ABC Cricket Podcast

The T20 World Cup is off and running and the theme is "nearly" wins for the minnows and lucky escapes for the big guns. Corbin and Ed run through the first six games that saw Nepal give England a scare, India rely on SKY to post a target and the Dutch squander a winning position against Pakistan. There's a look forward to Australia's opening match against Ireland on Wednesday too and whether Conno...

The T20 World Cup is about to begin, but Australia start without Cummins, Starc or Hazlewood, raising bigger questions about depth, ageing fast bowlers and long-term planning across formats. Corbin and Ed unpack the tournament schedule, Australia’s soft launch, and whether Cricket Australia has been clear enough about priorities in an era dominated by franchise leagues. They also debate World Cup...

Corbin and Ed unpack a major World Cup flashpoint after the Pakistan government announced it will not allow the national team to play India, prompting ICC warnings and raising serious questions about power, politics and the future structure of international cricket. The pair examine what the standoff could mean for global revenues, Test nations, and the balance of influence in the game as the tour...

Australia’s T20 World Cup warm-ups are underway, but how much should we actually read into the results? Corbin and Ed unpack the loss to Pakistan, Australia’s ongoing issues against spin, and what warm-up matches are really designed to reveal ahead of a major tournament. They dig into selection logic, role clarity, and the shrinking opportunities for fringe players as the World Cup squad takes sha...

The Perth Scorchers claim another Big Bash title and Corbin and Ed unpack what continues to set the competition’s most successful club apart. The final, the pitch in Perth, and the Scorchers’ tactical edge are all examined, alongside an honest assessment of the Sixers and their heavy reliance on Steve Smith. The discussion widens to the health of the BBL, including crowds, broadcast audiences, and...

We are edging to the conclusion of a cracking season of BBL at the very same time Cricket Australia is readying to generate investment in the league. Ed and Corbin look at what's defined the season from an on field point of view,  from standout performances and game flow to how the tournament has connected with fans at key moments. With the final in view, the focus is on what makes the BBL work wh...

The Big Bash League is moving toward its finals phase and Steve Smith is once again at the centre of the conversation. Corbin and Ed unpack how the BBL is shaping up, which teams are finding form at the right time, and where the key match-ups are likely to land as the tournament tightens. Steve Smith’s run of form sparks a broader discussion about selection, player power, and his place in Australi...

With the Ashes done and January cricket in full swing, Corbin and Ed turn their focus to the Big Bash and what this season. They assess crowd momentum, the impact of Test players returning straight into T20 cricket, and how teams are shaping up as finals approach. There’s a deep dive on emerging talent announcing themselves, veterans finding new life, and why form lines in this part of the summer...

Australia retain the Ashes with a 4–1 series win, but the margin tells only part of the story. Corbin Middlemas and Ed Cowan step back from the daily grind to assess how the series actually played out, from selection calls and tactical shifts to England’s evolving approach and the standards that ultimately separated the sides. They revisit the moments that shaped the series, the Tests that elevate...

Australia sealed the Ashes 4–1 with a composed five-wicket win on day five at the SCG, finishing the series in control when it mattered most. England’s resistance ended early, losing their final two wickets for 40 as Mitchell Starc completed a defining series with 31 wickets. Chasing 160, Australia had a few untidy moments but were never seriously threatened, with Alex Carey striking the winning r...

Jacob Bethell gave England something they have lacked for much of this series: belief. Arriving at the SCG without a first-class century to his name, the 22-year-old played an innings defined by control, patience, and authority, announcing himself on the Ashes stage and dragging England back into a contest that had been slipping away. Australia still hold the upper hand, but Beau Webster again und...

Travis Head set the tone early, igniting the match with another decisive hundred that lifted the tempo and left England exposed. Once Head departed, Steve Smith took over, delivering a century built on discipline, patience, and total control. It was vintage Smith, marked by patience, clarity, and an absolute refusal to take the bait, as Australia seized command of day three. Corbin and Ed then tur...

England had the chance to bat Australia out of the contest on a high-quality SCG wicket, but despite a superb 160 from Joe Root, they failed to fully capitalise, leaving the door open once again. Root’s innings was the class act of the day, controlled, chanceless, and warmly received by the SCG crowd. Yet from a position of dominance, England were dismissed for a total that felt light given the co...

England finished day one of the fifth Ashes Test firmly on top after play at the SCG was called off early, leaving a sense that both the cricket and the crowd were short-changed. After winning the toss and batting first, England reached 3 for 211 from just 45 overs, with Joe Root 72 not out and Harry Brook 78 not out building an unbroken stand that Australia struggled to break. The pair batted wit...

Usman Khawaja announces his retirement, Corbin and Ed reflect on a career that spanned eras, conditions, and expectations. They unpack his late-career peak, the scrutiny that followed him, and the comments that surfaced again around preparation, media pressure, and how players are judged as they age. Attention then turns to the SCG. The weather, the pitch narrative, and the recent run of shortened...

The two-day Boxing Day Test continues to spark a wider conversation about the state of Test cricket. Corbin Middlemas and Ed Cowan begin in Melbourne, unpacking the fallout at the MCG, Matt Page facing the media, and how a Test meant to anchor the summer instead triggered public unease, with one listener summing it up starkly as “the death of Test cricket.” The discussion then moves through the fi...

England finally broke their drought in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but the speed of the win caught everyone off guard. Corbin and Ed unpack a Boxing Day Test that raced from first ball to result in just two days, with Ed capturing the feeling around the ground simply: “It felt deflating.” England’s win was shaped by standout individual performances. Josh Tongue earned Player of the...

Australia batted twice on day one of the Boxing Day Test as chaos reigned at the MCG. Corbin and Ed unpack a day that moved too fast, exposed modern batting under pressure, and ended with Scott Boland improbably opening the batting before stumps. Test cricket, on fast-forward. ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analys...

The guys step back from the daily wrap to confront what the series result now unlocks. “We’ve now got lots of selection debates,” Cowan says, and few are bigger than Usman Khawaja’s role, Josh Inglis’ opportunity, and how much weight selectors place on decisions already made. With Pat Cummins set to rest, Steve Smith a likely return, and Nathan Lyon unavailable, the guys also dig into the spinner...

Australia sealed the Ashes in Adelaide by staying patient long enough for England to defeat themselves. For a moment on day five, with wickets in hand and runs still on the board, the chase felt alive. But Australia never panicked and, as Ed Cowan explains, every time England edged towards belief, they handed momentum straight back. England played their best cricket when they showed restraint, and...

Australia tightened their grip on the third Ashes Test on day four, leaving England 228 runs away with just four wickets in hand as the match heads into a decisive final day. With special guest Stuart Clark joining Corbin Middlemas, the mood was one of inevitability. As Corbin put it, “the shorthand of the day is that Australia are on the cusp of victory.” Nathan Lyon was central to that squeeze,...

Day three in Adelaide belonged to Travis Head. A century soaked in pressure, nerves at 99, a dropped chance, and another moment added to the legend at his home ground. Australia’s lead has blown past 350, England are running out of answers, and Ed is ready to call the series. Corbin and Ed unpack Head’s dominance, England’s quiet retreat from Bazball, Stokes carrying too much, and the selection qu...

Australia ground England into the dust in brutal 40-degree heat, building relentless pressure and leaving them hanging on. Corbin Middlemas and Ed Cowan highlight Alex Carey’s five catches, sparking a broader question about England’s approach and whether, in Cowan’s words, “they’re as skilful as they think they are.” They work through individual performances in England’s attack, from Jofra Archer’...

Australia hold the early edge after Day One in Adelaide, finishing on a surface that, as Ed put it, “looked tennis-bally” and made scoring off the front foot hard work. Corbin and Ed break down the dismissals, uneven bowling, and why conditions are likely to ease as the Test unfolds. The guys talk Alex Carey’s century, the impact of Steve Smith’s late withdrawal, Usman Khawaja’s recall and 82, and...

England arrive in Adelaide facing a must-win Test, but the odds are stacked. Australia have lost just once in their last 11 Tests, and only one team in the 149-year history of Test cricket has ever come back from 2–0 down. Brendon McCullum backs continuity, rejecting “knee-jerk” selection calls. Bashir and Tongue remain in the frame, with Ed noting Bashir could be “more effective on day one in Ade...