Stumped

On this week's Stumped, Jim Maxwell and Alex Hartley are at The Oval where the ICC World Test Championship Final is taking place between Australia and India. They are joined by Charu Sharma and reflect on a dominant batting display from Australia including an unbeaten 146 from Travis Head. They also debate the decision made by India to drop Ravichandran Ashwin and whether it was the right one. The...

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma reflect on arguably the greatest Indian Premier League final ever and ask whether MS Dhoni should retire now after winning his fifth title with Chennai Super Kings? The final spanned three days after heavy rain on Sunday meant the final was held on Monday which was the reserve day. It finished at 1:35 on Tuesday morning. Plus after Alison Mitchell’s tr...

On this week's Stumped we are joined by one of the fastest bowlers in the women's game, Shabnim Ismail who has just retired from international cricket. South Africa made it to the 2023 World Cup Final at home in Cape Town but were narrowly beaten by Australia. In a revealing interview Ismail says that if players like Lizelle Lee, Mignon Du Preez, Trisha Chetty and Dane Van Niekerk were playing in...

Jim Maxwell catches up with Marcus Harris, who has been named in Australia’s squads for the World Test Championship final against India and the upcoming men’s Ashes series in England. Harris discusses competing with David Warner and Usman Khawaja for an opportunity to open the batting, explains why Steve Smith’s stint in the County Championship is of benefit to England just as much as it is to Aus...

Following crunch talks in the United Arab Emirates, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Najam Sethi tells Alison Mitchell that there is still hope of holding the Asia Cup in Pakistan. The location of the Asia Cup has been in doubt for some time. Pakistan are due to host the tournament in September, but last year the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Jay Shah said that...

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss the volume of short format cricket. While the Indian Premier League continues to flourish, there is speculation that the ECB could be about to axe The Hundred in the UK in favour of a more sustainable T20 competition. Cricket Australia have increased its salary cap in the Big Bash League to lure the top talent to the league, due to a number of...

It's been a rollercoaster of a journey for Ireland since securing Test status back in 2017. Ireland have lost all five Tests they have played but this week, made history by posting their highest Test score of 492 against Sri Lanka. Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta react to this achievement with Ireland's head coach Heinrich Malan. Following Mickey Arthur's appointment of Director of Cr...

Alison Mitchell, Brett Sprigg and Charu Sharma are joined by Lawrence Booth, the editor of the Wisden Almanack. As the 160th edition is published he discusses the Wisden awards and how the book is still relevant in a digital age. Plus Sachin Tendulkar turns 50 this week. We hear from the man himself on his career highlight and the team share some of their stand-out memories of the Indian legend. H...

Charu Sharma, Brett Sprigg and Nikesh Rughani are joined by New Zealand umpire Kim Cotton. Kim became the first female on-field umpire to stand in a men’s international between two full-member nations. She tells us how this historic moment felt, her journey to becoming an umpire and how she is paving the way for the next generation. Plus, with the Indian Premier League in full swing, the team disc...

We hear from West Indies captain and WPL winner Hayley Matthews. She tells us that playing for her country is still her ‘number one priority’ and she speaks about the Fairbreak Invitational and the calibre of associate players in the competition. We discuss a landmark week in Australia where Cricket Australia have announced an increase in payments for all centrally contracted cricketers, with fema...

Please note: This programme contains discussions about mental health and references to suicide. For more support, go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1NGvFrTqWChr03LrYlw2Hkk/information-and-support-mental-health-self-harm On this week’s Stumped, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma speak with WPL winner and New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr. She tells us why she thinks Mumba...

On this week’s Stumped, our very own Charu Sharma flies out to Mumbai to visit some of the game’s biggest stars as the inaugural Women’s Premier League reaches its finale. First up is Australia captain Meg Lanning, who has just led the Delhi Capitals to the first ever WPL final. She tells us that the competition is “on another level” to anything else she’s experienced, and discusses her five-month...

