Close of Play

Who makes your perfect beach cricket team?

Sanjay Murthy and Geraint Jones plan their dream day, featuring Shane Warne, Freddie Flintoff, Tiger Woods and Jennifer Aniston. There are clown gloves, celebrity DJs, beach barbecues, and an umpire Jonesy won’t let anywhere near the sand.

Charlie Hartley’s Would You Rather asks: county legend or one-cap wonder? We also debate England’s World Cup prospects, Jonesy defends Nic Maddinson, and Who Am I tests your cricket knowledge.

Pick your team and tell us who’s invited - and who’s banned.

Chapters

00:00 Life’s A Beach
03:41 Our Dream Teams
09:35 The Rules
12:14 The Soundtrack
16:50 Food And Drink
18:29 Unwanted Guests
21:13 The Final Ball And The Umpires
26:49 County Legend Or One-Cap Wonder?
36:36 England’s World Cup Prospects
50:34 Geraint’s Goat: Nic Maddinson
57:37 Marnus Labuschagne
1:02:21 Who Am I?

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No room for Rew — but which brother?

Sanjay Murthy and Geraint Jones debate England’s central contracts, from James Rew and Craig Overton missing out to Henry Crocombe’s rise. Jonesy explains how franchise money shapes the negotiations and shares his thoughts on England’s next generation.

Travis Head’s response to Australia’s former greats sparks a discussion about fair criticism, personal attacks and Geraint’s own experience under scrutiny. There’s also Usman Khawaja’s forthcoming book and what a revealing autobiography can do to a player’s legacy.

Plus Who Am I?, an Ashes Would You Rather and What’s Got Geraint’s Goat: why are we still walking off for bad light?

Chapters

00:00 Coming up
00:38 No room for Rew?
05:46 England Lions and future stars
08:30 Mitch Stanley and the pace pipeline
10:19 Henry Crocombe’s rise
12:02 England’s contract decisions
15:11 Contracts and franchise money
16:39 Coaching changes and Ashes prospects
21:02 Who Am I?
24:44 Travis Head and cricket’s critics
30:40 Geraint on unfair criticism
32:05 Imposter syndrome and Ashes pressure
33:50 Khawaja’s book and dressing-room trust
38:39 Would You Rather: The Ashes dilemma
45:07 What’s Got Geraint’s Goat?
52:24 Pink balls for all Tests?
55:11 Cricket dinners and a magic mishap

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Geraint Jones loves Canterbury. But they’ve taken his photo down. Not that he’s bitter…

Jonesy picks his five favourite cricket grounds, sharing stories of Ashes catches, a Test hundred and moonwalking in spikes. Sanjay adds an unexpected ambulance trip in Bangalore.

Plus: What’s Got Geraint’s Goat, Would You Rather and Who Am I? We round up the county season, discuss England’s summer and ask what more Craig Overton needs to do to earn another England opportunity.

Which ground would top your list? Tell us in the comments.

CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Geraint’s Five Favourite Grounds
00:15:55 Who Am I?
00:21:23 What’s Got Geraint’s Goat?
00:31:12 Would You Rather?
00:36:37 County Cricket Season Round-Up
00:53:05 England and International Round-Up

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England completed a 3–0 whitewash over Pakistan—but the series created some new selection questions.

Sanjay and Geraint name their winners and losers. Has Jordan Cox put Jamie Smith under pressure? Have Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue secured their places? And where does the emergence of Cox and Dan Lawrence leave Jacob Bethell?

Charlie Hartley joins us for the first Would You Rather: survive five overs against Brett Lee at the WACA or Shane Warne on a fifth-day pitch?

Who Am I? returns, while Geraint’s Goat is the lack of a reserve day for the Women’s One-Day Cup League Two semi-final.

We also discuss the County Championship title and relegation battles, Andrew Flintoff’s appearance at Daniel Bell-Drummond’s testimonial event, Kevin Pietersen’s England return and whether specialist openers are becoming obsolete.

