The Clean Take

Ben Stokes has retired from international cricket... or has he? Wizard and Fish unpack the conspiracy theory surrounding his exit, dissect England's disastrous Test series against New Zealand, and ask why Baz McCullum and Rob Key are still in charge. They also look back at Stokes' incredible legacy, debate Harry Brook's approach at the crease, and celebrate the England Women's team reaching anothe...

Back in the studio after an unbelievable week at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. We recap the media pass chaos — from ICC hospitality suites and getting inside the commentary box with Ian Bishop, to Fish nearly getting wiped out by security on the Edgbaston pitch and landing our first-ever player interview for the podcast with Sophie Molineux. Plus: is this the most overrated England generation? We...

We're live from Castleford Cricket Club with special guest Colson Smith and this one's got everything. Colson joined the committee at 15 years old, just in time to watch the club nearly fold. From relegation to a five-year rescue plan scribbled on the back of a Nando's menu, this is the story of how a local club rebuilt itself around three simple words: Cricket, Club, Community. It gets properly c...

This week on Clean Take, Fish races straight from a chaotic T20 to the podcast after battling Cheshire road closures, while the lads break down another rollercoaster week of club cricket. From back-to-back ducks and unorthodox scoop shots to a first-ever stumping off a seam bowler, controversial umpiring decisions, and England's latest Test match frustrations, there's plenty to discuss. If you enj...

The Clean Take Episode 10 Fish is back from Thailand (where, surprisingly, there was no cricket), while Wizard's form has somehow gone from bad to worse — just 1 run across his last 3 innings. This week, we break down Fish's return to action in a T20 that earned him both maximum fines and DOTD, react to the return of the Vitality Blast, and get stuck into the latest Virat Kohli drama after his awk...

Fish has had a haircut. Wizard has had a nightmare. 🏏Three games, three losses, 14 runs and that's not even the worst of it. A county cricketer tears Wizard's side apart, Fish's team nearly gets a win from the at the death, and a helicopter lands mid-over at a village ground. Yes, really. On the international side: England finally have a new selector in Marcus North and we've got thoughts. Plus B...

This week, Wizard & Fish are back from the first weekend of the season — match reports, wicket keeping nightmares, grown men begging for slip, and the art of convincing your missus you need to play a double header. Plus: Ben Duckett's form, the Ben Foakes bowling incident, and whether Ollie Robinson deserves an England recall. Got a scorecard, a chaos story, or a clip from your weekend? Send i...

The Clean Take Episode 7 The cricket season is here and we're already arguing about everything. This week on The Clean Take Podcast, Wizard and Fish get into Jacob Bethell's IPL situation (should he come home to Warwickshire?), Jude Bellingham joining Birmingham Phoenix (his PlayCricket stats are... not great), the age-old Hundred vs T20 Blast debate, and whether the new England kits are a genuine...

The season is back and The Clean Take is back with it. In Episode 6, Wizard and Fish return for the first episode of the 2025 season, and things kick off with a bang. Their two clubs went head-to-head on Saturday, and there's already drama — Wizard skipped the game for a trip to the Lakes, came back to a fine, and isn't entirely sorry about it. Fish, meanwhile, was being subbed off the gloves afte...

Welcome back to The Clean Take Podcast! In this episode, we’re embracing the chaos of village cricket as we rank some of the most outrageously “village” moments the game has to offer — from classic mishaps to the kind of scenes you only see on a Sunday afternoon. If you’ve played club cricket, you’ll definitely recognise a few of these… We also look ahead to the season with our personal targets —...

Welcome back to The Clean Take podcast! Today we’re diving straight into the latest cricket news, including the ongoing PSL scandal that’s been rocking the cricket world. With the County Championship season just getting underway, we chat about how these recent events are impacting the game and what it all means moving forward. We also get into the nitty-gritty of cricket rules, from the controvers...

Wiz and Fish dive into the major news of the Rob Key, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes are all staying on in their roles. They take on the ultimate challenge of picking their best England XI side of the last 30 years and break down their choices for which IPL teams to support this season, and discuss Ben Duckett's surprising decision to opt out of the tournament entirely. To wrap things up, they go...

Wiz and Fish dive into what’s being called one of the most controversial run-outs ever, from Pakistan’s clash with Bangladesh, and revisit some of cricket’s most debated moments. They also break down their picks for this year’s Hundred following the latest draft, and discuss the decision to leave out Liam Livingstone with Rob Key claiming he had “100 other things” on his mind. To wrap things up, t...

Welcome to the first ever episode of The Clean Take podcast with Fish and Wiz! In this episode we discuss the misery that was the Ashes down under and what it means for the future of coach Brendon McCullum. We look back on an entertaining T20 World Cup where India showed their class and prevailed to their 2nd T20 title in a row as well as the Hundred, our thoughts and who we hope our respective te...