The Final Word Cricket Podcast

Season 16, Episode 31: It's Adam's birthday, and another decade approaches. So too do the 2028 Olympic Games, with cricket's moment coming up. Will it be better received than Raygun? We are on the side of both. Also this week, the complexities of Graham Thorpe's life, Ben Stokes to miss the Sri Lanka series, more movement in the England squad, West Indies escape from South Africa, Ireland shock Sri Lanka, and England's counties talk paywalls. As an extra this week, Mohammad Isam checks in about the unresolved questions for Bangladesh cricket under the country's new administration. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Check out Westfield London and Stratford City. Download the app: westfield.com/united-kingdom/app Get the Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 17, Ep 20: After four straight losses, England's women aren't handling the trip to Australia well. What's going on with them? Meanwhile Australia's men head to everyone's dream destination, the UAE, on the way to Sri Lanka. In the meantime, Aus A and the CAXI are both taking on the England Lions, and Kurtis Patterson is catching a helicopter out of prison. The BCCI get Jetstar to consult on their player baggage policy, and there's a special anniversary of the Quiney Nine. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Women's Ashes Daily, 1st T20, Sydney: England talked up their chances in the 20-over segment of the tour, and Australia had a couple of big omissions with injury, so it was time for new players to do their thing. Phoebe Litchfield certainly did hers, Alana King came back for her first match in the format in nearly two years, and Sophia Dunkley returned to England colours with a blazing bat. A run-fest at the SCG. Isabelle Westbury joins Geoff Lemon. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, the third of our Sleuth Group episodes, with historian Pat Rodgers joining us at an empty Comedy Store in Sydney, recorded a few hours before our last live show of the national tour. Can't stop, won't stop. Back to the start of the Sheffield Shield, to the gradations of which cricket terminology means what, to a little-mentioned world record, and a listener's beloved player who dug in hard for little success. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 11.00 - Nick Ibis 85.00 - Amanjeet 11.30 - Nigel Browne 26.94 - Sanjay Nitran Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Women's Ashes Daily, 3rd ODI, Hobart: Ash Gardner has been a superstar for a while, but one thing has eluded her. A century for Australia. Not any longer, after her massive repair job when England made the early running. And let's throw in the best catch of her career. Bharat Sundaresan joins Geoff Lemon. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Greatest Season That Was - The Final Frontier – Colin Miller: During the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, The Greatest Season That Was pod focused its attention on the relationship between the cricketing giants over the decades, some 20 years from the staggering 2001 encounter in India. After the home side came back from the dead at Kolkata, it was all to play for in Chennai. Could Steve Waugh’s men now respond, or had the tide been irreversibly turned by VVS, Dravid and Harbhajan Singh? One call made by the visitors was to bring in a second spinner – a man they called Funky. Fresh from being named as Australia’s Test player of the year, the versatile veteran put in a fine performance in another thriller, which came ever so close to getting the job done. Adam Collins, Dan Brettig and Shannon Gill spoke with Colin Miller where he was living at the time, Las Vegas. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Women's Ashes Daily, 2nd ODI, Junction Oval, Melbourne: Endings don't come much more ridiculous than this. England bowl brilliantly, field well, falter with the bat but still have the chance to tie up the series on level points after two games. And then... that. What the hell just happened? Alex Malcolm from Cricinfo joins Geoff to try to break it down. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 17, Ep 19: For the first time in who knows how many years, we missed a weekly show amid the Sydney Test, live show, and travel. So there's a fortnight to catch up on, starting with the Women's Ashes commencement and structure, then into Australia's picks for the Sri Lanka Test tour and the Champions Trophy. Also this week, Shakib is still chucking it, the Big Bash hots up, Glenn Maxwell hits 10 sixes as you do, South Africa are late-night texting the Irish, a vintage shirt hunter finds his white whale, and we hear about the retirements of Tamim Iqbal and Marty Guptill. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Women's Ashes Daily, 1st ODI: One series ends, another begins, at Final Word Towers. The biggest bilateral series in the women's game is up and running in the multiformat structure that plays ODIs before T20s and a Test. At North Sydney Oval, England started off with some promise, but ended fighting Australia no more than they were fighting themselves. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Greatest Season That Was - The Final Frontier – Mike Kasprowicz: During the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, The Greatest Season That Was pod focused its attention on the relationship between the cricketing giants over the decades, some 20 years from the staggering 2001 encounter in India. Of all the moments in that riveting series, none live in the memory quite like the Kolkata Test, where Australia were bossing the hosts and enforced the follow-on. What happened goes down as one of cricket’s great partnerships, decisive in turning in the tide against Steve Waugh’s men. One of them was Mike Kasprowicz – a man who became his generation’s subcontinental specialist. He joined Adam Collins, Daniel Brettig and Shannon Gill to recall the Eden Gardens epic. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week gradually builds into one of our more absurd episodes, as we get sunburnt on the south bank of the Yarra River with Nerd Pledge Sleuth Group member Glenn Finkelde. Glenn brings the tale of one of first-class crickets most substantial and poignant anomalies, among some appropriate loops back to previous MCG high points, and the tale of an original anti-fascist agitator who was very much our kind of guy a century ago. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 2.22 - Tom Sloan 26.00 - Glenn Finkelde 2.00 - John Leather 19.19 - Michael Cooney Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Australia India Daily, 5th Test, Sydney review: A five-Test series comes to an end, as India and Australia extend their contest back to the size it once was in the 1970s. It was quite a ride, from the stunning opening day at Perth until the crash-bang finish in Sydney. Adam and Geoff run the rule over the series and think about the future for both teams. Come to the last show of our national tour! Sydney January 7 - with SIMON KATICH and GLENN MAXWELL Tickets at linktr.ee/thefinalword Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Australia India Daily, 5th Test, Sydney Day 3: After two series wins in Australia, the Indian team could not make it three in a row. Well, we already knew that before the fifth Test in Sydney, but they still could tied up the series and gone home with the trophy. By day three of the match, the pitch was getting even more spicy and the batting was anything but easy. It was down to who could wobble less in the closing stages, while the biggest story was the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Come to the last show of our national tour! Sydney January 7 - with SIMON KATICH and GLENN MAXWELL Tickets at linktr.ee/thefinalword Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Australia India Daily, 5th Test, Sydney Day 2: Goodness us, you can't look away from this match for long. If it wasn't 11 wickets on day one, it was 15 of them on day 2, along with a debut 50 from one camp and a near-national record for fastest 50 from the other. Sixes rained but bowlers reigned, as a fast and furious contest gets as tight as can be on the last bend. Come to the last show of our national tour! Sydney January 7 - with SIMON KATICH and GLENN MAXWELL Tickets at linktr.ee/thefinalword Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Australia India Daily, 5th Test, Sydney Day 1: There won't be one point of argument today, there will be about half a dozen. Steve Smith's low catch, or was it? Washington Sundar's glove, or was it? Sam Konstas managing to get Jasprit Bumrah angry, and was it a terrible idea? All that and more, plus Scott Boland is still the Australian nation's beloved, and the Rohit Sharma decision has been made. Come to the last show of our national tour! Sydney January 7 - with SIMON KATICH and GLENN MAXWELL Tickets at linktr.ee/thefinalword Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Australia India Daily, 5th Test, Sydney preview: Beau Webster has officially banged the door down for Test selection, confirmed as the man who will debut, at Mitch Marsh's expense, in this vital final BGT Test. As for India, the information from the coach Gautam Gambhir is that Rohit Sharma isn't certain to play. Make of that what you will. Adam Collins has Tom Decent with him, on co-hosting debut, to review a fascinating preview day at the SCG. Also, a recap of their night at the Prime Minister's residence with the teams, where Sam Konstas stole the show again. Come to the last show of our national tour! Sydney January 7 - with SIMON KATICH and GLENN MAXWELL Tickets at linktr.ee/thefinalword Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off the brilliant Maxi sunnies - the perfect Christmas gift t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 17, Ep 18: It's a Final Word tradition. At the end of each year, we sit down and look at the things that worked and the things that didn't, the things that hurt and the things that healed. Also this week, our farewell to colleague Greg Baum as he finishes up his full-time job at The Age, the Bulawayo bat-a-thon, Docklands is Death Valley again, the women's Ashes squads are released, and a few other bits besides. Happy New Year. Come to the last show of our national tour! Sydney January 7 - with SIMON KATICH and GLENN MAXWELL Tickets at linktr.ee/thefinalword Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Australia India Daily, 4th Test, Melbourne review: It's the question the Indian captain wasn't asked after the Melbourne classic: should he hand over to Jasprit Bumrah for India's must-win encounter at Sydney? Adam has Bharat Sundaresan with him to consider this, whether Australia will have to change their XI, and plenty more, on the final night of 2024. Come to the last show of our national tour! Sydney January 7 - with SIMON KATICH and GLENN MAXWELL Tickets at linktr.ee/thefinalword Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off the brilliant Maxi sunnies - the perfect Christmas gift t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Australia India Daily, 4th Test, Melbourne Day 5: When a Test match gets inside the last hour on Day 5 with mutliple results in play, you know you've had a good time. So did everybody who showed up to the MCG, an absurd crowd of 373,000 people across five days. What a finish it was, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant stepping up, Pat Cummins never giving up, Scott Boland doing his MCG work again, and Nathan Lyon nipping at their heels. A brilliant end to the fourth Test. Come to the last show of our national tour! Sydney January 7 - with SIMON KATICH and GLENN MAXWELL Tickets at linktr.ee/thefinalword Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off the brilliant Maxi sunnies - the perfect Christmas gift t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Australia India Daily, 4th Test, Melbourne Day 4: Every time we think that maybe Bumrah's moments can't keep coming, the next one arrives. The MCG was rocking and rolling on Day 4, as the Test match swung one way and then the other, with Australia's lead in real danger of being well short. Now we're set up for a perfect last day. Come to the last show of our national tour! Sydney January 7 - with SIMON KATICH and GLENN MAXWELL Tickets at linktr.ee/thefinalword Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday: cbussuper.com.au Get 10% off the brilliant Maxi sunnies - the perfect Christmas gift t20vision.com/FINALWORD Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices