The Top Order Cricket Podcast

The cricket world was rocked this week by the news that Shane Warne had passed away at the age of 52. Since then, there's been an outpouring of tributes from family, friends, teammates, opponents and many others from all around the world. And, to be honest, it's hit us harder than we thought, considering three out of four of us spent most of his career cheering against him. So we thought the best...

This week on the show we discuss a bounce back performance by South Africa to draw the Test series with the Black Caps, then try to make sense of the upcoming England Test tour to the West Indies and recap a winning week for Auckland and Otago on the NZ domestic circuit. There are plenty of apologies during the New Zealand v South Africa segment as we examine what changed so drastically from the f...

For the first time since 1998, Australia are in Pakistan for a Test series and it's one that holds a lot of importance in the cricket world, both on and off the field. We talk through the key questions facing both sides, plus our expectations for the series. Will Shaheen Shah Afridi outshine the Australian pace attack? How will Marnus Labuschagne go in foreign conditions? Is Nathan Lyon under pres...

We love a World Cup at the Top Order Podcast and after a year’s delay, the 2021 Women’s ODI World Cup is about to begin. So to help us look ahead to the next month of action, we’re joined by contributing writer at Locker Room, Canterbury Magician and World Cup Operations Coordinator (among many other things!) Kristy Havill. How much should we read into the White Ferns' 4-1 ODI series win against I...

This week on the show we review a great week for both the Black Caps and the White Ferns, as well as a host of other topics as we look back at the week that was. We start by discussing the amazing performance from Matt Henry, which saw him record the third-best bowling figures in a Test innings for New Zealand, as well as smashing a quick 50 at #11. There's praise for Tim Southee, Tom Blundell and...

In this episode, we take a look back at an IPL auction that saw 11 Kiwis picked up (to join Kane Williamson, who was retained). We talk through our initial reactions, the most croresome buys, the biggest waste of crore and which teams had the best auction. We then discuss the White Ferns' wins against India in the first two ODIs, which included hundreds to Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr, plus a batti...

With the Black Caps v South Africa Test series starting on Thursday, we decided to break from tradition and release this stand-alone episode before our regular This Week in Cricket show. We discuss potential lineups, key matchups, two batting orders missing important players, bold predictions and series winners as we deep-dive into this eagerly anticipated series, which sadly is only two Tests, bo...

Hours after we recorded our This Week in Cricket episode earlier in the week, news came out that England Cricket legends Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad had been dropped from the Test squad to tour the West Indies. Binksy added a short instant reaction into that episode but the frustration was still brewing, so Baldy jumped on a call to help him talk through the latest in a series of changes going...

What a week it has been at the English and Australian cricket boards! The fall out from The Ashes has led to a clean out at the ECB and the resignation of Justin Langer. Recorded on Tuesday night, there's plenty of debate as we discuss: Should Langer have been retained? What were Cricket Australia thinking? Will England's clean out change anything? Who will take the reins in the coming weeks? And...

We start the show this week with Binksy's reaction to the breaking news that England have dropped James Anderson and Stuart Broad from their upcoming Test tour to the West Indies, before we travel the world again to discuss a wide range of news from the cricketing week that was. We go in-depth on the Black Caps' Test squad to face South Africa, which features call-ups for Cam Fletcher and Blair Ti...

This week's show was recorded about 20 minutes after the conclusion of the Ashes Test, so naturally we start by discussing the final-day drama. We talk declarations, Heather Knight's big hundred and 4-day Tests as the multi-format series now shifts to ODIs. From long-form cricket we move to T20s, recapping the finals of the BBL and Super Smash, which resulted in wins for the Perth Scorchers, Welli...

In this episode of the Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 60 to 56 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are). There's plenty of debate around the table as Baldy and Raj go into bat for an Australian captain, before Binksy threatens to pack up his mic and go home. Lippy sneaks in references to Chris Martin, Mar...

On this week's episode we begin by taking a look at both the BBL and the Super Smash as those competitions head into the playoff rounds. Baldy is upset about a snub for Glenn Maxwell, there's confusion about Steve Smith and Lippy thinks the Wellington Blaze are unbeatable, but that anything could happen on the men's side of the draw. We also speculate about the prospect of a Women's World Cup with...

