The Final Word Cricket Podcast

Champions Trophy Day 8, England v Afghanistan, Lahore: For a third ICC tournament in a row, England are going home before the business end. It was a thriller in Lahore with many twists and turns, but the real story at the end of it all is Afghanistan - if they beat Australia they're into the semis. Danyal Rasool is at the ground, in discussion with Cameron Ponsonby. Support the show with a Nerd Pl...

Season 17, Ep 26: Back with the weekly show, with Adam back home, and there's always plenty to go through. Bharat's Australian Story episode went up, our show managed to win the podcast award from the Australian Sport Commission, and then it's into some ponderings about the future of the Australian team, Josh Inglis and his back story, some of the strange pronouncements from England's men and some...

Champions Trophy Day 7, Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi: No toss, no game - the rain won. But what does that mean for the two teams in the context of a rapid-fire group stage? Daniel Norcross and Andrew Fidel Fernando are there for us at the stadium to work through the numbers. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Get 20% off your cask of MacIness scotch whisky! ICC...

Champions Trophy Day 6, New Zealand v Bangladesh, Rawalpindi: The Black Caps are through to yet another ICC semi-final, easily accounting to Bangladesh in Rawalpindi with a Michael Bracewell 4fa and a Rachin Ravindra ton the best on show. Rather unexpectedly, Cam Ponsonby has Adam Collins with him, who he tells all about it. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Get 20% o...

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, we find ourselves revisiting the time when Bharat accidentally had to organise a reggae tour of India, which all began with one of the great Test finishes. Also, a distinctly Ceylonese theme through an exploration of circular mathematics, the Spanish coastline, and Perth driving lessons, before we follo...

Champions Trophy Day 5, India v Pakistan, Dubai: The most clinical of performances from India, who did as they always do in 50-over ICC tournaments: thrash Pakistan. And how fitting that it was Virat Kohli right in the thick of things, completing an extraordinary 51st ODI ton. At Dubai Sports City, we have Daniel Norcross with Andrew Fidel Fernando. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.c...

Champions Trophy Day 4, Australia v England, Lahore: Who would ever count Australia out in a major tournament, even after conceding a big score? It was a night to savour for Josh Inglis, the matchwinner in a beauty of a contest at Lahore. For it, we have Danyal Rasool at the ground joining Cam Ponsonby. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Get 20% off your cask of MacIne...

Champions Trophy Day 3, South Africa v Afghanistan, Karachi: South Africa had no form to speak of coming into this competition, but just as it has been in the last couple of major tournaments, they have stepped up right away against Afghanistan in Karachi. Daniel Norcross is at the National Stadium, joined by Cricinfo’s Danyal Rasool. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword...

Champions Trophy Day 2, India v Bangladesh, Dubai: When it's Bangladesh and India in a big tournament, the results have historically only gone one way. Towhid Hridoy at least made sure that for him it was a night to remember, with his first century in the red and green. But what was going on with Rohit Sharma's hands? Cameron Ponsonby is joined by Andrew Fidel Fernando. Support the show with a Ner...

Champions Trophy Day 1, Pakistan v NZ, Karachi: Pakistan waited 29 years to host an ICC tournament. Their fans will hope the next one is at least another 29 years away, after a performance that would depress even the most committed Pangloss. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Get 20% off your cask of MacIness scotch whisky! ICCWHISKYCRICKET20 is the code, email sales@m...

Season 17, Ep 25: We're recording at the lovely SCG before The Final Word's own night of nights, the Australian Sports Commission Awards, where we're up for Best Podcast. It would be weird if we were up for something else. In the meantime, Matt Kuhnemann is being sent off the University of Western Australia, Mitchell Starc joins his Big Three colleagues in missing out on the Champions Trophy, Indi...

Season 17 Episode 24: From the moment he walked through the gates as a teenager, Mike Gatting never left Lord’s. Mostly known as England Ashes-winning captain away from home in 1986/87, his CV at HQ is a hefty one as Middlesex legend and a past president of both MCC and our mates at Lord’s Taverners. So, it was only right that it was in the pavilion where he met with Adam to talk through a huge an...

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, we're back at last, after the longest ever hiatus on this particular program. Things got out of hand, but to make up for it, we're going back to the Roman Empire to examine Latin calendar structures. What does that have to do with cricket? You'll find out. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 4.70 - Jame...

The Greatest Season That Was - The Final Frontier – Mike Coward During the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, The Greatest Season That Was pod focused its attention on the relationship between the cricketing giants over the decades, some 20 years from the staggering 2001 encounter in India. To this point, episodes have looked back at that landmark series, and the decade that came...

Season 17, Ep 23: The Australian international summer is winding down, even with a major ICC tournament around the corner next week. A debrief on the Sri Lankan tour is our first order of business, noting that we did reach Murali's 800 in Galle after all. From there, the BazBall Death Cult has a certain ring to it, as does the idea of José Mourinho becoming cricket's Ted Lasso in the new privatise...

Sri Lanka Australia Daily, 2nd Test, Galle Day 4: It's taken 14 years for Australia to win a series in Sri Lanka and they've done so here in style, completing the sweep by nine wickets. The brief day included an important little moment for Marnus Labuschagne, there with red ink at the end. Adam and Bharat return to the roof for one final ep as we inch closer to 800 patreons! Support the show with...

Sri Lanka Australia Daily, 2nd Test, Galle Day 3: From a shattered thumb that threatened his tour to the series' leading wicket-taker, Matt Kuhnemann has been outstanding from the first over he bowled in Galle. His four wickets, plus Nathan Lyon's three and Beau Webster's cameo, have put Australia into a perfect position to wrap this up in straight sets. But they did have to overcome local resista...

Sri Lanka Australia Daily, 2nd Test, Galle Day 2: The scorecard won't suggest it, but the gamer was in balance just after lunch with Sri Lanka's spinners getting into groove. But then Carey, elevated to five, joined Steve Smith in the middle and they never left. Two superlative tons defined the day, putting Australia into another commanding position. Adam has Bharat with him on the roof, where the...

Sri Lanka Australia Daily, 2nd Test, Galle Day 1: When you need a job done in this part of the world, you know who to call: Mitch Starc and Nathan Lyon. The Australian veterans were both outstanding on a day where Sri Lanka also offered resistance at times on a pitch that is likely to send this Test into fast forward in the next day or two. Adam has Bharat with him and they're back on the roof wit...

Sri Lanka Australia Daily, 2nd Test, Galle Day 0: Is Cooper Connolly going to make it four debuts in four Tests for Australia's men? We've compiled enough circumstantial evidence to suggest so. Also, one of our all-time favourites in Final Word history, Franky D Karunaratne, has decided to make this 100th Test this week his final appearance for Sri Lanka. It's Adam and Bharat on the field of play...

Season 17, Ep 22: In news that will surprise no one, England and India don't like the World Test Championship structure because they haven't made the final. So Jay Shah and Richard Thompson of the ECB have tasked themselves with starting from scratch before their teams play five Tests against each other in June. Also this week, our view on the English wash-up from the WAshes, with renewal badly ne...

Sri Lanka Australia Daily, 1st Test, Galle Day 4: 5/9, 7/15, 15 wickets in two sessions. This all combined to Australia recording their fourth biggest win in Test history, which happened to be Sri Lanka's greatest shellacking. Adam and Bharat are at Galle to detail how it all happened and why Matt Kuhnemann's nine-wicket match has more wider significance than just this result. Support the show wit...

Women's Ashes Daily, Only Test, MCG Day 3: Alana King's Ashes. That is the only conclusion, after a final day of fizzing leg breaks and endless pressure, bowling from the Shane Warne Stand end on her way to the honours board. Sophie Ecclestone also had her moment, toiling hard in an outmatched team. It ended with intrigue and a dose of hilarity in front of an even-more-world-record crowd, and now...

Sri Lanka Australia Daily, 1st Test, Galle Day 3: Jason Holder had it right all those years ago - Dhananjaaaaaaya, what are you doing? His was one of two wickets to fall on a day that was more about the elaborate covers pattern than anything else, but we enjoyed what we saw. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw Maurice Black...

Women's Ashes Daily, Only Test, MCG Day 2: More drops than Ibiza on the second day of the Test, as England somehow forgot which parts were hands and which parts were feet. In the end, the collarbone was the most secure catching receptacle on the day. In the meantime, Annabel Sutherland forged on her reputation as Perry Mach II, on a very strange day while the mighty MCG broke the record for a wome...