The Final Word Cricket Podcast

New Zealand v Australia, Wellington Day 0: What will we do without Neil Wagner? A fine career comes to an end ahead of the series opener between the Black Caps and Pat Cummins' men at the beautiful Basin. For the Aussies, it's the XI as anticipated - the same side that lost to the Windies at the Gabba a month ago - and they're on the hunt for precious WTC points away from home. As for Tim Southee'...

Season 15, Episode 26: In Wellington ahead of the First Test between New Zealand and Australia, Adam and Bharat are frustrated by the fact that they're there for only for two matches and not three - a view you're finally hearing more from players and administrators alike. The teams have already duked it out across three T20s, the visitors learning a bit about their World Cup Best XI in the process...

India v England, Ranchi Day 4: And just like that it’s over. India win the prestigious IDFC First Bank trophy after the calm heads of Dhruv Jurel and Shubman Gill get them over the line on day four. A miraculous England win looked on the cards briefly after India lost five wickets for 36 runs but it wasn’t to be for Stokes’ men. Cameron Ponsonby is on the ground as ever and is joined by the Telegr...

India v England, Ranchi Day 3: And just like that it’s over….almost. Four Tests of drama culminated in a day where India were excellent and England fell to the wayside. India started the day 130 runs behind; but they end it 150 runs from a series victory. And surprise surprise, there’s more DRS drama. Cameron Ponsonby is joined for this one by ESPN Cricinfo’s Vithushan Ehantharajah.  Support the s...

India v England, Ranchi Day 2: Prepare for fast-forward. The pitch is starting to break apart with England currently in pole position. Yashasvi Jaiswal scores yet more runs, but an unbeaten Joe Root century and four wickets for Shoaib Bashir means that England finish the day well ahead. Oh...and it's England's turn to think umpire's call is a great invention. Cam Ponsonby, at the ground, once agai...

India v England, Ranchi Day 1: Wait a minute. That looked suspiciously like an excellent day of conventional Test cricket. Akash Deep started his Test career with not one but several bangs, after a misfire. Mohammed Siraj bowled some pearls. Ravindra Jadeja got the pitch to play tricks. And through it all, Joe Root stood supreme with another classic innings, while Ben Foakes and latterly Ollie Rob...

India v England, Ranchi Day 0: The Rancho Relaxo! To one of Adam's favourite grounds for the Fourth Test with England in a must-win position after their hiding over the weekend. As for the hosts, Bumrah is resting - time for their spinners to come into their own on a surface that looks like it might turn from the get-go. But those assumptions have been mistaken at this ground in the past. Cam Pons...

Season 15, Episode 25: Taylor Swift has finished her run at the MCG, leading Virat Kohli 3-1, while the New Zealanders have finished off a surprisingly competitive Test against their makeshift South African opposition and now are in the last stages of preparation to try beating Australia in a series for the first time in decades. Bharat Sundaresan joins Geoff to look over this, Ravichandran Ashwin...

It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, Daniel Norcross joins Adam Collins for a flip through the pages of Adam's diary on a very special non-school day involving a Final Word fave. Also, the slowest batter in all cricket? A strange coincidence with the next Nerd Pledge on our upcoming weekly show, there's a look at the little-discusse...

India v England, Rajkot Wash-up: Will Stokes bowl? Is DRS corrupt? Will England drop Bairstow? Did Duckett create Jaiswal? Cameron is joined by Crincfo's Vithushan Ehantharajah to analyse to England's record Rajkot defeat and have the latest from the camp as they look towards Ranchi. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find shirts, marathons and other links at linktr.ee...

India v England, Rajkot Day 4: What a difference a day makes. Beginning the third morning in great shape, England succumbed to India by 434 runs by the end of the fourth evening. The supreme performance from the hosts included another double ton for their magnificent young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal before Ravindra Jadeja went to work, collecting a bag of five wickets to go with his century when the...

India v England, Rajkot Day 3: The middle session of the middle day of the middle Test in this series - how decisive it could prove to be. England, having blown the doors down last night, badly lost their way with Joe Root's reverse-ramp the moment most in focus. Sure enough, India strengthened their position yet further by the close thanks to another classy ton from Yashasvi Jaiswal. Cam Ponsonby...

Australia v South Africa Women, Perth Day 3: A long way behind, South Africa had only one option: to fight. So they did, through most of the third day while making the Australians work. Chloe Tryon showed her range, Delmi Tucker showed her temperament, and the contest offered promise for the future. Your hosts: Geoff Lemon and Bharat Sundaresan. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/t...

India v England, Rajkot Day 2: Another day, another wild ride. Ashwin takes his 500th Test wicket to further mark a great career, but it’s Ben Duckett and England’s afternoon, as the left-hander belts a remarkable unbeaten century. The match is still in India’s favour but England are chasing them all the way. With debutant host Cameron Ponsonby, is veteran guest Daniel Norcross. Support the show w...

Australia v South Africa Women, Perth Day 2: One long day that was all about one long innings - the historic double century produced by Annabel Sutherland, fast becoming a hugely significant Test cricketer. Around a masterpiece of timing and concentration, everybody else in the Australian team had a good turn at something as well, while South Africa showed some fight despite being miles behind in...

India v England, Rajkot Day 1: A day of twists and turns to begin the Third Test, but the home side, thanks to a 204-run stand between the captain Rohit and the local superstar Jadeja, earned a handy advantage by the close. To recap the tons, the wickets and the barbeque of poor old Sarfaraz Khan, Adam Collins has Cam Ponsonby for company there at the ground. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at...

Australia v South Africa Women, Perth Day 1: It was 43 degrees at the WACA, and South Africa felt the heat after being asked to bat. Darcie Brown, Kim Garth, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland and Tahlia McGrath ensured that the spinners were not required, before Australia faced trouble of their own. But where there's trouble, there is Beth Mooney, before Alyssa Healy had some fine moments and one l...

India v England, Rajkot Day 0: After a week off to cool down after two brilliant Tests to start, the series moves to Rajkot. In doing so, the hosts welcome back a man who knows the SCA ground as well as any - Ravindra Jadeja. That's one of the many pieces of team news from both camps, which includes the inclusion, for the first time, Sarfaraz Khan in an India XI. As for England, Mark Wood returns...

Season 15, Episode 24: Glenn Maxwell and ridiculous hundreds. It is a theme of late. Four of them in his last nine hits for Australia, and the one in Adelaide against a West Indies team that played well in the end - it was probably the purest of the lot. Also this week, new concussion rules across three nations, the chance for a fun debut in India's next Test, another belting win for Australia's w...

Greatest Season That Was, Episode 7 – New Zealand with Geoff Allott. So much of the ’99 World Cup magic revolves around the extraordinary tie between Australia and South Africa. This time around, our focus shifts the one of the teams that made the other (far less eventful) semi-final: New Zealand. A major driver of their success in reaching the final four 25 years ago was their left-arm swing ace,...

It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. In a week when an Under-19s player was out obstructing the field and a Shield player survived a similar appeal, along came not one but two numbers linking us to some of the least common methods of dismissal in the game. We also go back to World War I, look at one of the tallest to play the game, find one of...

Season 15, Episode 23: Mitch Marsh won more hearts this week while winning the Allan Border Medal, while Ash Gardner confirmed her supremacy in the Australian women's team with the Belinda Clark Award. That didn't stop South Africa's women knocking off Australia for the first time in 50-over cricket, after notching their first 20-over win the week before. Marizanne Kapp is currently Superwoman. Ne...

It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. Let's hear a tale we had never found before, about one of the unlikeliest mismatches of them all. Also, an equally unlikely change of allegiance, a game with four results on the table, the player who faced the longest wait, a real wrong number, a curious cumulative record, and the little-discussed batting o...

India v England, Vizag Wash-up: With the series squared and players heading in their different directions for a week off, Cameron Ponsonby is joined by Cricinfo's Vithushan Ehantharajah to review the latest reactions from the second Test and look ahead to Rajkot. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find shirts, marathons and other links at linktr.ee/thefinalword Check o...

India v England, Vizag Day 4: In the end, it was Bumrah taking a stump out of the ground. Appropriately so after he turned this match on its head a couple of days earlier doing just the same, putting the home side into a position of authority they would never cede. England gave it a crack in pursuit of 399 - they were always going to - but India have pulled this very watchable series into parity a...