We just quickly got together to record some initial reactions after the stunning game at the Oval. We will come back with a more detailed analysis of what has been a fantastic test series.

This episode is a chat with the folks on The Last Wicket Podcast. Do listen to their previous podcasts which have tremendous nostalgia value and a lot of depth in variety of the topics discussed.

The current landscape of cricket journalism and television coverage is characterized by a significant decline in quality and depth, as discussed in our latest podcast episode.

We explore how the monopolistic tendencies of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have led to a homogenization of narratives, focusing excessively on celebrity players while neglecting broader analytical discourse. Our dialogue also delves into the implications of rising jingoism in sports media, which appears to cater more to sensationalism than substantive cricketing insights. Furthermore, we address the emergence of fan culture that prioritizes tribalism over appreciation for the sport itself, reflecting a troubling shift in societal attitudes. Join us as we dissect these pressing issues and consider the future of cricket coverage in an increasingly polarized media environment.

We sat down to discuss England's win at Lord's.

We discussed why Jadeja should have attacked more, why is this team so defensive?, what is the secret of Ben Stokes' energy? (No we didn't) but definitely marvelled at Archer's return and the dangers of Siraj being overbowled before looking ahead to the Manchester Test where we think Kuldeep is a must (heck, we thought he was a must in all tests).

There is sadly no media review but an observation that the Indian fan and YT creators ended up defending this selection as the game went on.

2nd Test Review of the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy

Media Roundups (multiple times, as one must)

Mulder Brainfade?

The wives of cricketers are to blame for everything

Predictions for the Lord's Test

Pradeep Magazine is a cricket writer, columnist, and former sports editor of The Pioneer, the India Today e-paper, and the Hindustan Times. He began his journalistic career in 1979 with the Chandigarh edition of The Indian Express and served as its cricket editor in 1999–2000. He writes on cricket regularly in The Tribune. He has written 2 wonderful cricket books - Not Just Cricket & Not Quite Cricket

In this episode we chat about -

1. SA’s remarkable WTC win with a black captain in Temba Bavuma at the helm
2. The lack of representation & invisibilisation of Dalits and OBCs in Cricket
3. The dim view of administration of Women’s Cricket
4. The star power creates disparities in the Indian team
5. Is Match fixing still possible due to the economic disparities and mushrooming of smaller leagues?
6. Pradeep refers to Ex-Commissioner of Police & Head of BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit - Neeraj Kumar’s book - A Cop in Cricket where his work and findings are ignored by the BCCI
7. Classist humour in India against cricketers 
8. His evolving relationship with the game after being in such close proximity

Books by Pradeep Magazine

Not Just Cricket

Not Quite Cricket

Article that prompted the episode -

When Quota is fair game - The Tribune

In this episode, we discuss the changing nature of Bazball, Gill in his first test as captain, Yashasvi's drops affecting the game, the joy of Rishabh Pant, the finesse of KL Rahul, the vitriol against Siraj and Prasidh, the uselessness of Ravindra Jadeja and of course a media review of our favourite Youtube channels.

Tim Wigmore is a sports writer for The Daily Telegraph and has also written for The Economist, The New York Times, ESPN Cricinfo, and The New Statesman, among others.

We sat down to discuss his latest book - Test Cricket - A History, which is his most fascinating book yet. There is a unique mix of history, context, aesthetics, race & class which another writer could have easily papered over. Tim excels in his ability to weave stories across centuries with this one and making the history of the game we love not as overwhelming.

We discuss the following -

1. Legitimacy of Test Matches early on

2. Fast Bowling Quartet

3. Decline in Spin bowling

4. Overperformance of Captains while they are Captains

5. Resilience of Test Playing Nations to play after long gaps

6. Role of Amateurs and Professionals in Cricket's long history

7. Moral Victories

8. Lovely references on Aesthetics of batting in the book

9. Non-development of the women's game

10. 4 Day tests and restructuring of the WTC

You can buy Test Cricket - A History from pretty much every good bookstore across Cricket playing nations along with Amazon as well.

Buy the Book - Test Cricket - A History

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon India

Crickonomics: The Anatomy of Modern Cricket:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon India

Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon India

The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon India

White Hot: The Inside Story of England Cricket’s Double World Champions

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon India

Second XI: Cricket In Its Outposts

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon India

In our previous chat with Tim, we had asked him for Book Recommendations. Those are below.

Pundits from Pakistan by Rahul Bhattacharya

Beyond a Boundary by CLR James

The Unquiet Ones by Osman Samiuddin

Different Class Duncan Stone

The only way to honour the memories of those who lost their lives in the stampede at Chinnaswamy on 4th of June is to continue talking about it.

We speak to Sarthak Dev, who wrote an excellent piece for News Laundry.

You can read The story of a disaster: An IPL win, a city’s joy, and a tragedy that was waiting to happen here.

Tarutr runs BestofCricket Substack where he publishes a Daily Newsletter with the best cricket stories (text, audio & video). You can read & subscribe here.

Trigger Warning

Mentions of the Tragedy at Chinnaswamy are discussed at multiple points in the episode. There is an outline and trigger warning at the start of the episode.

We are joined by Dave, Shay, Richa, Aditya, Tarutr & MV in this episode and there are 5 RCB fans who sent in voice notes on how they felt about winning the first league title.

What is covered in this episode?

1. RCB Fans from across the world share what it felt to win the first IPL title. (1:48 to 9:42)

2. We speak to Tarutr Malhotra from BestofCricket about the tragedy at Chinnaswamy, the commotion, lack of communication and why he decided to exit the celebrations. (9:42 to 36:13)

He has also written a piece. Read it here.

3. We start the IPL review with introduction of the guests (36:38 to 38:07), speak about the tragedy at Chinnaswamy (38:07 to 45:07) & Move to the IPL review which continues right till the end!

In this episode, we have long time listeners Saurabh, Shay & Fahad to discuss their memories of the IPL.

It’s a great mix of folks from varying age groups and their association with the league. While Saurabh is largely neutral despite having a soft corner for SRH & RR, Fahad loves CSK & Shay is an RCB fan from North India. 

It gives us an insight into how the IPL has evolved and how the evolution affects the people watching it. 

Are they still as chuffed at watching the IPL from their first viewing of the league? Listen in.