00:00 Coming up
00:38 England v Pakistan: Winners and losers
06:04 Jordan Cox makes his case
08:28 Is Jamie Smith under pressure?
09:13 England’s biggest loser
13:01 Pakistan’s winners and losers
14:44 Geraint remembers facing Shoaib Akhtar
22:35 Would You Rather? with Charlie Hartley
28:21 Brett Lee or Shane Warne?
31:30 Who Am I?
36:03 What’s Got Geraint’s Goat?
40:39 County Championship title race
42:42 Hampshire and the relegation battle
45:08 Division Two promotion race
48:05 Andrew Flintoff and life at Kent College
51:41 Kevin Pietersen returns to England
52:46 Are specialist openers becoming obsolete?

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Roland Butcher did not want to leave Barbados for England. A chance encounter in a Stevenage park eventually put him on the path to Middlesex and history as the first Black man to represent England in Test cricket.

Roland joins Sanjay Murthy to discuss growing up in rural Barbados, arriving in England at 13, playing during county cricket’s golden era and making his Test debut against the West Indies at Kensington Oval.

He also reveals how the difficulties faced by John Barnes and Paul Ince changed his football coaching ambitions, before explaining how his work at the University of the West Indies helped create opportunities for a new generation of Caribbean cricketers.

The conversation concludes by celebrating Roland’s late wife Cheryl, her contribution to Barbados cricket and the girls’ cricket club they established together.

Tridents Trust Day takes place at Kensington Oval on 10 September in Cheryl’s memory, raising funds to support girls’ cricket and the Barbados Cancer Society.

Support Tridents Trust Day: InLovingMemory.Online/CherylButcher

Chapters

00:00 Coming up

00:35 Introducing Roland Butcher

01:28 Growing up in Barbados

03:34 Leaving Barbados for England

08:29 Finding cricket by chance

13:02 The road to professional cricket

16:04 Joining Middlesex

16:42 County cricket’s golden era

18:43 Making history with England

20:48 Coaching at Arsenal and Reading

23:33 John Barnes, Paul Ince and football’s closed doors

24:10 Transforming sport at the University of the West Indies

32:58 The team that saved West Indies cricket

35:00 Cheryl’s vision for girls’ cricket

39:25 Tridents Trust Day

43:47 Remembering Cheryl

47:00 Still Here With Me

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Jonty Rhodes believes Europe is cricket’s “last frontier” – but his new mission goes far beyond winning matches.

The South Africa legend talks to Sanjay Murthy about becoming co-owner of the Rotterdam Dockers, growing cricket across Europe and the franchise’s partnership with Bat For A Chance.

Jonty explains how cricket helped unite South Africa, why players can become ambassadors for change and how sport can create opportunities for young people in underserved communities.

He also revisits the iconic Inzamam-ul-Haq run-out, his Lord’s century and South Africa’s heartbreaking 1999 World Cup semi-final against Australia.

Elsewhere, Sanjay and Geraint Jones ask whether cricket can crack Europe, play Who Am I? and launch What’s Got Geraint’s Goat? – featuring Pakistan’s problems, the Alice Capsey wicketkeeping debate and cricket’s latest bad-light farce.

Chapters

00:00 Jonty Rhodes on cricket and social change

01:00 Can cricket crack Europe?

07:20 Giving back through cricket

09:12 Jonty Rhodes joins Close of Play

10:03 Childhood, apartheid and South Africa’s return

13:01 The iconic Inzamam-ul-Haq run-out

15:04 Jonty’s batting and Lord’s century

19:50 Cricket’s role in changing South Africa

21:51 The 1999 World Cup semi-final

26:05 Why Jonty invested in Rotterdam Dockers

29:52 The Bat For A Chance partnership

33:45 Silly Point: Who Am I?

41:39 What’s Got Geraint’s Goat?

43:14 Pakistan’s Test cricket problems

51:35 The Alice Capsey wicketkeeping debate

56:17 Cricket’s latest bad-light farce

Subscribe to Close of Play for more cricket interviews, debate and stories.

#Cricket #JontyRhodes #EuropeanCricket #ETPL #RotterdamDockers #BatForAChance #SouthAfricaCricket

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Have Australia left their rebuild too late?

