The Grade Cricketer

We’re back, baby! Yep, definitely. Australia’s off the mark, noses are harder, someone said “lift!” and now the Cup is surely ours. Sure, India appear completely unbeatable, but that’s their problem: no one wants to lead the Melbourne Cup at the first furlong (or some shit)! Shane Watson joins to add credibility to all of the above. Elsewhere, Bancroft and Renshaw record hundreds, Caleb Jewell is...

The thing that happened last is the thing that happens forever, so we write Australia off for World Cup '24, until the next show, next week. India are pretty good. So is South Africa and New Zealand. So, one game in, unfortunately only one spot remains. Before then, we meander through Shield and domestic matters, such as a heckler with a dildo and megaphone at the Shield and PlayHQ privacy options...

With the World Cup starting on Thursday, Australian domestic cricket once again commencing and, most importantly, Round 1 of "Premier" cricket getting underway, it's time for us to reflect on wasted Saturdays. Who will win the World Cup? Is it India's to lose? What hope does Australia have? Can England defend the crown?  Should ODI's just be confined to World Cups? Incoming MCC President Mark Nich...

We’re back! Because when there’s international-cricket-with-actual-jeopardy, we can only kneel to hoover up these last remaining crumbs. Along the way we’ve also got Stokes selling salad stories and quoting Spiderman, lid-lifting about Bairstow and Piers gear, hard-hitting journalism about Modi’s India/Bharat and the BJP, and why the World Cup will be perversely good. New Zealand all-rounder and d...

The Ashes: spirit, morality, tribalism, culture, Broady. He’s good, isn’t he? (Knows what he’s doing.) We take your visceral minutes. dribble about all (some) things Ashes, briefly talk about other cricket, and finish with a failure-inspired #AskTGC. Heartfelt thanks to everyone’s who’s supported TGC during this series. A deeply special one for us, though we’ll never admit that, as men. Anyway, 2-...

Retain [verb]: continue to have (something); keep possession of. While England stroke their chins soberly, pondering morality and the impact of clouds on children, Australia’s grubby little convict mitts clutch the urn, with g-strings and court jester hats close by. Elsewhere, India dusts West Indies, Harmanpreet gets mist, Pakistan beats Sri Lanka, and Headingley helps a man settle his divorce. B...

Major League Cricket is here and so is Zampa's reference to the 20th of April. Is it good? Are we watching? What does The Star Spangled Banner mean to powerplays? Australia have successfully retained the Women's Ashes, but this is of course not enough, despite it being good for the game. The best series ever though; Alyssa Healy thinks not. India absolutely smash the West Indies in the 1st Test. H...

Budgy is backing us big time this English summer, get around them at budgysmuggler.com. Use the code 'goodareas' for free shipping (valid in both the UK and AUS). Get Shane Watson’s book, “Winning The Inner Battle”, at shanewatson.au Limited edition merch available: gradecricketer.com You get discounts, early access and an exclusive podcast every week when you sign up at patreon.com/gradecricketer...

We emerge from obstacles technical and travel to drag ourselves to the microphone for a late crack at the scenes from Lord’s. Danny Rood starts things off, before we pore over events legally, philosophically, sociologically, tribally, viscerally, clumsily, and in grade terms. Also, Stokes and Smith can play. Following a rare defeat at The Oval overnight, Alyssa Healy claims her team "is allowed to...

In lieu of our lost cast, here's an extended visceral minute post Lord's. Full cast out Thursday. EXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketer See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We record this from The Oval in south London the day before The Lord's Test match, where anything can happen but one thing is for certain, this is very cult-like and we're having a nice time. Barney Ronay stops in to talk about the good things and the things we are allowed to question. What is tackles? What is Tongue? Speak in absolutes and with such certainty forever. Never change. Do push ups. W...

We come to you direct from Manchester, basking in the afterglow of a podium Australian Test win in the modern era. We skin the cat as many ways as possible, chronicling the feelings 24 hours post victory, where it ranks, the game itself, and what next. Inside that we cover Cummins, Springsteen, Uzzie, Gaz, Stokes, Robinson, Ponting, KP, other names that make us feel things, and your Visceral Minut...

We are very proud and excited to announce our special guests who will join us on stage in the UK for our Ashes Live Show Tour. Some tickets are still available at: grade cricketer.com/live-shows Birmingham - 18 June - GLENN MAXWELL (Sold Out) Birmingham - 19 June - IAN BELL (**tickets available**) Manchester - 22 June - PHIL SALT (Sold Out) Leeds - 24 June - STEVE HARMISON (**tickets available**)...

