The Top Order Cricket Podcast

In this episode of the show, Jamie and Stu look back at Day 19 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which saw the Black Caps of New Zealand take on the hosts of Sri Lanka. They also look ahead to a day with massive implications in Group 1 of the Super 8s, on which South Africa meets the West Indies and India & Zimbabwe look to bounce back after difficult losses. We start the show with a quick summary o...

Someone is listening to the Top Order Podcast. Binksy has been calling for more opportunity for Harry Brook - he was elevated to number three in this Super 8 clash against Pakistan and delivered a fine century as England chased down 164. It wasn't without a few nervous moments as late wickets triggered a little bit of a wobble. There are a few nitpicks and work-ons for England going forward, but B...

In this episode of the show, Binsky and Stu look back at Day 17 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which featured the Super 8s match between the West Indies and Zimbabwe. After a watchful start and a crucial missed opportunity, the West Indies produced a barrage of sixes on their way to a massive score of 254 against Zimbabwe, which ultimately proved to be well out of reach. We talk about the start...

The first two days of the Super 8s are in the books - and aside from the frustrating rain-affected NR between Pakistan and New Zealand there has been some epic results. After an historic T20 WC winning streak India will be primed for a comeback after falling to South Africa to throw Group 1 wide open. The middle order for South Africa were outstanding, and while both teams lost wickets in the Powe...

Group play is all over bar the shouting at the 2026 edition of the T20 World Cup for men, and the Top Order assembled an all-star cast to recap the group stage and preview the Super 8s. Jamie and Binksy from the UK were joined by Raj and Baldy from NZ to recap the group stage and preview the key matchups and games to watch in both Super 8 groups. From India's expectations, to the West Indies excit...

Today, we wrapped up the penultimate day in the group stages with some thrilling matches. Afghanistan dominated Canada, winning by 82 runs, while the West Indies continued their unbeaten streak, showcasing their impressive talent. Afghanistan’s game plan was spot on, with a stellar performance from Ibrahim, who scored 95 not out. Their spin attack was lethal, with Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi wre...

In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu look back at Day 12 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which featured three games: India v Netherlands, Pakistan v Namibia and South Africa v UAE. We start the show by discussing the tournament favourites, India, and their final pool match against the Netherlands. Abhishek Sharma fell early again, but starts from the rest of the top order were iced by a big...

In this episode of the show, Raj and Stu look back at Day 11 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which featured three games: New Zealand v Canada, ZImbabwe v Ireland and Scotland v Nepal. We start the show by discussing the Black Caps' win against Canada, which confirmed their progression to the Super 8 phase of the tournament. On paper it looked like a straightforward day at the office, until Yuvraj...

In this episode we tried something different. Baldy joined Binksy and Raj on the pod, with Raj and Binksy having watched the overnight games and having prepared. Baldy joined with live reactions not knowing the scores to get real-time, unfiltered feedback on the games overnight, especially Australia's must-win fixture with hosts Sri Lanka. The cricket wasn't pretty - neither were the reactions. If...

It's 9 days into the tournament and two big guns flexed their might overnight with commands performances. Starting with India, Ishan Kishan was batting on a different surface as his 77 proved decisive in the match against Pakistan. Pakistan played all six spinners and held India through the middle overs, but key moments didn't go their way. A near hattrick for Saim Ayub, and an LBW shout could hav...

In this episode of the show, Raj and Stu look back at Day 8 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which featured three games: Ireland v Oman, England v Scotland and New Zealand v South Africa. We start the show by discussing the Black Caps' top of the table clash against South Africa, which unfortunately didn't go the way the New Zealanders were hoping. Tim Seifert and Finn Allen raced out of the gates...

Baldy has had an absolute nightmare overnight as Australia fall to Zimbabwe overnight leaving their progression out of the group stage in peril. Whether it's a loss of identity, a failure to execute, or just a perfect performance by Zimbabwe, Raj, Baldy, and Jamie break down the first big upset of the tournament. There's a lot to unpack in that (lack of) performance by the Aussies - the batting ef...

