The Analyst Inside Cricket

Shubman Gill's sublime century is the cornerstone of India's 310-5 on the first day at Edgbaston after Ben Stokes put India in. Simon Hughes and Simon Mann assess a lively first day with England lifted by the boisterous Birmingham crowd to keep India in. check but the second new ball will be key in the morning. This podcast is supported by Betfair. Note you must be 18 or over to bet and please gam...

In another episode of The Analyst Rewind, looking back at a great moment in cricket history, Simon Hughes talks to the author Richard Whitehead, whose new book on England's 1954/55 Ashes victory celebrates perhaps England's greatest Ashes triumph. It chronicles how Len Hutton's team came back from a disastrous first Test in Brisbane to win the series 3-1, only the second time in Ashes history that...

Wicketkeeper batter John Simpson took on the task of leading Sussex out of Division 2. Not only did he do that immediately in collaboration with coach Paul Farbrace, but now they are flying high in Division 1. and he is second top run-scorer. Simpson talks to Simon Hughes about his captaincy style, why he left Middlesex, how to manage the returning Jofra Archer and his unusual way of preparing for...

Sir Clive Lloyd, hero and captain of the West Indies team that won the first (men's) World Cup in 1975, is interviewed by Simon Hughes at Lord's, fifty years on from that fantastic final against Australia. For the video version of this podcast subscribe to The Cricverse at https://cricverse.substack.com/p/the-first-world-cup-winners?r=lo2wd or join The Analyst Plus at https://www.patreon.com/posts...

Led by the exceptional Ben Duckett, England pull off one of their greatest-ever run-chases in the first Test against India,at a venue famous for excitement. England, emboldened by a first wicket stand of 188, overhauled their target of 371 with time and wickets to spare. It was a victory all the more remarkable because India dominated the game for most of the first four days, but came unstuck by r...

The first Test of the Anderson/Tendulkar series is delicately balanced after four days - and that is the best description of the dominant innings of the day by KL Rahul. Perfectly executed, deliciously poised. The Simons assess a lively fourth day and examine the likely outcomes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

England draw level with India thanks mainly to a scintillating innings from Harry Brook, setting Headingley alight until squandering a deserved century on 99. Simon Hughes and Simon Mann reflect on a pulsating third day at Headingley which began with a poignant tribute to the life of David 'Syd' Lawrence, and continued with bat mostly dominating ball except when the brilliant Jasprit Bumrah has it...

A second day of wildly fluctuating fortunes at Headingley. with Rishabh Pant the star turn. India, set for 600, capitulate for 471. England survive early alarms, build a strong second wicket partnership with Duckett and Pope the lose late wickets. The match is in the balance. The Simon's report on a riveting second day and forecast a compelling third one. This podcast is supported by Betfair. The...

Simon Hughes and Simon Mann review the first day's play from Headingley, dominated by India's batters after Ben Stokes put the tourists in. Yashasvi Jaiswal's expertise is admired, Shubman Gill's poise applauded, Rishabh Pant's audacity marvelled at. The England attack looked mostly impotent. It doesn't bode well, but the pitch promises lots of runs. This podcast is supported by Betfair. The odds...

The first part of the Analyst podcast recorded infront of a live audience at the Square Club, Bristol in aid of Syd Lawrence and his MND fund. Featuring Simon Hughes, Simon Mann and Vic Marks reliving some of their scariest experiences on the field (some involving Syd!) and in the commentary box. Includes a preview of the England v India Tests, our predictions, and stories from Vic's new book on E...

Live from Lord's, Simon Hughes and Simon Mann celebrate South Africa's historic victory in the World Test Championship final, analyse how they achieved it in a compelling match and against the odds, and assess what it means both for the Rainbow Nation itself and for the vanquished Australians. To be part of our live podcast on June 18 in Bristol visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-analyst-ins...

Simon Hughes and Simon Mann review the first day of the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord's - the Home of Cricket - when fourteen wickets fell for little more than 250 runs. Australia predictably have the upper hand against South Africa's makeshift batting line-up after being bundled out themselves for 212. . England's T20 series whitewash of the West Indies is also assessed. Final reminde...

A deep dive into the mental side of cricket (and sport) with former Lancashire player Nathan Wood, son of Barry Wood, who has set up Cricket Mind to help players deal with the mental side of the game. We explore what stresses and strains modern players of all ages and abilities experience and how to establish coping mechanisms with Mindset Coaching. If you are someone who plays superbly in the net...