We are very proud and excited to announce our special guests who will join us on stage in the UK for our Ashes Live Show Tour. Some tickets are still available at: grade cricketer.com/live-shows   Birmingham - 18 June - GLENN MAXWELL (Sold Out) Birmingham - 19 June - IAN BELL (**tickets available**) Manchester - 22 June - PHIL SALT (Sold Out) Leeds - 24 June - STEVE HARMISON (**tickets available**...

A bit quiet in our niche cricket wheelhouses this week; almost like the schedule has been cleared to talk about one thing only. Anyway, Hazlewood is maybe getting fit, Jaiswal is in as a reserve, KL Rahul enjoyed himself, and Sabba made a tonne off 34 rocks. Oh, and the IPL Final was postponed 24 hours, and we recorded beforehand. On a serious note, Meg Lanning is out of the Ashes due to medical r...

Shubman Gill makes the statement of the IPL with the thirstiest of thirst traps. Have to respect the lighting. The Ashes is one week closer, so we guess what's going to happen with a few more hours of knowledge. Mitch Starc joins us from Sydney to give his insights into how the squad's golf game is looking. Tom Moody joins us from India to tell us what's going on in Indian cricket and if the IPL m...

The Ashes is upon us, and this time it really is The Ashes. Of cricket. Literally. The flaming, dying embers of the game as we know it, which then become actual ashes, followed by bulk bunce in Saudi Arabia or whatever. Nah, not really, because Stokesian captaincy and the Bazball revolution are here to Save Cricket, which if nothing else, permits the hosts early moral superiority points in the 8-w...

A 3rd (and almost definitely final) London live show has been added to TGC's UK Tour for 2023. Tickets for Sunday, June 25 at Alexandra Palace are available right now here: https://www.alexandrapalace.com/whats-on/the-grade-cricketer/   Further shows have been added to Birmingham (Monday, June 19), Manchester (late show on Tuesday, June 20) as well. And of course, tickets are still available for L...

To celebrate the Ashes and the last ever serious Test series, we’re pumped to announce TGC will be taking our live show to the UK in June, performing in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and London. Tickets go on-sale this Friday, 10am UK time at gradecricketer.com. For a 24-hour early-access window, sign up at patreon.com/gradecricketer Dates, Cities, Venues o  June 18: BIRMINGHAM Glee Club o  June 2...

India win the Border Gavaskar series for the 4th time in a row but not before Usman’s emotional hundred, Cam Green’s first hundred, Shubman’s return hundred and Kohli’s drought-breaking hundred. 22 wickets in 5 days. Good stuff, fellas! To that end, we review the series as a whole and what we learnt, if anything. I think it’s that Axar Patel is Bradman. New Zealand have done it again in absolute t...

Sure, Australia made history with one of its finest ever performances, but instead we ask: what’s doing vis a vis decks, India? But seriously, Australia was good: Carey kept masterfully, the spinners stirred, Smith marshalled, and is there anything better than seeing The Bin Lid On A Shit Tip? We move to Ahmedabad where Modi will hold court in his 132,000K seat stadium where no one can get a ticke...

New Zealand pull off their greatest ever Test win in Wellington after being asked to follow on. England are still having fun though. Harry Brook hundreds, Joe Root's reverse laps, Kane Williamson's record breaking innings and Michael Bracewell forgetting how to run. The 2nd Test had it all. Is the Australian Women's team our greatest of all time? Their second World Cup three-peat certainly has us...

Another game, another capitulation, another meltdown. After a promising start, Australia found a new way to fall to India, tangled in Ashwin and Jadeja’s web. Thankfully, Healso and Dos are on the case, one with a masterclass in trackies, another with a literal broom on the pitch. Very simple, Chalk. Elsewhere, Australia’s women do it with their eyes closed, so we provide news of their impeding wi...

Direct from Hyderabad, Higgos and Pez bring you most correct and accurate analysis of Australia's latest Indian capitulation. Where did it all go wrong? Selections, prejudice, intrigue, doctoring and ointment all figure. But most compellingly: the importance of a harder nose. Harder anything. Never smart, always hard. #justinlanger. We're also here for the Women's World Cup where Australia destroy...

It’s “the jewel in the crown”, “the toughest test in cricket”, and, according to Steve Smith, “bigger than The Ashes”. Yes, Usman Khawaja, The Grade Cricketer and Australia heads to India to commence the final six months in the history of Test cricket - and we’re frothing. We cover visas, selections, purity, Ashwin impersonators, big boy breakthroughs and other obscure matters ahead of the first T...