A huge welcome back to the Bishop and Bear.

“As strange as it sounds, what I want to be doing right now is playing cricket. Sweating and getting tired at training sessions, the ball hitting my legs and body.

But I have a sniper’s rifle in my hands instead of a bat and a grenade instead of a ball”.

Those are the words of Ukraniain cricketer and now soldier defending his homeland from Russian invasion, Sasha Romanenko. His story, and others like him, is brilliantly told in the book “Getting Out – The Ukrainian Cricket Team’s Last Stand on the Front Lines of War”.

It’s author, Jonathan Campion is our guest in the Bishop and Bear today to discuss not just of how Ukraine’s cricketers helped the people around them to escape from Russia’s invasion (including first – hand accounts of the war), but also about the growth of cricket in the Ukraine to the cusp of ICC membership before Putin’s aggression.

Personal, harrowing yet heartwarming, your ursine landlord and episcopal barman strongly recommend it. You can find a link on where to buy it below.

Of course, we also take the opportunity to chat with Jonathan about the World T20, now at the Super 8 stage and we look at the two groups and ask “Can anyone stop another Australia vs India final”? Yes, is the answer, so listen in to see who we favour.

You can buy ‘Getting Out – the Ukranian Cricket Team’s Last Stand on the Front Lines of War’ at all reputable book stores, but here is one of them.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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