Season 9, Ep 19: Australia's tour to South Africa is off, just as England's Tests in India are about to begin. With three weeks to go, CA has chalked up another cancellation. Reasonable precaution, foreseeable disaster? Geoff and Adam don't agree on everything. For England's big task ahead, we chat with Vithushan Ehantharajah about what to watch for and what it might mean in viral Britain. Also this week: Pakistan's Karachi win over South Africa, new sources of heat on Justin Langer, the Windies gear up for Tests in Bangladesh, Aghanistan whitewashes Ireland, Australia's Hall of Fame gets some new entrants, and we kick off another Final Word campaign, this time around Charlie Bannerman. Your Nerd Pledge numbers are: 2.01 – MJ Knoester 2.90 – Andrew Singleton 1.56 – Alex Brown Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com Message from anywhere on earth with your ZOLEO, at zoleo.com Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword Get Geoff’s new book, The Comeback Summer  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A little late due to squad illness and injury, but here we are: the weekly walk through cricket history via the means of listener quiz numbers. Start out by learning about our own Cam the Cameraman's cricket history, which is none: he played his first organised match on the weekend and there's a very good story there. On the show this week: Jean Valjean is back in our sights, some tips about what a 90s kid could see if they couldn't leave Brisbane, and some highly tenuous links between questions and answers. Your Nerd Pledge numbers are: 246.01 – Rob O'Neill 6.64 – Brent Simmonds 3.64 – Chris Unwin (again?) 17.03 – Andrew Morton 2.26 – Abbey Sim & Luke Appleton 5.33 – Dominic Bowes & Mark Stein Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword  Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  Pick up The Golden Summer with a £3 discount with the code GOLDTFW  Or get a discount Wisden Cricket Monthly subscription at bit.ly/wcmtfw Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summer  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 9, Ep 18: "How you wanna raise a flag with a rifle / To make us want to celebrate anything but survival?" So goes the A.B. Originals song January 26. This year Cricket Australia stopped using the term 'Australia Day' to promote matches, recognising that it's a day of mourning for a lot of Indigenous people. Predictably this small gesture was criticised by political antagonists. On the date in question, Munanjahli writer Dr Chelsea Watego joins us to talk about commemoration versus celebration, the complexity of history, and what progress might actually look like beyond platitudes. Also this week, Sri Lanka's series against England wraps up, South Africa head to Pakistan for the first time in 13 years, and the World Test Championship possibilities become slightly more clear. Your Nerd Pledge numbers: 2.24 – Peter Halton 1.68 – Jesse G 1.22 – James Ralston Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword  Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  Pick up The Golden Summer with a £3 discount with the code GOLDTFW  Or get a discount Wisden Cricket Monthly subscription at bit.ly/wcmtfw Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Get Geoff’s new book, The Comeback Summer  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We spend a lot of time talking about our Nerds. But this weekend on Story Time, we pay tribute to our Julios. After that, we get to work solving the puzzles that have stumped us over the Christmas period, from Charlotte Edwards to Cam White; Pat Pocock to Min Patel. And we’re never far away from Clem Hill or Chesney Hawkes.   Our Julios are:  Peter Pohlman  Trent Grimes  Andy Slee   Tom Fisher  George Randell  Adam Towns  Cian Seymour  Adrian Samms  James Durey  Stephen Jones  Miraj Vora  Isaac Heming  John McGill  Mark Xerri  Ryan Thomas  Mich de Waal  Bharat Agarwal  Charlie Gresty  Robert Drummond  Brent Simmonds  Mike Brown  Matt Fried  Adrien Muller  Elliott Olivier  Peter Arnold-Nott Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword  Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  Help out the Lord’s Taverners in 2021: www.lordstaverners.org  Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summer  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 9, Ep 17: Sometimes an interview comes along that knocks our socks off. We all think that we know Marcus Stoinis: the big smile, the big sixes, the cheekiness, the time in the gym. We expected to talk to Marcus about his career, but instead the conversation went somewhere else: cricket as the backdrop to the rest of his life, the years of trying to take care of his family while nursing and losing his father. We often don't know how a conversation will turn out, and that was never more the case than here. Also this week our reaction to India's final Test win over Australia, and England's nervous result against a determined Sri Lanka. Your Nerd Pledge numbers are: 7.53 – Satchmo Distel 4.56 – Graham Hartley Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  Message from anywhere on earth with your ZOLEO, at zoleo.com  Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 5 of the 4th Test, Australia v India, from the Gabba. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 4 of the 4th Test, Australia v India, from the Gabba. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 3 of the 4th Test, Australia v India, from the Gabba. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 2 of the 4th Test, Australia v India, from the Gabba.Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword  Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by  Urthboy Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalwordSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 1 of the 4th Test, Australia v India, from the Gabba. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 9, Ep 16: One of the more pointless furores of our time must be about Steve Smith scraping his foot on the pitch in the Sydney Test. On this week's show we go into the detail of that one which has been mostly overlooked. We also look at Tim Paine's apology for losing his cool, racism from the SCG stands, and England's upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka. Plus some Nerd Pledge and a very unexpected Super Performer of the Week. Your Nerd Pledge numbers: 3.41 – Oliver Grünler 4.76 – Paul Cherry Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword  Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  Pick up The Golden Summer with a £3 discount with the code GOLDTFW  Or get a discount Wisden Cricket Monthly subscription at bit.ly/wcmtfw Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Get Geoff’s new book, The Comeback Summer  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 5 of the 3rd Test, Australia v India, from the SCG. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 4 of the 3rd Test, Australia v India, from the SCG. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New year, new me. This is 2021's first Story Time, our dance through the history of cricket. This week returns to our favourite defenestrator, the most important runs in a run of five draws, and a new Dusty Old Bastard by the name of Septimus. And that’s just in the first half hour before we return to numbers we got wrong in the past, plus your correspondence from the Christmas and New Year break. It's great to be back. Your Nerd Pledge numbers are: 1.60 – Alastair Wilson & Andrew Beech.  2.63 – Sujon Chowdhary. 1.85 – Liam Callaghan. 6.64 – Nick Smythe & Shannon Blackmore.  6.00 – Jeremy Bourke.  1.95 – Elliott Diamond. 1.73 – Cam Again & Jack Faine & Daniel Hill.  3.62 – Michelle Garland.  6.79 – Michael Edelstein. 1.75 – Rory Seymour & Simon Trafford.  Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com Help out the Lord’s Taverners in 2021: lordstaverners.org Check out CBUS Super at cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summer The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by  Urthboy Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 3 of the 3rd Test, Australia v India, from the SCG. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 2 of the 3rd Test, Australia v India, from the SCG. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 1 of the 3rd Test, Australia v India, from the SCG. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 9, Ep 15: Few bowlers have enjoyed playing at Sydney more that Stuart MacGill, appropriately so given his iconic initials. So, ahead of this Harbour City Test Match, we present our interview with the former Australian leggie from our Patreon Live Show in November. He’s honest, forthright and emotional about what spinning for his country meant to him, with a deep love of the game that has never dimmed.       Your Nerd Pledge numbers are:  2.35 – Tom Humphreys & Sam King.  6.30 – Adam Jones.   Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword  Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword  Message from anywhere on earth with your ZOLEO, at zoleo.com  Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summer  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 9, Ep 14: Happy New Year! Load up your glasses and turn on the show in the final hours of one year or the fresh ones of the next. The terrible times of 2020 are behind us, and the indistinct times of 2021 are ahead. So what were the best and worst, the highs and the lows? We'll head around the cricket world, to Bangladesh and South Africa, Southampton and Mount Maunganui, in and out of bubbles, to the players and matches and moments that defined the year for us. We'll also talk about the Sydney Test against India in a fashion that will already be out of date now that new COVID cases have been detected in Melbourne – but hey, that's 2020. Thanks so much for listening this year, and here's hoping the next is as good on the podcast, and much better off it. Your Nerd Pledge numbers for today: 3.12 – James Tiernan & Dave McRobbie 5.13 – Troy Smith Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword  Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  Pick up The Golden Summer with a £3 discount with the code GOLDTFW  Or get a discount Wisden Cricket Monthly subscription at bit.ly/wcmtfw Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Get Geoff’s new book, The Comeback Summer  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 4 of the 2nd Test, Australia v India, from the MCG. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from Day 3 of the 2nd Test, Australia v India, from the MCG. Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from the 2nd day of the 2nd Test from The MCG Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geoff and Adam bring you the daily update from the 1st day of the 2nd Test from The MCG Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword   Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network  Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 9, Ep 13: At Christmas time, we like to sit down for a long chat with someone well loved by The Final Word. The first time was Harsha, last year was Mel Jones, and this time it had to be Jim Maxwell, who will be a rare absence from the Boxing Day Test. We also hope we can sit down with you, as you drive to distant places or take a break from family or settle in for the day on your own. This show is all about Jim's extraordinary life in cricket, as he shares those tales over a glass of crisp white wine. His gift to all of us – and the best of festive cheer or peace to you. Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summerhere Message from anywhere on earth with your ZOLEO at zoleo.com
 Check out CBUS Super: cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
 Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network
 Title track by  Urthboy Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Story Time is our weekly walk through cricket history. Jim Swanton had a hymn that he liked to sing, but you’ll never guess why. What about identifying the Godfather of Durham? John didn’t spell his the same as Evelyn. Who hit the pads but ate the pies? A little more Stan McCabe, a strange double from Steve Harmison, and the time that Mushtaq Mohammed did it all himself. After that we speak to the excellent Lisa Sthalekar, interviewed recently on the future of commentary for the documentary series Calling The Shots.   Your Nerd Pledge numbers are:  2.53 – Dave McRobbie  8.97 – Richard Johnson.  1.87 – Simon Trafford.  7.97 – Will Cuckson.  4.93 – Tom Stewart.  2.81 – Vivek Nayak and Dom Philp.   5.15 – Chris Arkle.  Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Find previous episodes at  finalwordcricket.com  Help out the Lord’s Taverners this Christmas: www.lordstaverners.org Check out CBUS Super at   https://www.cbussuper.com.au/thefinalword  Get Geoff’s new book The Comeback Summer  The Final Word is part of the  Bad Producer Podcast Network Title track by  Urthboy  Support the show: https://patreon.com/thefinalword See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.