Stumped

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta discuss what the future could hold for West Indies cricket after the board announced a series of cost-cutting measures. International players face a 25% cut in retainer fees, and the men’s Super50 and women's T20 Blaze competitions have been suspended. Journalist and commentator Fazeer Mohammed explains the problems have been years in the making.

The team also debate if India’s Virat Kohli is the best men’s white ball batter of all time. He recently extended his record of ODI centuries to 55 and is the second player, after Sachin Tendulkar, to score 15,000 runs in 50-over cricket but did it quicker than the 'little master.

Plus, there have been hundreds of centuries scored at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, but it's now witnessed a very different kind of 100. The outfield was used for a challenge to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and to shine a spotlight on dementia by walking 100 laps. It was the idea of ECB Chair and ICC Board member Richard Thompson whose dad died from the condition. Alison caught up with him as they did the challenge.

Photo: Keacy Carty of West Indies with John Campbell of West Indies during the 2nd one day international (ODI) cricket match between India and West Indies at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, India, on September 30, 2026. (Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma look back at Mark Wood’s England career and discuss the toll fast bowling can take on the body. The World Cup and Ashes winner has retired from international cricket, saying “the England dream has slowly been ground out of me over the last year”.

IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings have appointed former Indian bowler Zaheer Khan as their head coach on a one-year deal. He succeeds Stephen Fleming, who is now the coach of England’s Test team. Charu isn’t convinced it’s the right call for one of the most successful teams in IPL history, and what does this mean for MS Dhoni's role in the team?

Plus, what do you do if your kit doesn’t fit you? Design your own of course. That’s exactly what sisters Cat and Honor Black have done. Fed up with wearing gear that wasn’t made for them, they’ve launched their own brand exclusively for women and girls. They tell Stumped about their journey.

Photo: England's Mark Wood celebrates after taking the wicket of Australia's Usman Khawaja on day three of the fourth Ashes cricket Test match between England and Australia at Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester, England on July 21, 2023. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Will Steve Smith feature in the 2027 Ashes? The Aussie legend has hinted that he might not play in the next Ashes series because he’s "in kind of a series-by-series proposition". Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma examine the impact this could have on the Aussie batting line up and whether he’s considered as one of the of the greats of the game, despite not winning the urn away from home?

Former South Africa captain Dean Elgar tells Stumped he’s “over cricket now”. The left-hander played 86 Test matches and scored 14 centuries for the Proteas. He says it’s the “right time” to step away from the game at the end of the County Championship season in England. He also reflects on ‘sandpapergate’ and his time leading his country.

Plus, things go from bad to worse for Pakistan as they were docked 11 World Test Championship points due to a slow over rate during the Edgbaston Test. They now sit at the bottom the table – where do they go from here?

Photo:  Steve Smith of Australia leads the team onto the field during day four of the Second 2025/26 Ashes Series Test Match between Australia and England at The Gabba on December 07, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. (Credit: Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

India’s Smriti Mandhana continues to rewrite the record books. She’s now the all-time leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket and holds the record for the most international centuries. Alison Mitchell, Sunil Gupta and Clint Wheeldon discuss whether the left-hander is the greatest women’s batter of all time?

England have appointed Kevin Pietersen as a specialist mentor for their white-ball set-up. The former Ashes winner will begin his role with the upcoming T20 and ODI series against Sri Lanka. Sunil and Clint believe he can help England challenge for the 2027 ICC World Cup.

Plus, Japan Cricket Association CEO Naoki Alex Miyaji joins Stumped to discuss their plans to host a T20 international against India. The historic fixture will be the first time Japan’s men have faced India and will also launch celebrations marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Photo: Smriti Mandhana of India warms up prior to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Group A match between South Africa and India at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on June 21, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Credit: ICC via Getty Images)

Former Pakistan leg-spinner and current Bangladesh spin coach, Mushtaq Ahmed, tells Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta that he’d love to work with Pakistan again in the future and gives his thoughts on the current instability in the nation’s national team.

He believes Pakistan should remain calm and not make any rash decisions after they sent home seven players including two coaches after the second Test defeat against England at Lord’s. He also says Bangladesh deserve the right to play more red ball cricket after their 1-1 draw in Australia.

Marnus Labugchagne has been left out of the recent Australia's ODI squad to face Zimbabwe and South Africa. The trio discuss if this marks the beginning of the end of Labuschagne's international career?

Plus, Cricket is played all around the world, from the gullies of Lahore, to the back yards of Australia and the Maidan’s of India. It's also played in many unusual places like in Solent, England, on the Bramble Bank that appears only once a year! Alison went to find out more.

Photo: Ali Usman of Pakistan is bowled by Jofra Archer during the second day of the second Rothesay Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord's Cricket Ground on August 28, 2026 in London, England. (Credit: Getty Images)

Cricket isn't short of big rivalries. We can now add another one to the list - Vicars versus Imams! We hear from players from both teams about the mini series which has been going on for almost a decade in Lancashire, England.

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta also reflect on Australia's comfortable win over Bangladesh as the Test series ended in a 1-1 draw. For the third time in the last seven matches, a Test in Australia finished inside two days, is this becoming an issue for the sport?

Plus, the team react to Joe Root's comments after yet another off the field incident involving an England player. Eight contracted players have been involved in or present for late-night incidents in the past year.

Photo: Lancashire Vicars v Imams Credit: Clive Lawrence

Bangladesh stunned Australia by nine wickets in the first Test at Darwin, a result few saw coming. Nikesh Rughani, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss whether Bangladesh were simply too good, or Australia was below par. Jim, however, sees no reason to panic and believes the Aussies will bounce back in the second Test.

Scotland and Netherlands say the ICC’s plans to shrink the men’s 2027 Cricket World Cup to 12 teams will make it harder for associate nations to qualify. Alison Mitchell, Charu Sharma and Brett Sprigg discuss the impact this will have on the sport.

Photo: BANGALORE, INDIA - NOVEMBER 12: Roelof van der Merwe of Netherlands reacts during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 between India and Netherlands at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Bangalore, India. (Photo by Matt Roberts-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

HOBART, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 14: Matt Machan of Scotland looks dejected after being dismissed by Pat Cummins of Australia during the 2015 Cricket World Cup match between Australia and Scotland at Bellerive Oval on March 14, 2015 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Smriti Mandhana joins Stumped to discuss India's strong dressing room culture and the supportive environment that has helped shape the team's success. The elegant left-hander also reflects on winning the 2025 Cricket World Cup and on playing in the historic Test match at Lord’s and in The Hundred. Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma reflect on her remarkable impact and discuss what India must do to consistently challenge the world's best sides.

Eleanor Oldroyd, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma react to the news that England have appointed Stephen Fleming as their new Test coach with Joe Root returning as skipper. Charu feels he could be a calming influence, while Jim believes it doesn’t matter that England have appointed another coach from overseas. It’s the first time Fleming has taken charge of a red ball team after having success in franchise cricket, winning IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings.

England legend and World Cup winner, Heather Knight, tells Stumped about her new role with London Spirit and says she intends to continue playing franchise cricket.

Plus, could we see cricket at the Commonwealth Games in 2030? It’s under consideration to be included and Jim and Charu have differing views on the impact it could make

Photo: Texas Super Kings Head Coach Stephen Fleming is seen prior to the Major League Cricket match between Texas Super Kings and Washington Freedom on Wednesday July 02, 2025 at Central Broward Regional Park, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Credit: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)