We speak to Afghanistan women’s cricketer Firooza Afghan who fled the country following the takeover of the Taliban in 2021 and now resides in Melbourne, Australia. The 18-year-old, says the team have not yet received any support from the International Cricket Council and hopes that they will take action to enable them to represent Afghanistan from their base in Australia. After scoring his first...

The Women’s Premier League is finally underway. Sunil Gupta tells us what it is like in India, the stand out stars and the team discuss the tournament so far. Plus will the final Test match between India and Australia is underway. Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in attendance alongside India’s prime minister Narendra Modi who took part in a series of events before the Test. The team...

On this week’s episode of Stumped, Jim Maxwell tells us that he believes England would not enforce a follow-on against Australia in the Ashes. England became only the second national side ever to lose a Test match having enforced the follow-on, as New Zealand won by a single run in Wellington to draw the two-match series. Would they Brendon McCullum's side be as bold against their great rivals in...

India have retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy after thrashing Australia in the first two Tests of the series. Jim Maxwell tells Alison Mitchell where it all went wrong for the tourists, as their attempts to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy end in premature failure. Elsewhere in India, the chairman of their national selection committee has resigned following a sting operation by a local televisi...

In a momentous week in women’s cricket when the Women’s Premier League Auction took place Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss the big signings and the players that were unsold. Plus we are joined by Ben Gibson who is the Director of Financial Planning at UK based Wealth Management business Evelyn. He tells us how players should manage their newfound wealth. And we discuss where i...

On this week’s episode of Stumped, R Sridhar takes us into the heart of the India dressing room. The former fielding coach for the men’s national side worked alongside the likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Ravi Shastri between 2014 and 2021 and in his new book, ‘Coaching Beyond: My Days with the India Cricket Team’, he reveals details of conversations between the trio which have never previously...

India beat England by seven wickets in an exciting one-sided final held in South Africa to clinch their first world title. Could India winning the Under 19 World Cup be a landmark moment in the women's game? Alison Mitchell, Charu Sharma and Jim Maxwell all reflect on India's success. Kim Garth has played in two World Cups for Ireland but in 2020, she quit the country to pursue her dream of playin...

On this week’s episode of Stumped, Pakistan batsman Tayyab Tahir joins Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma to discuss his first call-up to the men’s national side, which he found out about when his name was read out on television. He impressed as a substitute in their One Day International series with New Zealand and is now gearing up for a debut stint in the Pakistan Super League with K...

On this week’s episode of Stumped, Shukri Conrad joins Eleanor Oldroyd, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta for his first interview since being appointed as the coach of South Africa men’s Test side. It’s been a disappointing period for the Proteas after heavy defeats in Australia and England, and Conrad admits that it’s not going to be easy to fix their issues. We discuss their batting frailties, whether...

Former Australia captain Belinda Clark joins Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma after a statue was unveiled of her at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the first of any female cricketer in the world. She gives her thoughts on the current state of the women’s game, including Meg Lanning’s return to the Australia side after a five month break, and the upcoming inaugural women’s edition of the In...

Alison Mitchell and Jim Maxwell are at the Sydney Cricket Ground as Australia take on South Africa in their third and final Test Match of the series. They are joined by Sunil Gupta and debate how cricket should tackle the problem of bad light and ask whether a pink ball should be used? Jim is also full of praise for Steve Smith who has now scored 30 Test centuries to surpass Sir Donald Bradman. Th...

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma take a look back at the best of Stumped in 2022. The show features an interview with former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist on his dear friend Shane Warne who died in March 2022. He shares his memories of playing alongside him and what made Warne such a special player and person. Plus we hear from the stand out star of the English Men's Test Su...

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma are joined by Adelaide Strikers Head Coach Jason Gillespie. His side created history by bowling out Sydney Thunder for just 15 runs in the Big Bash. He discusses the future of the BBL and the growth of T20 cricket around the world. He also tells us how he thinks England men will get on in next year's Ashes, pays tribute to his dear friend Shane Warne a...