Back Garden Cricket Club

Andy Zaltzman joins the Back Garden Cricket Club Can you have too many cricket statistics? Does knowing more about the numbers actually make you understand less about the game? And is Bob Harris's obsession with recording back garden batting averages a sign of genius or something requiring professional attention? This week, comedian, News Quiz host and Test Match Special's resident statistical wizard Andy Zaltzman joins Jon "Siri" Briggs and "Whispering" Bob Harris for a wonderfully entertaining rummage through cricket's past, present and possible future. Andy reveals how a greenhouse may have shaped his entire batting career, why modern Test cricket risks losing some of its magic, what the scorebooks don't tell us about Joe Root, and why the game might benefit from a rather unexpected new rule. There's also the curious connection between fatherhood and batting averages, a radical idea for T20, and Bob's cats decide that three people talking about cricket is at two too many. And when Andy tackles our infamous 12 Bouncers, he leaves behind a new Law of Back Garden Cricket that could have the scorers tearing their hair out. It's a conversation that proves there's far more to cricket than the numbers. Although Andy probably has a statistic to contradict that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when you invite the guardian of cricket's history to account for everything he's left out? For more than 160 years, Wisden has chronicled the triumphs, tragedies, scandals and statistics of cricket. But has the most authoritative book in the game been ignoring the matches that taught us the most? This week, Jon "Siri" Briggs and "Whispering" Bob Harris welcome Wisden editor Lawrence Booth, a man whose words can make international headlines, whose judgments can shape reputations, and whose investigations have helped bring English cricket to its knees. From a cricketing scandal that made him a very powerful enemy to the uncomfortable truth about what the modern game may be sacrificing in pursuit of money, this is a fascinating glimpse behind the famous yellow cover. There are confessions, controversies, some gloriously eccentric childhood cricket, and a remarkable story involving one of the greatest batsmen who ever lived. But there's another matter to settle. Could the world's most meticulous cricketing publication ever think of incorporating Bob's original back garden scorebooks? And what happens when its editor is asked to abandon a century and a half of tradition and make up a law of his own? Words of Wisden. Some stories deserve to be preserved for posterity. Others probably shouldn't get past the lawyers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the backstreets of Accrington to the commentary boxes of the world, David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd has never been short of a story. Or an opinion. Or an unexpected musical interlude. This week, Bumble joins Whispering Bob Harris and Jon Siri Briggs for a gloriously unpredictable journey through cricket, childhood, rock ’n’ roll and the occasional broken window. Along the way, we discover the surprising origins of his nickname, why AC/DC might be more his style than the MCC, and how a shy Lancashire lad became one of cricket’s most unmistakable voices. And, of course, Bumble delivers another priceless addition to the Laws of Back Garden Cricket that Lord’s somehow overlooked. Expect laughter, nostalgia and absolutely no guarantee of staying on topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before the commentary box, the county wickets and the blue blazer, Charles “Daggers” Dagnall was a boy in Bolton determined to become Ian Botham. The back garden had other ideas. Daggers joins broadcasters Whispering Bob Harris and Jon voice of Siri Briggs for a gloriously wayward innings involving childhood cricket, questionable rock-star ambitions and a celebrity dressing room where the usual rules barely applied. What makes a cricket bat worth taking to bed? How did cricket broadcasters end up in spandex? And whose version of Bob’s encounter with Daggers in the nets should we believe? Along the way, a surprisingly personal conversation about knowing when to walk away — and finding another way to keep playing the game you love. If you have a law that you used in your games in the playground or back yard - please drop it into the comments and it may well make it's way into the BGCC rule book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when one of England's most elegant batsmen returns to the rather less elegant cricket of his childhood? Sir David Gower joins Voice of Siri - Jon Briggs and Radio Legend Whispering Bob Harris for a wonderfully entertaining journey from makeshift wickets to the Ashes, with a few unexpected detours along the way. There are old friendships, strong opinions, glorious memories and the occasional confession. And, naturally, another attempt to establish the laws of cricket that the MCC somehow forgot. If you have a law that you used in your games in the playground or back yard - please drop it into the comments and it may well make it's way into the BGCC rule book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices