98 Not Out - The Cricket Podcast

Eddie Pillar was an aspiring young spin bowler, hitting the heady heights of Essex u14s!?!?! His love of cricket has never waned and in this very entertaining chat, he talks about following England around the world and shenanigans in his private box at Surrey CCC. Of course, he made his name in the music industry, forming the very successful Acid Jazz label and lists discovering Jamiroquai and The...

Rumours of plans for an extended version of "The Hundred" have been swirling around the cricketing world, so Huw Turbervill joins us to assess the impact any such proposals might have on the English counties and the knock-on effect to the T20 Blast and indeed women's cricket. Huw is editor of the excellent "The Cricketer" magazine and the December issue is out now! Please t...

Rahul Patil from SportsFreak has been out in India covering the ICC World Cup. Here he looks at the Final, where Australia went against the script and beat hosts and tournament favourites India. We discuss how the game unfolded and examine how the result came about. We also examine what was good and bad about the tournament as a whole and what could have been done better. Check out more from Rahul...

Chris Stocks has been out in India, covering the World Cup for "The Independent" newspaper. Here, we chat about the substandard planning, organisation and running of the tournament, with over-zealous stewarding and the feeling that it was all designed for the tv audience, rather than the spectators in the ground. We can't avoid talking about England's disastrous defence of their...

Don Topley is just back from India, where he has been following the World Cup. In this chat he talks about the sights and sounds of that country along with the food and what's it's like getting around. Pollution is a big problem and in some places the air is as bad as smoking 80 cigarettes a day!?!?! We also talk about England's performance; what happened? Was it poor preparation, the...

Lord Archer is at his irascible best as he returns to talk about his latest best-selling book "Traitor's Gate", the latest in the William Warwick series and just in time for Christmas! We also celebrate Somerset actually winning something - The T20 Blast - but it means little to Jeffrey, as he hankers after his side winning the County Championship, We also talk England and he also ha...

I spoke to eminent voices from the cricketing world to get their reaction to England's disastrous performances out in India at the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Paul Newman, Charles Dagnall, Mark Pougatch and Mark Butcher all vent their spleens.... Let me know what you think in the comments section below...

Essex fans give their thoughts on the announcement that Sir Alastair Cook has retired from all forms of cricket. It's quite emotional....

Cricket fans on Twitter/X will be well aware of David Griffin. His excellent @dgriffinpix account is a brilliant mix of reportage, nostalgia and the occasional dose of good old common sense. I caught up with him here to discuss life, the universe and everything and he certainly didn't disappoint. A real treat.

A catchup with Essex strike bowler Jamie Porter, who had a marvellous 2023 season, taking 57 first class wickets and was a key member of a side that went very close in both the County Championship and the T20 Blast. Does this season prove he is back to his best? He also reveals a love of snooker and I challenge him to a game in the close season!!!!

In this episode we focus on county cricket with Annie Chave, editor of "County Cricket Matters". In a season where the big guns didn't necessarily have it all their own way, thanks to the success of Somerset and Leicestershire in The Blast and One Day Cup respectively. Essex nearly made it a clean sweeper they ran Surrey close to winning the County Championship title. Annie champions...

Former County Championship winner with Essex, Don Topley looks back at the 2023 edition of The Hundred and assesses its progress and the impact - good or bad - it is having on the English domestic game. It's a highly controversial topic and Don doesn't hold back in his enthusiasm for the format. What do you think? Let us know in the comments...

Spencer Davis, committee member of the Essex branch of the Lord's Taverners chats about all the great work done by the Taverners helping young and underprivileged people in the area realise their potential through sporting opportunities. Details of their events and upcoming charity bar at Braxted Park can be found here: www.lordstaverners.org

Writer and commentator Rahul Patil joins us ahead of his trip to India to cover the upcoming cricket World Cup. He tells us of his journey, starting in Goa and ending up in Wellington, New Zealand via the Cook Islands, where he became manager of their national cricket team. As well as writing for publications in the Cook Islands and India, he also contributes to Sports Freak in New Zealand. Take a...

Composer, musician and author of "Hidden Man" John Altman joins us to remember the life of his great friend Sir Michael Parkinson, who sadly passed away yesterday (17th August 2023). John talks about his time working on the "Parkinson" tv show and the guests he encountered, such as Ingrid Bergman and also their shared love of jazz, cinema and of course cricket. Listen right to...

Recently spotted on the Australian cricket team's balcony during The Ashes this summer and also at the WTC Final, we grabbed Arfan Akram and asked him ho a boy from Wanstead has risen to such giddy heights! We also chatted about the fantastic work he does for community cricket in the Essex area, notably at the Leyton Hub and ask why is it that East London has produced such talented cricketers...

He may be much missed from our tv screens, but we love Bumble and he is now getting to be a regular fixture on the show. Here, we talk about the 2023 Ashes series; has it lived up to the hype? What have we learned from the first three Tests and Australia's 2-1 lead means the 4th Test at Old Trafford is now a must-win for England. Almost certainly it's Jimmy Anderson's last Ashes Test in front of h...

Cricket writer Ali Martin assesses England chances ahead of a vital 4th Test at Old Trafford, where they will be looking to draw level with Australia after success at Headingley. Will Moeen retain 3rd spot in the batting line up and will Jimmy Anderson be back in from of an adoring home crowd? More importantly, will the famous Manchester weather behave itself!?!?!

Essex League batters beware, the former South Africa strike bowler has landed at Chelmsford CC and is back in action! A great catch up with one of the greats of South African cricket and we chat about his fantastic days playing all formats of the game at international level, including his knack of getting the wicket of Brian Lara, but also how Chris Gayle seemed to pick him out for some hard-hitti...

This was recorded this afternoon (2nd June) with ZERO notice, I just got a text saying would I like to record a chat with the great man. One of my cricketing heroes, this was a complete honour and I admit to being a bag of nerves, but anyway here it is and I hope you enjoy it. Another massive name etched on the 98 Not Out honours board.... Daren.

Given he scored 98 not out in a Test match against Pakistan, we just had to get Geoff Miller on the show. We chat whoopie cushions, itching powder as well as slip catches and what it's like to walk through the Long Room at Lord's as an England player. Geoff is an ambassador for the Tom Bowdidge Foundation and will be speaking at an upcoming fundraiser lunch in the Long Room at Lord's a...

As the 2023 Ashes series approaches, David Gower recalls some rather painful memories of him captaining England back in 1989 in an Ashes where he was not only trying to outwit the Australians on the pitch but also battle against incredible events going on off the pitch. England were soundly beaten and as the urn headed Down Under, David explains to us how he ended up feeling "battered and bru...

As Ben Stokes is announced Wisden cricketer of the year for the third time in four years, Elizabeth Ammon - cricket writer for "The Times" - joins us to chat about what we have learned from the start of the county season and if it gives us any pointers for the upcoming Test summer. With an unusually condensed Ashes series, will an expected rotation of the England squad provide chances fo...

The English first class season is underway and with all matches from the opening round of the 2023 county championship complete, Don Topley joins us to review how each team got on. We also get an update on Reece Topley, who is now back in the UK after being unable to continue in the IPL after dislocating his shoulder.

Huw Turbervill, editor of "The Cricketer" magazine joins us to discuss the upcoming season and the brand new April edition of his publication, which contains two-page spreads on each county, a wall chart for you to plan your cricketing summer and a fascinating chat over lunch between David Gower and Moeen Ali. Make sure you get your copy, it's out now on all good news stands or head...