England batter the West Indies bowlers at The Oval to complete an emphatic 3-0 series win, as England successfully reboot their one day approach. Meanwhile Virat Kohli helps Royal Challengers Bangalore to a first ever IPL triumph in Ahmedabad. Simon Hughes and Simon Mann discuss. Also a reminder of our live podcast evening on 18 June in aid of Syd Lawrence's MND fund. Tickets here - https://www.ev...

A crazy weekend with one player playing two top class cricket matches on two different continents in the space of 24 hours, while one English club side win a match by 424 runs in half an afternoon. Simon Hughes and Simon Mann report on the madness of cricket and look at a slightly more sane weekend of county cricket action. Our live podcast in aid of Syd Lawrence is in Bristol on June 18. Please j...

England polish off brave and plucky Zimbabwe by an innings. Shoaib Bashir took six wickets and benefitted from a good workout but the real stars of the show were Ben Stokes potent bowling after a long lay off and Harry Brook's incredible slip catch. Simon Hughes and Simon Mann report and assess the strength of the just-announced India squad for the main fare in a month's time. For the last few tic...

Simon Mann and Simon Hughes report on the first day mismatch between England's eager batters and Zimbabwe's hapless bowlers as England's feast on a liberal diet of 'help-yourself' deliveries. For a match report read Derek Pringle at the Cricverse at https://open.substack.com/pub/cricverse/p/england-batters-fill-their-boots?r=lo2wd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true For ticket...

Following Ben Stokes declaration of an alcohol-free year so far, we discuss what is, and what is not, the best diet for a professional cricketer. Also why do Durham produce so many pace bowlers and other counties do not, which famous commentator prompted the old bouncer war between Middlesex and Leicester and who is the best overall cricketing package - Joe Root or Virat Kohli? To join our live po...

Simon Hughes and Simon Mann consider England's newly announced odi and T20 squads, the first under new captain Harry Brook, and assess their chances of rejuvenating an ailing brand. In the second half of the show we hear from Roland Butcher - the first black cricketer to play for England - about his life , richly detailed in his newly published autobiography Breaking Barriers. For tickets for our...

Virat Kohli today announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket. Simon Hughes and Indian commentator Deep Dasgupta discuss the significance of this decision - this is the man who is a global brand with over 300m social media followers - the amazing legacy Kohli has left behind and who will be the next Indian Test captain now that Rohit Sharma has also retired. Be part of our special live po...

Part 2 of our conversation with Jarrod Kimber, author of a new book The Art of Batting, counting down the fifty greatest Test batsmen of all time. Using scrupulous statistical analysis and exhaustive research, Kimber has identified some unexpected high rankers, and while Number 1 is no surprise, he has also eliminated some surprising stars for well explained reasons. Never before has such a meticu...

Simon Hughes and Simon Mann review the latest round of county championship matches which resulted in some nerve-tingling run chases. They also discuss England's squad for the Zimbabwe Test and hear from Australia's Jason Gillespie how Australia consistently win more cricket matches than any other country and why the idea of Sheffield Shield final would work for the County Championship. Details of...

Broadcaster, author and stats guru Jarrod Kimber joins the podcast to talk about his new book The Art Of Batting - a deep dive into what makes a great Test match run-maker and using sophisticated metrics to identify the best batters of all time. In this first part, we examine the difference between 'batting' and runmaking, the five phases of batsmanship through the ages, how players - eg Lara, Ric...

The 14 year old wunderkid Vaibhav Suryavanshi has just assaulted four international bowlers for a 35 ball hundred in the IPL: Its the second fastest IPL hundred of all time after Chris Gayle's 30 ball effort in 2013, and earned him the nickname Boss Baby. After trying to digest this astonishing performance, Simon Hughes and Simon Mann talk to Leicestershire's Ian Holland, the leading wicket-taker...

Simon Hughes and Simon Mann are joined by Daily Telegraph cricket writer and author Tim Wigmore to discuss the backstory, the current state and the future prosperity of the Test format as examined in Tim's new book Test Cricket: A History. The conversation ranges from the origins of the Test match idea, with just three countries involved, how it expanded, chronicling key matches, turning points an...