tim insightfully leads us through the key moments of the win against India. From searching 'Southampton weather' countless times, to the Test's first hour, Kyle Jamieson winning the battle with Virat Kohli, the drop and dismissal of Rishabh Pant and nerves in the dressing room as Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor steered New Zealand to victory. To finish the show, we look ahead to the next 6 months for the Blackcaps and give Tim a huge shout out for auctioning a match-worn shirt to raise funds for Holly Beattie. Outstanding work, Tim. Keep your eyes on our feed and our social channels in the coming days. We've got another great interview on the way early next week as we continue to bask in the glory of New Zealand's World Test Championship win. In that episode, we're joined by cricket writer and content producer extraordinaire Jarrod Kimber. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of banter, plus timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show. 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

Iain O'Brien's career is one that has taken many turns along the way. From forcing his way into the New Zealand side, to being dropped after two games, and then battling back to become a fixture in the lineup before retiring for family reasons when he was arguably at the top of his game. In this candid chat, Iain shares his excitement about the return to Cricket Wellington in a coaching role and his passion for passing on knowledge to help others achieve their potential both as people and as cricketers. We hear about his early international experiences for the Black Caps against an outstanding Australian side (including being Alpha-d by Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne), representing NZ at indoor cricket, bowling into the wind at the Basin Reserve, wicket celebrations, opening up about mental health, the loneliness of touring life, testing yourself against the best, being Neil Wagner 0.5 and plenty more in this wide-ranging chat about Iain's playing days and life in general. If you enjoyed listening to Iain, you can check out his own YouTube channel, where you'll find fascinating chats with a wide range of people from all around the world. And of course keep an eye on our feed in the coming weeks. We've got more great interviews on the way as we bask in the glory of New Zealand's World Test Championship win. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of banter, plus timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show. 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

You beauty! Absolute scenes at Top Order HQ as New Zealand defeats India to become the inaugural winners of the World Test Championship. Is this New Zealand Cricket's greatest moment? Is this the best Black Caps team ever? Is Kyle Jamieson the best bowler of all-time? Or is that actually Neil Wagner? What were India doing in their second innings? And how nervous were we as NZ edged towards the finish line? Plus there's chat about Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, BJ Watling and Devon Conway, as we run through the key figures and moments of a fascinating final that spanned six days and went right down to the wire. Dropped catches, absolute stunners, lower-order runs, great shots, reckless shots and crucial spells, it's all there for you to re-live and enjoy. World Champs! In case you missed it on our social media feeds, we're now taking orders for Top Order Podcast merch. Take a look, and let us know if you'd like to get in on our first shipment. And don't worry, this first WTC cycle is complete, but there's plenty more content on the way - our chat with former Black Cap and new Wellington Cricket bowling coach Iain O'Brien will drop next week. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world, such as Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry and Graham Thorpe, just to name a few.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. It really helps others find the show.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 World Test Championship Final on the horizon this week, it's a feature-length episode as we break down New Zealand's historic Test series win against England and look forward to the big dance. We start the show with South Africa's crushing victory over the West Indies and Shakib al Hasan's tantrum, but it isn't long before Raj and Lippy are praising the Black Caps and celebrating NZ's first Test series win in England since 1999. There's a detour from the Black Caps squad to discuss England's batting woes, wonder who decided it was a good idea to give James Bracey the keeping gloves and ask if the ECB are disrespecting Test cricket. Spoiler alert: Binksy comes off the long run - shorter Ashes series, anyone? After we wrap up the England series, our attention turns to the World Test Championship Final. Who will New Zealand pick? Who would we pick? And can they beat this formidable Indian line up, featuring the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Ravi Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah? We're also delighted to be joined by DJ from the Edges and Sledges podcast to help us look at the game from an Indian perspective. Is this the best ever Indian Test side? How much would a World Test Championship victory mean to Indian fans? Which spots in the XI are up for grabs? And who will win? We also featured on Edges and Sledges this week - they do some great work so we thoroughly recommend you check out their feed if you haven't already. The YouTube link to our appearance is available here. Keep an eye out on our social media feeds as we get excited about and react to the World Test Championship final. We also previewed the final with the team at Gully Cricket to Bouncy Wicket, so give them a follow, too. And if interviews are your thing, a chat with former Black Cap and new Wellington Cricket bowling coach Iain O'Brien will drop after we wrap up the WTC final. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world, such as Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Matt Henry and Graham Thorpe, just to name a few.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. It really helps others find the show.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

Test match cricket is back and we break down all the highlights and lowlights from the Black Caps v England Test at Lord's. Devon Conway's incredible debut Tim Southee's 6-for Ross Taylor's form A hundred from Rory Burns Ollie Robinson's debut - on and off the field Should England have tried to chase down NZ's target on the final day? Changes for the second Test? And before that, we quickly cover the ICC's tournament schedule, which sees the continuation of the World Test Championship, the return of the Champions Trophy and expansion of the men's Cricket World Cup (14 teams) and T20 World Cup (20 teams), plus Raj takes us through the contract disputes in Sri Lanka - something that seems to be an ongoing theme in many nations around the world. Keep an eye out on our social media feeds in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final and cover New Zealand's tour to England. We previewed that final with the team at Gully Cricket to Bouncy Wicket (@gcbwpodcast) and have another crossover episode coming soon with more podcast friends from around the world. And if interviews are your thing, a chat with former Black Cap and new Wellington Cricket bowling coach Iain O'Brien will be the next to drop. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Lippy and Baldy chat with former Black Caps captain Ken Rutherford. From struggling in his international debut against one of the all-time great West Indian Test sides, through to captaining New Zealand, Ken Rutherford had a fascinating international career. We talk about that tough debut in 1984-85, scoring 300 in two sessions on a tour to England and the highs and lows of the 1992 World Cup. Lippy gets his full cricket nerd on with some 1993-94 World Series questions, Ken tells us about his acting skills and we hear about his experiences in South Africa, Ireland and the racing industry after his time with the Black Caps. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final and cover New Zealand's tour to England. We'll have crossover episodes with podcasts from around the world, and there's more interviews on the way - a chat with former Black Cap and new Wellington Cricket bowling coach Iain O'Brien will be the next to drop. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've been busy recording interviews over the past couple of weeks, but we couldn't resist some banter about the week that was. A reserve day has been added to the World Test Championship Final, the BCCI has set dates and locations for the completion of IPL 2021 and the Black Caps inter-squad match is in the books. We also chat through the unfortunate injury to Ben Foakes and what that's likely to mean for the England side to face New Zealand, plus take a look at the upcoming fixtures between South Africa and the West Indies. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final. We'll have crossover episodes with podcasts from around the world, and there's more interviews on the way as well, with chats with former Black Caps Ken Rutherford and Iain O'Brien to drop soon. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show.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 boys are back together again to round up the cricketing week that was. There's high praise for BJ Watling after he announces he'll retire after the World Test Championship Final, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips get Black Caps contracts and we debate where that leaves Ajaz Patel's prospects on the international stage. Baldy takes us through an Australian summer schedule dominated by the men's and women's Ashes, the evergreen Darren Stevens and Sandpaper Gate get shout-outs, and should we start making bats from bamboo? We finish the show with an extended chat about the upcoming England v New Zealand Tests. Can the Black Caps find a spot for a spinner? Who will slot in at 7? Can England's batters secure themselves an Ashes spot? Will anyone make their Test debut? And, of course, who will win the series? Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final. We'll have crossover episodes with podcasts from around the world, and there's more interviews on the way as well, with Ken Rutherford the next in line. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show.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 bonus episode of the show we're joined by Black Caps and Canterbury seamer Matt Henry. We talk ICC rankings, the Black Caps environment and what it's like to bowl with the Dukes ball, before Matt talks about the excitement of another final and the chance to make history in this first edition of the World Test Championship. Matt runs us through the logistics of the upcoming tour, the recent training camps, the planning that goes on behind the scenes and his personal ambitions for the next few months. And we couldn't resist the opportunity to re-live two of our favourite ODIs in recent memory - the 2015 and 2019 World Cup semi-finals against South Africa and India. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final. We'll have crossover episodes with podcasts from around the world, and there's more interviews on the way as well. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show.