Australia’s Test side has an average age of 33, with several senior players approaching what could be their final Ashes series. Sanjay and Geraint assess whether the selectors should begin making difficult decisions now—and examine the young Australians pushing for an opportunity.

They also discuss England’s progress towards the 2027 Ashes, Joe Root’s return as captain, Brydon Carse’s nightclub incident and whether England have a wider problem with player behaviour.

Plus, Silly Point and Geraint’s Golden Nuggets on standing up to the stumps.

Chapters

00:00 Have Australia left their rebuild too late?
02:14 Australia’s ageing Test side
05:00 Have the selectors been too conservative?
08:41 The Arsenal comparison
10:57 Australia’s next generation
15:01 Now or never for Australia
16:18 England’s Ashes rebuild
20:17 Jordan Cox or Dan Lawrence?
21:51 England’s new pace attack
25:18 Ponting’s 2027 Ashes squad
26:59 The Lions pathway
30:30 Silly Point: Who Am I?
35:28 England thrash Pakistan
41:42 Pakistan’s missing young players
44:15 Does England have a discipline problem?
50:14 Golden Nuggets: Standing up to the stumps
01:00:00 Jonesy’s weekend cricket return

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Pakistan are unpredictable. England are vulnerable. Who should be more worried?

Sanjay Murthy and Geraint Jones preview the three-Test series, including:

• Joe Root v Babar Azam
• Pakistan’s 30-year wait for a series win in England
• Mohammad Abbas against England’s top order
• Harry Brook, Jordan Cox and Shoaib Bashir
• Series predictions

Plus The Hundred Finals Day, Bangladesh’s historic win in Australia, Silly Point and Geraint’s Golden Nuggets.

Chapters

00:00 Opening

00:48 England v Pakistan: who should be worried?

05:16 Pakistan’s record in England

07:41 Key players and the captaincy battle

13:09 Mohammad Abbas and England’s top order

14:31 Jordan Cox’s opportunity

16:24 Shoaib Bashir and England’s balance

20:43 The pace battle and Harry Brook

24:50 Series predictions

27:38 Silly Point: Who am I?

33:39 The Hundred Finals Day review

42:21 Bangladesh stun Australia

48:55 Golden Nuggets: playing the leg-side ball

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DESCRIPTION

Do England have any idea what to do with Ollie Pope? He is back in the Test squad, but with Jordan Cox selected at No. 3 and Dan Lawrence at No. 6, is he really any closer to playing?

Sanjay and former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones examine Joe Root’s first squad of the new regime, the selection of seven seamers and the likely attack for the opening Test against Pakistan at Headingley.

Geraint also gives his inside view on Andrew Flintoff’s departure from the England Lions. Did constant player turnover make it impossible for Flintoff to build the team environment he wanted and what should the ECB do next?

Plus: Geraint’s Golden Nuggets, another round of Silly Point, viewer reaction to the proposal of taking The Hundred on the road and Geraint’s eventful return to the cricket field.

Let us know what you think: what exactly is England’s plan for Ollie Pope?

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro
00:43 England’s first squad of the new regime
09:09 What is England’s plan for Ollie Pope?
14:55 New era or the same old squad?
19:42 Our England XI for Headingley
21:58 Geraint’s Golden Nuggets
26:21 Why Andrew Flintoff left the England Lions
31:28 Can the Lions build a culture with constant turnover?
34:40 Does England need more than one Lions team?
39:34 Who should replace Flintoff?
41:11 Silly Point
47:06 Should The Hundred go on the road?
54:04 Geraint’s cricket comeback

#EnglandCricket #OlliePope #CricketPodcast

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Stephen Fleming is England’s new Test coach and Joe Root is back as captain — but is this a masterstroke or a safe step backwards?

We discuss whether Fleming can retain the best of Bazball while bringing greater tactical intelligence, control and adaptability to England’s Test cricket.

Plus, crowds at The Hundred are down. Has the novelty worn off, does it need Indian superstars — or is English cricket trying to sustain one competition too many?

Plus a new feature - Geraint's Golden Nuggets.

Let us know what you think in the comments and subscribe to Close of Play.

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