It was one-way traffic in the men's Ashes this summer, but there was still plenty to talk about as we looked back at the series in detail. Did England give themselves the best opportunity to succeed? Will any of their 'promising' batters ever become consistent at Test level? Did Mark Wood become Neil Wagner in disguise? How much longer will Chris Silverwood be coach and Joe Root be captain? And ca...

This week on the show we discuss the Black Caps postponed tour to Australia and what might have been had the tour gone ahead. We debate which players had their flights cancelled, whether Colin de Grandhomme's return to form in the Super Smash and Ford Trophy will be enough to return him to the international stage, and highlight two moments of absolute genius from Amelia Kerr. As the show continues...

It's our first episode back in 2022 and there's been plenty of action over the holiday season. We start the show by discussing the Black Caps v Bangladesh series, which started with a win for the Tigers but finished with a fitting Test farewell for Ross Taylor and milestones for Trent Boult, Devon Conway and Tom Latham. There's praise for Litton Das as well as discussion about NZ players under pre...

In our final episode of 2021, we look back at our personal highlights and lowlights from a year that included the Black Caps' World Test Championship victory and a first men's T20 World Cup title for Australia. We also share our Cricketmas wishlist for 2022, but the most important part of the show and this write up is to say thank you to all of our listeners. We absolutely love getting together to...

This week's episode starts with us trying to makes sense of this Ashes series, which now looks all but over with three Tests still to go. We talk Joe Root's after-match comments, Ollie Robinson bowling spin, England's woes, Australia's joy for Michael Neser, Steve Smith's kitbag and whether there's any chance this series remains interesting as we head to the MCG. As we move back to New Zealand, we...

On this episode of the show we're joined by one of the newest members of the Black Caps - someone who has had quite a 12 months. There’s been injuries, international debuts, plus a lot of learning and special memories during a year Rachin Ravindra told us he'll never forget. Rachin spoke about what it's like when your name starts popping up on Cricinfo and social media at a young age, the injury h...

The Ashes takes centre stage this week as we discuss Australia's win in the first Test at the Gabba. Should England have bowled first? Did they pick the right team? Are we really that surprised their batters struggled? Will Travis Head's 150 prove to be a career-defining innings? Plus we had Patrick Cummins' captaincy debut, Nathan Lyon's 400th wicket, a rough time for Jack Leach, fines galore and...

In this episode of the Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 65 to 61 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you like spoilers). It's another fun group, including some of the most recognisable players that the game has ever seen and heard. There are wickets galore, so many happy memories and some of the best nicknames you could ask for as we reminisc...

It's an excitement overload this week as we're together to record in the same room for the first time since August! We start the show by celebrating Ajaz Patel's incredible achievement - becoming the third player in history to take 10 wickets in an innings - before we break down a heavy loss for the Black Caps and look ahead to the rest of the summer for NZ and India. Will Ross Taylor hold his spo...

A little series called The Ashes is on the horizon, there's drama everywhere and Melinda Farrell joins the show to chat through the storylines before the action gets underway. How will Tim Paine's resignation impact Australia? Can Ollie Robinson be a difference-maker for England? Patrick Cummins - Test captain Will Stuart Broad get the better of David Warner once again? Who is the real Marnus Labu...

On this episode, we're joined by Black Caps' leg-spinner Ish Sodhi. As well as re-living the final few moments of the first Test between NZ and India, we talk about matchups, head knocks, glue hands and big wickets as Ish looks back at a T20 World Cup campaign that took the Black Caps all the way to the final. Naturally, with Baldy and Lippy on the call, the conversation turns to the art of spin b...

This week's show is dominated by our reaction to the Black Caps' gritty draw against India in the first Test at Kanpur. The Kiwis among us are celebrating a job well done, but do the neutrals think the #1 ranked Test side should be happy with a draw? As the conversation continues, we break down the key performances and talking points from a fascinating match, including: The final few nervy moments...