The Unplayable Podcast

It's the last week before the Australian domestic season properly gets underway so Kane Richardson and Josh Schonafinger are on deck to chat through each of the men's states' chances in the Sheffield Shield. Richo also goes into some detail on what it means to have a stress fracture in the back after the news that 19-year-old Callum Vidler is suffering that fate this week. Plus TUP regular Louis Cameron is dialled in to give his five breakout players for the 2025-26 season. EPISODE INDEX0:30 - Weekly winner3:43 - What is a back stress fracture and why do fast bowlers get them?10:50 - Louis Cameron enters the chat26:02 - Men’s state previews39:00 - Josh plugs #KitWeek 40:25 - Australia A v India A (in India) 44:00 - ‘Hey Richo’ returns Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Burnett and Josh Schonafinger join host Louis Cameron in the slips cordon and desperately hope they won't drop Kevin Pietersen.The fifth and final Test of the 2005 Ashes series is the subject of the last episode of cricket.com.au's special podcast series commemorating 20 years since the epic 2005 Ashes.We all remember Shane Warne putting down KP - but do you recall the other crucial missed chance not long before? This, and plenty more, is discussed in the series finale.EPISODE INDEX:2.00 Cricket going mainstream in England thanks to its heroes Flintoff and KP5.50 Matthew Hayden learning to surf in a swimming pool ... in Essex9.00 Should Shane Watson (or Andrew Symonds) have played at The Oval?14.30 Australia's conservatism costs them again29.25 More Shane Warne brilliance, with the ball (and in Michael Clarke's hotel room)36.30 A tribute to Michael Atherton's hard-hitting questions39.30 The 'other' dropped catch that cost the Aussies49.40 Cricket's peak on free-to-air television in the UK53.57 Amazing Adelaide v not-so-amazing Oval55.00 Warne's dropped catch sours the greatest individual series by a losing player (sorry Jasprit Bumrah)1.00.00 In which warm congratulations are offered to Paul Collingwood for earning an MBE, and other things that peaked1.04.00 Not-ugly Aussies are immediately gracious (as are England)1.14.00 Getting sledged by Merlin, the spinning bowling machine, and whether the Queen imported one to Windsor Castle1.16.00 KP v Lee = Test cricket at its best ... plus an unusual insight into Pietersen's reaction to Trump's 2016 Presidential election victory1.24.50 The legacy of an all-time seriesDon't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A bonus episode this week with some big news coming through in both women's and men's cricket!EPISODE INDEX:0:30 - Australia's World Cup squad preview8:30 - Starc chats about calling time in T20IsDon't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of the Unplayable Podcast, Kane Richardson and Josh Schonafinger discuss Mitch Starc's stellar T20I career, Pat Cummins' inconvenient back complaint, the Big Bash's superstars, what Australia's ODI World Cup squad could look like and the grand idea for a Gold Coast Big Bash team. Pat Cummins gives an update on his backDon't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send in your 'Hey Richo' nomination and your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kane Richardson and Josh Schonafinger are back at their home ground in the studio to bring you this week's episode - and from the ODI series to the Hundred to the A series, there's plenty still happening in late August!No special guest this week but the lads cover off Belinda Clark, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Dewald Brevis (again!), Sianna Ginger (again!), Riley Meredith and plenty more.Check out Clark's record ODI score against Denmark by searching for Stories After Stumps on your podcast player, or by clicking through to his article.Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

England take the lead ... only just! Adam Burnett and Josh Schonafinger join host Louis Cameron recap what would be the decisive Test match of an epic series, the fourth 2005 Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.EPISODE INDEX2:00 - Series hits fever pitch3:30 - England’s array of sporting sex symbols7:00 - Australia’s mid-Tests trip to Scotland9:30 - Best batting combo: Warne and Lee or Starc and Cummins?16:50 - Wild Thing debuts18:30 - Who was Gary Pratt? 35:30 - To follow on or not, that is the question47:00 - Another chapter in the McGrath saga53:15 - Kat snaps at controversial call59:10 - Lou’s case for more MacGill game time1:13:40 - The origin of Jones’ head-slapping celebration1:20:00 - Ponting’s success … with the ball1:23:40 - The morality of reverse swing bowlingDon't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welsh Fire star import Chris Green is this week's guest on the Unplayable Podcast! Green has been dominating all winter for Lancashire and the Welsh Fire and will soon link up with the Barbados Royals in the CPL too. Before that, Kane Richardson and Josh Schonafinger chat all things ODI series and we get an update on Richo's return to cricket in the Northern Territory's Top End T20. EPISODE INDEX:0:40 - Weekly winner3:15 - ODI series chat 8:15 - What to expect in Mackay 13:00 - Chris Green interview, experience in the Hundred19:30 - Green’s captain Steve Smith23:20 - County Championship