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 ended our previous episode predicting the IPL would continue on - how wrong we were. Less than 24 hours after the episode was recorded, more positive cases emerged and the tournament was officially postponed.Despite the lack of cricket on the field, there's still plenty to talk about. India has named their 20-strong squad for the upcoming tour to the UK, which includes the World Test Championship Final and 5 Tests against England.The West Indies have announced their contract list for the upcoming season, which saw players like Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner rewarded for their impressive debuts, and we finish the show by announcing an exciting project that Baldy has been working on that will soon see the light of day. It's going to provoke plenty of debate, and a conversation that we're really excited to start. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final. You'll soon see an interview with Black Caps seamer Matt Henry pop into the feed, plus there's more interviews on the way and some crossover episodes with podcasts from around the world. If you're a new listener to the show, check out our back catalogue. There's plenty more great interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show.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 before our recording started, the news broke that Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier from the Kolkata Knight Riders have tested positive for Covid-19. We speculate on the implications for the rest of the tournament and what might happen over the next few days. It's back to cricket after that, with the Black Caps in camp, Heinrich Malan added to the coaching staff and bowlers bowling with the Dukes ball. We start to get excited about the upcoming England and World Test Championship tour: Ross Taylor's picked up an injury but Will Young's scored 100 opening the batting for Durham. Before we move to the on-field events at the IPL, we quickly touch on cricket at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and the new board to govern Cricket South Africa. In the second part of the show, we chat through Kane Williamson replacing David Warner as captain at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Virat Kohli's RCB hitting a speed bump, the Mumbai Indians and Kieron Pollard rolling into form and whether the top 4 of CSK, Delhi, Mumbai and RCB should already be pencilled in as we pass the halfway point of the season. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we continue our coverage of the IPL, plus all the NZ news as we build towards the World Test Championship final. If you're a new listener to the podcast, also check out our back catalogue. There's plenty more great interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world, including recent chats with Peter Fulton and Georgia Wareham.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. It really helps others find the show.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're one third of the way through the IPL, and unfortunately the cricketing headlines are being overshadowed by the tragic Covid-19 situation in India. We do our best to provide some distraction, touching on all 8 teams as we discuss what's caught our eye in the first 20 games of the tournament. Before the IPL chat, Baldy runs us through more turmoil in South African cricket and an 8-year ban for Heath Streak, while Binksy joins spin corner to update us on the early rounds of the County Championship and the form of Dom Bess and Matt Parkinson's 'Ball of This Century'. As the IPL chat begins, we work our way from the bottom of the table Kolkata Knight Riders through to a CSK side flying high and fresh off a win and a 37-run over from Ravindra Jadeja. We ask whether Andre Russell needs a promotion, wonder when Mumbai's finishers will find form and hit the panic button for a couple of teams, even after Lippy said it was too early to hit the panic button. There's praise for Moeen Ali and Glenn Maxwell in their new sides, we make the case for 'the craftsmen', Lippy tries to reference as many Black Caps as possible and the mulligans come out as we take another crack at predicting the playoff sides. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we continue our coverage of the IPL, plus all the NZ news as we build towards the World Test Championship final. If you're a new listener to the podcast, also check out our back catalogue. There's plenty more great interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world, including recent chats with Peter Fulton and Georgia Wareham.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. It really helps others find the show.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Top Order Podcast, we're joined by Canterbury coach and legend of the province, Peter Fulton. We start the show by looking back at what's been an incredible season for both the men and the women in red and black - securing a remarkable 4 out of the 5 domestic titles. We discuss Will Williams' confidence levels, Cam Fletcher's touch rugby struggles, Ken McClure's match-winning innings in the Ford Trophy final and why Peter stepped away from the Black Caps environment to take on his current role with Canterbury. As the chat continues, we take a trip down memory lane to remember the 2007 Chappell-Hadlee series, Peter's back-to-back Test hundreds against England at Eden Park, the ups and downs of his international career, his 11 first-class wickets and much more. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for our coverage of the IPL, plus all the NZ news as we build towards the World Test Championship final. If you're a new listener to the podcast, also check out our back catalogue. There's plenty more great interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show.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

During the record-breaking Australian women's side's tour to New Zealand to take on the White Ferns, Baldy was lucky enough to catch up with star leg-spinner and World Cup winner Georgia Wareham. They talked world records, the art of leg-spin bowling, the strength of the domestic competition at home, Georgia's pathway to the Australian national side at such a young age and winning the World Cup in front of 80,000 fans. If you're a new listener to the podcast, check out our back catalogue. There's plenty more great interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Top Order Podcast we take a look back at the New Zealand summer of cricket. It's been almost all red and black on the domestic circuit, with Canterbury winning 4 out of the 5 trophies on offer across the men's and women's competitions. We highlight key performers across the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy, Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and the Super Smash and discuss whether this could translate to the international stage for the likes of Will Williams, Cam Fletcher, Will O'Donnell, Brooke Halliday, Frankie Mackay and Lauren Down. We then turn our attention to the White Ferns, who've had a particularly tough summer against the world's best in England and Australia. We discuss whether wins and losses are the best way to evaluate the performances of this side, a challenging season for Sophie Devine and some bright lights among the gloom. The positive vibes are flowing when it comes to the Black Caps, though, who've won all 7 series this summer and seem to have strength and depth across the entire squad. We try to keep the Devon Conway chat to only 5 minutes, remember that Kane Williamson is fairly good at batting and predict what it all means for the upcoming World Test Championship Final and the T20 World Cup. We even have a crack at picking our 20-man squad for the England Test tour (we swear we recorded this before the team was announced!) - not a bad effort if we do say so ourselves. Look out for plenty more shows in the coming days. We've got interviews with Australian star leg-spinner Georgia Wareham and Canterbury coach Peter Fulton, plus IPL review shows as the tournament continues.If you enjoy what we're doing here at The Top Order, 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), plus a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider. It really helps others find us.And if you're a new listener, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected] or on any of our social channels - it's always great to hear from cricket fans from all over the world. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's podcasts a plenty this week at the Top Order and in this episode we round up everything that caught our eye around the cricketing world. We start the show by discussing whether Quinton de Kock's antics constitute fake fielding, before Baldy outlines just how astonishing this record-breaking Australian women's team actually are. Kraigg Brathwaite's sunglasses are still doing a good job, Washington Sundar's has a new dog, Covid concerns hover over the start of the IPL and we talk about a tweak to the DRS that has bowlers smiling. Look out for plenty more shows in the coming days, including a full review of the New Zealand home summer. And If you enjoy what we're doing here at The Top Order, 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), plus a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider. It really helps others find us.If you're a new listener, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected] or on any of our social channels - it's always great to hear from cricket fans from all over the world. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

IPL 14 is almost here and the boys are back to preview the tournament. In Part 2 of our preview, we run through the ins and outs, key players and predictions for the Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Are Mumbai the best T20 side in the world, franchise or international? Can the Royals win without Jofra Archer? Will Virat Kohli lead RCB to a title? Do the Sunrisers have enough firepower to challenge for the top spot? Tune in to find the answers, plus plenty more banter and bold calls as we look ahead to one of the biggest events on the cricketing calendar. Think you can take down the boys? Join our our IPL fantasy listener league at https://fantasy.iplt20.com/season/league/join/41ISPUJYKQ0107 Look out for plenty more shows in the coming days, including a round up of the cricketing week and a review of the New Zealand home summer. And If you enjoyed the show, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram), plus a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider. It really helps others find us. If you're new to the Top Order, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected] or on any of our social channels - it's always great to hear from listeners all over the world. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

IPL 14 is almost here and the boys are back to preview the tournament. In this episode we set the scene for the latest edition of the Indian Premier League, then run through the ins and outs, key players and predictions for the Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. Do CSK have too many all-rounders? Can Rishabh Pant's mastery lead Delhi to a title? KKR has an impressive list of overseas players, the likes of Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, but which four should be in their best XI? Will a new name lead to new fortunes for the Punjab Kings? Tune in to find the answers, plus plenty more banter and bold calls as we look ahead to one of the biggest events on the cricketing calendar. Look out for Part 2 of the preview show, which will be dropping into your feed in the coming days. And If you enjoyed the show, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram), plus a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider. It really helps others find us. If you're new to the Top Order, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected] or on any of our social channels - it's always great to hear from listeners all over the world. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, we span the globe to chat through the cricketing week that was. We start in India to discuss their excellent white-ball series against England. Did India keep a few tricks up their sleeve? Are the days of the big-daddy hundred over? Will Virat Kohli's move to open become permanent? And can we expect similar run-fests in the 2021 T20 and 2023 ODI World Cups? With all the talk of run-fests, we return to New Zealand shores to discuss how equipped this current Black Caps side is to chase down huge totals. We ask whether Devon Conway is a cybernetic organism with living tissue over metal endoskeleton, heap praise on Daryl Mitchell and ponder potential candidates for an extended T20 World Cup squad. We finish the show with the continued success of Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner, which has the West Indies on the improve, as well as the most important question of the evening: If you're not Chris Gayle, is it ever acceptable to wear sunglasses when you're batting? If you enjoyed the show, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider. It really helps others find us. And you're new to the Top Order, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected] or on any of our social channels - it's always great to hear from listeners all over the world. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Finn Allen has been the breakout star of the New Zealand summer, topping the Super Smash run charts and putting himself in the minds of selectors around the world. We spoke to Finn about the move from Auckland to Wellington, the Firebirds' culture, Super Smash finals day, being the best you can be and what it's like to bat with the likes of Devon Conway, Tom Blundell and Rachin Ravindra. From there, Finn's amazing summer continued with a call up to the Black Caps, a WhatsApp message from Mike Hesson asking him to join Royal Challengers Bangalore in this year's IPL and a Lancashire contract for the Vitality Blast. We talked through those incredible moments and how he's feeling about lining up alongside players like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell. If you're a new listener to the podcast, check out our back catalogue. There's plenty more great interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing 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. It really helps others find the show.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 busy week commentating for Auckland Cricket, the boys are back to round up all the news from around the cricketing world. We talk Rashid Khan's marathon spell, World Test Championship conspiracy theories and Finn Allen's IPL deal with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Raj starts a passionate debate about Jason Holder being replaced as West Indies Test captain, punctuated by a Dad joke of the highest order from Binksy. We look ahead to the Black Caps v Bangladesh ODI series and ask if India's embarrassment of riches in the white ball formats is presenting more challenges than benefits. If you enjoyed the show, one way you can support us is to check out http://manscaped.com/. As a listener of the show, you'll get 20% off + free shipping with the code: TOPORDER. Please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider. It really helps others find us. And you're new to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected] or on any of our social channels. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's plenty to talk about this week and we start the show with a bang, reliving Kieron Pollard's six sixes off an Akila Dananjaya over. South Africa named new captains, Cameron Green scored some runs and Canterbury added another trophy to their cabinet thanks to a hundred from Henry Nicholls and some big bombs from Ken McClure. After New Zealand sealed the T20 series against Australia with an impressive turnaround in Game 5 (17.45), we discuss Devon Conway's elevation to open, Aaron Finch's return to form, what both teams have learned and how they might line up at the T20 World Cup later this year. Binksy gets a chance to highlight more impressive English performances against the White Ferns (39.50), but when it comes to the men, Joe Root might be the only one to come out unscathed as we look back on the 4th Test between India and England (42.50). There's stats galore, Axar Patel is the greatest bowler to have played the game, Ravi Ashwin took 400 wickets in the series, Rishabh Pant gets a rap for his work behind the stumps and we look ahead to the World Test Championship Final at Lord's. If you enjoyed the show, one way you can support us is to check out http://manscaped.com/. As a listener of the show, you'll get 20% off + free shipping with the code: TOPORDER. Please also take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider. It really helps others find us. And you're new to the show, check out our back catalogue. You'll find plenty of timeless interviews with current players, legends, journalists and characters from all over the cricketing world.If you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected] or on any of our social channels. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices