This week I have the privilege to speak to one of cricket's fastest bowlers, a true champion and a close mate, Brett Lee. Binga enjoyed the highs of winning an Ashes series, World Cup and Allan Border Medal during his career, but also suffered the lows of being dropped and battling injury setbacks. On this special episode, Binga talks about the mental and physical techniques he used throughout his career and how he is managing phase two of his life.

Rundown

02:00 Some of my favourite memories of Binga (YouTube links below)

04:45 Binga reflects on his career

06:50 An in-depth chat on bowling techniques

17:10 Brett talks about injury and injury prevention

24:58 Brett's fascinating take on mental skill

36:58 How Binga handled the media

48:50 The financial lessons learnt

1:02:48 Binga's life mantras

1:15:30 The documentaries Binga has been watching

YouTube clips

Binga's Test debut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL-IS4jUD-M

2003 World Cup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kOr5utc88k

Binga's golden summer of 2007-08: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIXiwsBtxT0

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On this week's episode I have the absolute pleasure of chatting to former New Zealand captain, gun opening batsman and mastermind coach Stephen Fleming. Flem was one of cricket's great leaders, but as he'll explain, his skills as a skipper took years to develop. Flem also talks about his passion for reading, the art of man management and how he became one of the game's great slip fielders.

Episode rundown

01:50 My highlight of Flem's career, his superb century in the 2003 World Cup (YouTube link below)

04:05 Flem speaks about his batting and how he never fully mastered the craft

08:30 Flem explains his catching process and technique

10:55 Lessons learnt about fitness

11:55 Flem's big learnings as a leader

15:45 The light bulb moment in his coaching career

20:29 Flem's mental checklist as a batsman and fundamentals as a coach

29:02 Flem talks about his relationship with the media

34:05 The financial lessons Flem has learnt

40:38 Flem's life philosophy and being comfortable in his own skin

44:30 The advice Flem would give to his 16-year-old self

46:05 Flem's favourite books

YouTube links

Flem's 134no v South Africa, 2003 World Cup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5S9xZuphlc

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This week's episode of Lessons Learnt with the Greats is an absolute beauty. Shane Warne is not only one of the greatest bowlers to ever play the game but I'm lucky enough to call him a good friend and mentor. Warnie has been kind enough to come on the show to share his wisdom, from how he managed fame and off-field drama to what he did during his career to get the best out of his extraordinary ability, to how he know spends his time and his current passion projects. Don't miss this episode.

Rundown

01:12 Welcome Warnie!

02:38 A couple of my favourite Warnie memories (links below)

04:00 Warnie looks back on his career and the deliveries that changed his life

09:00 Warnie on self-belief and his champion mindset

17:55 Coming back from injury and the mental challenges

20:22 The technical components Warnie focused on

28:00 Body management for peak performance

30:45 Warnie and I discuss the modern fitness practices of today's cricketers

37:03 Warnie on leadership and his IPL experiences

45:40 Warnie explains how he shut out the off-field distractions

48:42 Warnie's thoughts on commentary and the media

54:25 Warnie details the financial lessons he's learnt

1:06:43 Warnie's mantra when times are tough

YouTube links

Warnie's 8-71 against England at The Gabba 1994 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX6pT9KtzW4

Warnie's 4-29 in the 1999 World Cup Semi-final against South Africa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpfqVDdD3e8

Warnie's 7-52 against the West Indies in 1992/93 https://youtu.be/JSfmUq3tySU

Warnie's Ball of the Century 1993 https://youtu.be/s3V-sYH0Sks

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On this very special episode, I have the absolute privilege and honour of talking to and gaining incredible insights from not only the best left arm fast bowler of all time but one one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history, Wasim Akram. I have been so lucky to have spent time with Wasim over the last five years in the Pakistan Super League, where he has been the mentor of one of my teams, Islamabad United. I hope you enjoy listening to Wasim talk about his life as I did chatting to the legendary allrounder.

Rundown

00:50 I welcome Wasim by reading out some of his ridiculous statistics

02:55 Wasim talks about the early days of his career

04:10 I go full fanboy and tell Wasim two of my favourite memories of his playing days (links below)

08:00 Wasim remembers his first tour to Australia in 1985

09:58 Wasim picks out a few of his career highlights, including facing India in Tests for the first time in a decade (link below)

14:00 Wasim speaks about the pressures he faced

15:45 Wasim talks the art of fast bowling and how he developed his skills

21:05 Wasim's fitness regime

26:45 I ask Wasim about the mental side of the game

29:20 Wasim on being named captain at 24 and the sage advice he got from Imran Khan

32:10 Wasim speaks about his post-playing career as a commentator

34:15 Wasim on how he dealt with media scrutiny

35:40 I ask Wasim about his approach to finances and how he manages his money

42:15 Wasim's life mantra

44:20 Finally I ask who has inspired Wasim the most throughout his life

YouTube links

1992 World Cup final: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4m_jTOCSfQ

Wasim's maiden Test hundred: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ5EjWQ_hIc

Pakistan v India 1999 Test series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLt6xK_LSrA

Purchase Winning The Inner Battle Audiobook version now. https://plus.acast.com/s/lessons-learnt-with-the-greats.

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On this episode of Lessons Learnt with the Greats, I have the great fortune of chatting with a fellow Queenslander, a phenomenal batsman and a player I always tried to emulate growing up – Matt Hayden. Through sheer hard work and determination, Haydos achieved so many things that all cricketers only dream of. I was so fortunate to have been mentored by him on an off the field from the day I came into the Australian squad in 2002 and now it is awesome to have the chance to gain even more incredible insights from one of the greatest opening batsmen the world has ever seen. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!

Rundown

00:34 A message to all those out there doing it tough during these challenging times

02:07 The incredible career numbers of Haydos

05:15 Some of my favourite innings of Haydos's career (links below)

10:00 Memories of the hard work put in for the 2001 tour of India and his first Test double century

12:21 Haydos talking batting techniques

14:15 Haydos reveals the movie quote that changed his life

17:05 The mental side of the game

22:50 The scoreboard of life

30:30 Haydos on what made him such a brilliant catcher of a cricket ball and a couple of tips for beginners

39:15 Haydos talks fitness and what he did to get in shape and stay there

44:40 The mental training that goes with physical training

50:30 Haydos talks about disagreement with Ricky Ponting about the future of T20 cricket

52:55 On how the media impacted his career

58:30 Haydos talks investing and lessons learnt in the business world

YouTube links

Haydos's 203 v India, 2001: https://youtu.be/nPSbuMHKbxc

His 101 from 68 balls against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup: https://youtu.be/0Yischd2nNo

For more Lessons Learnt from the Greats, including blogs and vlogs on how I approach the game, head to T20stars.com

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On this episode of Lessons Learnt with the Greats, I interview the 2011 World Cup winner, Yuvraj Singh. Yuvi has lived an extraordinary life so far. He was a T20 World Cup winner in 2007, he was crowned Player of the Tournament in India's 2011 World Cup victory at home and straight after had to fight for his life after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Everyone who listens to this episode will be blown away by the insights that Yuvi so generously gives us, from a cricket perspective and most importantly, a life perspective.

I am sure everyone will absolutely love this episode.

Episode notes

02:04 - My highlights of Yuvi's incredible career

05:20 - Yuvi's thoughts on batting

10:58 - How Yuvi went about bowling his left-arm spinners

14:08 - Yuvi on fitness and injury management

17:15 - Yuvi's lessons learnt dealing with the media

25:12 - How Yuvi dealt with the financial side of the game during his career

31:50 - Yuvi speaks about his battle with cancer and how he got through it

37:34 - What Yuvi would tell his 16-year-old self

38:55 - Yuvi's favourite book

The YouTube links to the incredible innings that are mentioned in this episode are below.

ODI v Aus 2000

https://youtu.be/6CerO0KTvIk

6 sixes vs England - T20 World Cup 2007

https://youtu.be/sAevuDJFgZ4

Quarter Final vs Australia 2011 World Cup

https://youtu.be/xw19JDfYtCM

First Test Century

https://youtu.be/ozO6bunfrXQ

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On this episode of Lessons Learnt with the Greats, I have the absolute honour to interview my favourite cricketer of all time, the one and only Master Blaster, Sir Vivian Richards. Sir Viv was a true pioneer on so many levels and was one of the main pillars in the West Indian team through the 1970's and 1980's that goes down as one of the greatest cricket teams of all time. His achievements are staggering with one of them being playing integral roles in the West Indian team winning Two World Cups in 1975 and 1979.

This episode is a must for any cricket lover. Sir Viv has lived an extraordinary life and his insights into his cricket life and other aspects of his life are absolutely phenomenal.

Episode rundown

04:20 - After reading his epic stats I go through my favourite innings of Viv's career

10:07 - Viv talks about his batting approach

16:30 - Viv was one of the great fielders and here he talks about what made him so good

23:25 - Viv on fitness which started with Kerry Packer and World Series Cricket

28:58 - Where Viv's mental toughness came from

41:00 - Viv on captaincy lessons and dealing with scrutiny

52:05 - Viv's financial lessons he learnt

60:00 - The people that have inspired Viv

The YouTube links to the incredible and inspiring innings that are mentioned in this episode are below.

Fastest 100 in Test Cricket

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CWOzoqxTC0

Highest One-day score - 189 vs England

https://youtu.be/6ZOenyArzrU

146 vs Australia at the WACA, Perth

https://youtu.be/sjsoRQnSb-E

Purchase Winning The Inner Battle Audiobook version now. https://plus.acast.com/s/lessons-learnt-with-the-greats.

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