domination for Lancashire27:27 - Jimmy Anderson, the teammate 33:00 - What the CPL means to Green36:00 - Green’s international debut40:00 - What no state contract means 43:00 - Green’s Thunder season previewDon't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fresh off Australia's win in the T20 series against South Africa, Nathan Ellis sits down with Josh Schonafinger for an Unplayable Podcast bonus episode!Ellis is enjoying another outstanding year with the ball and is shaping up as a key player for the Aussies at next year's T20 World Cup. EPISODE INDEX:0:40 - Impending fatherhood3:30 - T20 series win 6:50 - Keys to being a good white-ball bowler8:35 - Bowling variations10:40 - That trademark slower ball14:00 - Hat-trick on debut memories15:20 - Hurricanes season preview19:55 - Sheffield Shield? 21:30 - IPL frustrations Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following Australia's two T20s against South Africa in Darwin, Unplayable Podcast hosts Kane Richardson and Josh Schonafinger catch up in the Northern Territory for this week's episode. On the agenda is Dewald Brevis, Tim David, Mitch Marsh, Kwena Maphaka, the Hundred, Australia A and of course, that crowd catch. Plus Richo's return to cricket for the NT Strike in the Top End T20!Get in your questions for 'Ask Richo' and let us know your Weekly Winners by emailing podcasts@cricket.com.au.Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Ramsey, The Australian newspaper’s cricket correspondent for the 2005 Ashes, knocks Louis Cameron's off stump out of the ground with a reverse-swinging seed on the 20th anniversary of the epic draw at Old Trafford.Yes, who could forget the sound of Michael Clarke's timber being shattered by a Simon Jones wonder-ball, Shane Warne's agony at narrowly missing out on a Test ton, or Ricky Ponting's match-saving hundred?But do you recall Ashley Giles' unplayable delivery to Damien Martyn? The supposed rift in the Aussie camp? The heroism of Errol Alcott? We look back at all this and more in our podcast series commemorating the greatest Ashes campaign of all time.Episode index: 2.52 How cricket became cool again in England11.28 Did Australia celebrate a draw too hard?30.00 Did Mike Gatting invent cryptocurrency? Plus Ashley Giles' forgotten seed 43.47 Worst and best takes58.06 Peak Simon Jones 1.03.00 Was Errol Alcott's Australia's MVP of this series?1.09.34 Australia's siege mentality after English press 'lies'1.18.01 The warning signs for AustraliaListen to our episode on the first Test (July 21) and second Test (August 4) by scrolling down in our podcast feed now.Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kane Richardson and Josh Schonafinger chat through the week’s cricket news including the thrilling finish between England and India.Also on the agenda is Australia’s men’s next assignment against South Africa in Darwin, before we cut to a chat with women’s cricket editor Laura Jolly to explain the women’s return to cricket and their build up to the ODI World Cup. EPISODE INDEX:2:30 - Woakes’ ‘legacy enhancer’ 5:00 - Australia v South Africa series preview10:05 - Australia A women’s series against India A with Laura Jolly20:30 - Richo likes the Hundred23:15 - Breakout contenders locked in28:00 - Richo’s return to work in Top End T2031:45 - Artificial Intelligence tries sledging Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Let us know your breakout contenders and 'Ask Richo' questions to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Ramsey, The Australian newspaper’s cricket correspondent for the 2005 Ashes, keeps both gloves on his bat to re-live one of the greatest Ashes Tests ever with host, Louis Cameron, on the 20th anniversary of the Edgbaston epic.It was a Test made famous by Glenn McGrath’s rolled ankle, Ricky Ponting’s fateful ‘we’ll have a bowl’, reverse swing, Andrew Flintoff brilliance, Shane Warne stepping on his stumps, Michael Kasprowicz’s last-ditch departure and an iconic photograph of sportsmanship.But we have delved even deeper, into John Buchanan’s fondness for a Worcestershire cake stall, an Ashley Giles sideshow, the Ponting-Warne dynamic, security concerns that gripped the Australian camp, and so much more.Episode index:2.00 What it was like to cover a 'surreal' Ashes tour7.00 When Clarke and Kasprowicz lost all their playing kit at Leicestershire11.15 John Buchanan perusing the Worcestershire cake stall12.50 Should Ponting have listened to Warne before the toss?17.40 The factors that led to McGrath's fateful ankle roll33.30 Giles fires back at the doubters after becoming a 'one-man sideshow' between Tests37.45 The Geraint Jones narrative arc39.20 The little-known story behind iconic Flintoff-Lee photo50.15 England's reverse-swing advantage1.02.15 Harmison's slower ball to Clarke, Flintoff's over of brilliance to Ponting1.24.30 The security concerns after Tube bombingsListen to our episode on the first Test, 'A false dawn at Lord's' (July 21) by scrolling down in our podcast feed now.Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After watching Australia blitz West Indies 5-0 in the T20 series, the Unplayable Podcast's Jack Paytner gives us a end-of-tour recap from the Caribbean. On the agenda is the Aussies' middle-order weapons Mitch Owen and Tim David, more opportunity for Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green's best series to date and plenty more, such as the latest on Australia's squad to face South Africa in August. With Kane Richardson away this week, Jack and Josh Schonafinger also lock in their five breakout players for the upcoming summer. EPISODE INDEX:1:10 - Weekly Winner4:19 - Wrap up from the West Indies15:19 - Australia’s squads to face South Africa 20:00 - Ben Stokes handshake saga25:20 - Breakout player nominationsDon't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Let us know your breakout contenders and 'Ask Richo' questions to podcasts@cricket.com.au or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Edgbaston Ashes Test of 2005 will forever live in cricketing folklore as one of the great finishes to a match and the player central to the climax was Australia fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz.The Queenslander joins Kane Richardson and Josh Schonafinger to recall that epic series, why he was told he "saved Test cricket", playing with Shane Warne and how that '05 contest is remembered.EPISODE INDEX:03:15 - Aussies start T20 series strongly10:20 - Return of the Champions League?15:30 - Runs and runs for Australia A20:05 - Kasprowicz interview begins32:00 - How Kaspa saved Test cricketDon't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Listen to the Ashes '05 Deep Dive by scrolling down in the Unplayable Podcast feed.Let us know your breakout contenders and 'Ask Richo' questions to podcasts@cricket.com.au (no spaces) or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Burnett and Josh Schonafinger join host Louis Cameron in the England dressing rooms to belt out ‘Underneath the Southern Cross’ after one too many Fosters. While they were down there, they also re-lived the first Test of the epic 2005 Ashes series, where Australian hubris surely peaked. Today, July 21, marks 20 years since the famous contest began, and this is the first edition of a five-part series where we walk you through the battle Test-by-Test. EPISODE INDEX:12.26 – England’s statement of intent with the ball that left Hayden, Langer and Ponting bloodied and bruised22:07 – Why Beverley from Bristol ensured this was the last Test series in England to see play begin at 10.30am instead of 11am26:35 – Glenn McGrath’s special 500-wicket shoes32:48 – Justin Langer chiding England for treating Ashes like “war”36:30 – Selection table: Should Michael Clarke have been dropped and how close was Kevin Pietersen to not playing?1:04:30 – The legend of the Aussies singing the team song in the England sheds1:07:20 – The best and worst takes from this Test1:14:32 – Rudi Koertzen’s slow finger of death1:24:36 – Shane Warne laying the platform for an all-time tour and continue to live rent-free in England brainsDon't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au (no spaces) or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Power hitters Tim David and Mitch Owen join The Unplayable Podcast ahead of the T20 series against West Indies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the success of "Dod's Army" in Jamaica, is a four-pronged pace-attack an option for future Tests? And who is putting their hand up for a spot at next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka?Kane Richardson and Josh Schonafinger chat through the week's cricket news in the latest TUP weekly. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Get in your questions for 'Ask Richo' and let us know your Weekly Winners by emailing podcasts@cricket.com.au. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thrilling. Scintillating. Mesmerising. The potential superlatives for that Australian bowling performance go on and on.From Mitch Starc’s 400th Test wicket and record five-wicket haul, to Scott Boland’s centimetre-perfect hat-trick, day three in Kingston was one big highlight for the visitors. Jack Paynter was there at Sabina Park and joins Josh Schonafinger to recap the West Indies’ lowest-ever Test score.  Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au (no spaces) or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scott Boland started things off and Alzarri Joseph finished day two in style - another fantastic day for the fast bowlers as the Frank Worrell Trophy rapidly approaches its conclusion. Australia hold a valuable 181-run lead but another wobbly top-order performance raises more question marks ahead of the Ashes summer.Cameron Green was superb with the bat and to look at his innings and much more, Jack Paynter at Sabina Park joins Josh Schonafinger to discuss the day.  Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au (no spaces) or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eleven wickets for the day, eight in the final session! This series has been Test cricket on fast forward and day one in Kingston was no exception! Jack Paynter is at Sabina Park and joins Josh Schonafinger to break down Steve Smith’s clock complaint, Kevlon Anderson’s tough initiation and Mitch Starc’s signature dish. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple and on Spotify and on YouTube.Send your show feedback to podcasts@cricket.com.au (no spaces) or by using this contact form here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.