It’s Not Just Cricket

Award winning broadcaster Nikesh Rughani joins Azeem and Matt to talk about his journey from the BBC Asian Network to Test Match Special. Despite being a very recognisable voice of cricket radio coverage Nikesh speaks candidly about how some people will never accept that there are more diverse voices in sports broadcasting these days. He also opens up about being stuck between two very different cultures as a British Asian and as usual the boys delve into the big cricket stories of the week - why a two-tier Test system could be disastrous and whether politicians should be telling England to boycott playing Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy.

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It's the final episode of 2024 and loads to get our teeth into this week! Australia dominate India on the final day at the MCG but Azeem (aka The Grinch) has a word of warning for rising star Sam Konstas. Rohit Sharma has had a terrible 2024 in Test cricket so will he be tempted to retire at the end of the series?! The MCG breaks the Australian record for attendance at a Test match so the boys take the opportunity to discuss the best places on earth to watch cricket and there's plenty of praise for South Africa - is it now time to call it the Big 4 rather than the Big 3?

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Merry Christmas ya filthy animals! Cricket addicts have plenty of ways to get their fix over the festive period and the boys start by previewing the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India. Brendon McCullum has picked his first England white ball squads but how will he bring BazBall to the shorter formats? Meanwhile England's women have just demolished South Africa for a very impressive Test win but Heather Knight was very critical of the fact that there was no DRS in use - is she right that it 'shows the status of the women's game'?

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After Isa Guha apologised for comments she made on air on Jasprit Bumrah, Matt and Azeem discuss her heartfelt apology and whether she even had to make it. Also on the agenda - England's topsy turvy Test year and how Prithvi Shaw needs support not constant criticism.

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Azeem is now an F1 convert after his trip to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but cricket remains in pole position for this episode. England's brilliance in New Zealand has led to a selection headache for the next series and the boys debate who should be dropped out of Crawley, Pope, Bethell and Smith. Darren Lehmann's comments on Joe Root split opinion and there is a long discussion on the supposed threat of around 50 players to boycott The Hundred unless the ECB allows them to play in more franchise tournaments.

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Not many cricketers are as engaging and introspective as Robbie Uthappa. The T20 World Cup winner with India opens up about his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. There is of course a plenty of cricket chat too - Robbie has a very interesting take on what it's like for a player watching the IPL Auction and why he would never drop Ravichandran Ashwin.

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Azeem's in London so the boys meet in person for the first time in weeks! Matt feels a bit underdressed. On the menu this week - dissecting everything about another astonishing IPL Auction - the most expensive buys ever, why teams don't pack their squads with big name overseas anymore and how a 13 year old made history! For dessert, it's a look ahead to England's daunting Test series in New Zealand - should Oli Pope remain at number 5 or 6 for the rest of his Test career?! Oh and Azeem thinks Jasprit Bumrah could be the greatest cricketer India have produced...Matt respectfully disagrees!

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There's a huge Test series on the horizon between Australia and India. The boys look at the selection issues India face before the 1st Test and debate over an article that claims the India/Australia rivalry is now bigger than the Ashes. Then they get into the IPL Auction - why is there confusion surrounding Jofra Archer and Mark Wood's involvement and which England players could go for big money deals? They both also have interesting takes on why the great Jimmy Anderson has put his name on the auction list.

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Around 30% of recreational cricketers in England are British South Asians but only 5% of professional cricketers. Why is that and what can be done about it? Step forward Tom Brown, who co-founded SACA - the South Asian Cricket Academy - to help change those numbers and get more South Asians coming through to the professional game. Tom and Matt discuss how unconscious bias has played a big part in the lack of Asians making it and how SACA has already managed to produce a player for the England squad in Jafer Chohan.

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India lose a home Test series for the first time in 12 years but was it just a blip or a sign that an ageing side is now past it's peak? Meanwhile as we get set for an IPL Mega Auction, many big name players aren't retained by their franchises - but is this often down to the player himself? And the word on the street is that the Auction will take place in Riyadh - is this the first move as Saudi Arabia looks to become a major influence in cricket?!

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