In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu look back at Day 6 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which featured three games: Sri Lanka v Oman, Nepal v Italy and India v Namibia. We start the show by discussing India's cruise to victory against Namibia, which saw the return of Jasprit Bumrah and another masterclass from Varun Chakravarthy. There were runs from Ishan Kishan at the top, and a bit of a...

In this episode of the show, Baldy and Raj look back at Day 5 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which featured three games: South Africa v Afghanistan, Australia v Ireland and West Indies v England. We start the show by discussing the Super Over mayhem as South Africa survived about a million scares to prevail against Afghanistan in surely one of the best T20 internationals ever. Ramanullah Gurbaz,...

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at Day 4 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which featured three games: Netherlands v Namibia, New Zealand v UAE and Pakistan v USA.   We start the show by discussing the Black Caps' win against the UAE, which saw them power home thanks to a record-breaking partnership between Tim Seifert & Finn Allen. We talk about playing smart, bowling rotatio...

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at Day 2 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which featured three games: New Zealand v Afghanistan, England v Nepal and Sri Lanka v Ireland.   We start the show by discussing the Black Caps' crucial victory against Afghanistan. Lockie Ferguson dismissed the dangerous Gurbaz & Ibrahim inside the powerplay, but it was Gulbadin Naib who powered Afgha...

In this episode of the show, Raj and Stu look back at Day 1 of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which opened with three games today: Pakistan v Netherlands, West Indies v Scotland and India v USA.   We start the show by discussing India's game against the USA, which saw the hosts open the tournament with a win - but not without a few stutters along the way. An early score of 45-1 quickly became 77-6...

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Raj and Stu preview the Men's ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2026. We discuss the key contenders from each group and the questions facing their sides, then make predictions about how the tournament will play out. We start the show with a quick tournament explainer, before moving on to Group A, which features India, Pakistan, Namibia, Netherlands and the USA....

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu chat about the Black Caps' white-ball series in India, the vibes in the England camp over in Sri Lanka, discuss some future stars at the ICC Under-19 World Cup and finish things off with a big announcement! We start the show by talking about the Black Caps' white-ball tour to India, which at the time of recording was two games into the T20 series....

In this episode of the show, it's a heavy New Zealand focus as Baldy, Raj and Stu discuss the Black Caps' white-ball series in India, New Zealand's T20 World Cup squad and the potential for the NZ20 - a proposed privately-backed T20 franchise league to replace the Super Smash. We start the show by talking about the Black Caps' white-ball tour to India, which at the time of recording was only two g...

In this episode of the show, the Top Order Podcast team look back at the final Ashes Test between Australia and England (and the series as a whole), which ended with another victory for the home side to seal a dominant 4-1 scoreline. We start the show with our initial thoughts and reactions at the end of the Sydney Test and Australia's Ashes win in commanding style. In many ways, the game in Sydne...

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England, which saw the visitors secure their first victory on Australian soil in almost 15 years. We start the show by talking about our experiences of yet another two-day Test. For Binksy, as an English fan, was this a hollow victory since the series has already been lost? Or a joyous, hist...

In a calamitous episode all around Jamie, Baldy, and Raj wrap up the Ashes far too early in the Southern Hemisphere summer. While England were (more) competitive in the final two days in Adelaide the native South Australians in Travis Head and Alex Carey won the day meaning Australia retained the urn in 11 days. Baldy - ruthless as ever - still wasn't totally satisfied and struggles to come to ter...

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Jamie and Stu chat with Australian international Pete Handscomb about The Ashes and the ups and downs of his cricket career so far. We start the show by diving into Pete's experience watching the Ashes as someone playing first-class cricket and with a lot of connections on both sides. Has anything come as a surprise so far? How tough is the challenge as a batter...

In this episode of the show, Stu and Raj look back at the second Test between New Zealand and the West Indies, which saw the Black Caps take a 1-0 series lead at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. We start with our initial reaction to a game between two teams with a host of changes, that at times looked set to be closely fought but ultimately ended in a comfortable victory for the Black Caps. The Ne...