THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Looking forward to county cricket and pitying the plight of groundsmen.

"We sit here now, thinking that it will be beautiful in April. Generally it's still frostbite territory."

FROM THE ARCHIVES (07'15): The first ever IPL auction

"You can imagine how galling it is to be the right player with the right skill set, but just a couple of years too late."

THE REVIEW (18'45): Pushing the Boundaries by Derek Pringle

"If you ever thought it was tough for modern cricketers: Gunner Gould, fielding near the boundary in Australia, finds himself having a meat pie dumped on his head by a spectator. The astonishing thing is that he manages to make a retort to the crowd which gets them on his side."

Recorded on 13 December 2019

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: The end of season club cricket celebration, and a changed mood in Australian cricket

"All everyone really wanted to do was reminisce about seasons past. No one could get bored of talking about cricket, even down to the minutiae of failed innings a couple of seasons ago."

FROM THE ARCHIVES (09'20): The wonderful world of cricket memorabilia

"The most expensive cricket item ever sold? A piece of memorabilia that can't actually be used, and you'll never have heard of the person who owned it."

THE REVIEW (19'20): Absolutely Foxed by Graeme Fowler

"For anyone who tells you cricket is a loveable sport, read that description. It will remind you how brutal a game it can be."

Recorded on 16 November 2019

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Tuning in to India v South Africa, and the joys of recruiting for a club side

"I'll listen to radio commentary about anything: give me a minor club game and I'll happily stick it on."

FROM THE ARCHIVES (08'40): Cricket Match at Edenside, by Sam Bough

"The most striking bit of kit is... the top hat."

THE REVIEW (18'45): Broad & Fry Podcast

"You worry that you're going to get a whole lot of PR speak... but there are a whole lot of insights."

Recorded on 15 September 2019

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Walking on hallowed ground, and cricketers in the press

"They aren't great tufts. It's billiard-top smooth."

FROM THE ARCHIVES (08'50): The making of Jack Leach

"Giving spinners the chance to play on a surface where they take a few wickets isn't a terrible development."

THE REVIEW (20'10): A Clear Blue Sky - Jonny Bairstow and Duncan Hamilton

"There's a poignant stat: there are 13 father/son combinations in English test history, and Jonny Bairstow was the only one not to have their dad there to see their debut."

Recorded on 21 September 2019

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: A rainy day in Canterbury and what makes great commentary?

"The day promptly got very 'English Summer'".

FROM THE ARCHIVES (11'15): Waking up in a cricket pavilion: The Prospect Tower

"What an extraordinary place to take a cup of tea halfway through a game, or to wait nervously to bat."

THE REVIEW (18'50): The Edge

"Jonathan Trott was underwater at one point. And then in a field of corn. I'm undecided on these bits."

Recorded on 26 August 2019

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Wedding cricket, and a world cup final

"We made the World Cup come alive by losing games, and for that alone we deserved to win it."

FROM THE ARCHIVES (10'40): Wilfred Rhodes, and the first great Ashes comeback

"After four drawn tests, they decide they are going to have a result: it's a timeless test."

THE REVIEW (19'30): The Grade Cricketer by Sam Perry, Ian Higgins and Dave Edwards

"Rig was a new word to me. The idea of being well muscled and well toned - an obsession making everyone upset and distressed."

Recorded on 3 August 2019

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Washed out cricket at The Oval; remembering Seymour Nurse

"At one moment we were worried about sunburn; ten minutes later there was a full-blown hailstorm."

 

FROM THE ARCHIVES (06'55): Viv Richards' fielding hat-trick in the first-ever World Cup final

"Richards is a lone figure, sauntering cooly back to his position, rolling his sleeves back up like a gunslinger holstering a six-shooter, having shot a cigarette from between a rival's lips."

 

THE REVIEW (17'15): Steve Smith's Men: Behind Australian Cricket's Fall by Geoff Lemon

"The best thing about this book - and it sounds like damning with faint praise - is the cover."

Recorded on 18 April 2019

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Coming into possession of a hoard of Wisdens; rediscovering the joys of The Twelfth Man

"Before you even open a page, they are a joyous sight with their legion of smart yellow covers."

 

FROM THE ARCHIVES (07'45): A brief history of Australian cricket on TV

"There was suddenly this idea that the nation would grind to a halt because cricket could be watched on TV."

 

THE REVIEW (18'45): Sherlock Holmes and the Birth of the Ashes - Arunabha Sengupta

"If you're a fan of cricket and Conan Doyle, this will be a real treat. If you're not, steer clear: you'll be deeply mystified by almost everything that goes on on every page."

Recorded on 25 April 2019

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Ireland and Afghanistan in a memorable Test encounter; a particularly Australian form of cheating; and the 2019 English county season

"The next county season feels out-dated before it's even begun"

 

FROM THE ARCHIVES (10'55): From Scorpions to Falcons: the curious tale of a cricketing nickname

"The Telegraph went in with perhaps the cruellest assessment: 'It was appropriate that the club should have named its Sunday League side after an animal famed for committing suicide.'"

 

THE REVIEW (19'50): Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket - Stephen Fay and David Kynaston

"The signature idea of the book is the way that both Arlott and Swanton were nostalgic and longed for a golden age; and yet they both surprise you with their openness for change."

Recorded on 19 March 2019

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Peter Oborne and Mike Brearley talk cricket in London, while in Sydney the ABC is on a rare winning streak.

"It was a life highlight when he described my question as 'extremely interesting'."

 

FROM THE ARCHIVES (12'55): The Toss: A brief history of a cricketing institution

"When things aren't going your way on the pitch, and then you lose every toss, you start to fear the world has it in for you more generally. Nasser Hussain always had the aura of 'him against the universe'."

 

THE REVIEW (26'50): All Wickets Great and Small: In Search of Yorkshire's Grassroots Cricket - John Fuller

"We go everywhere on the bus, and we quickly learn that John Fuller is passionate about cricket but also happy to give his tuppence worth on public transport."

Recorded on 29 February 2019