Stumped

New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming has suggested England should be led by an English coach. He is due to take charge of his first Test series in South Africa in December, continuing the tradition of overseas coaches leading the England men’s team. Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma examine if appointing a home-grown coach is the way forward?

From viral social media clips to some wonderfully chaotic moments on the field, the European Cricket League has caught the attention of fans around the world. Now, the competition has an even bigger ambition: creating a permanent home in Spain. Campo Máximo is being developed as a purpose-built, futuristic, eco-friendly cricket ground. Dan Weston, the man behind it, tells Stumped that he hopes it could one day host IPL matches.

Plus, women’s cricket is reaching new audiences around the world, but what’s happening beyond the big stadiums? Cricketer and former journalist Jenny Thompson went on a mission to travel the globe and capture women playing the game, and hear their stories, in a new book, “Her World Cricket Tour”. Jenny tells Stumped the inspiration for her adventure started with the podcast.

Photo: Stephen Fleming, England's Test Cricket coach pictured ahead of the 3rd Vitality IT20 match between England and Sri Lanka at Emirates Old Trafford on September 19, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Credit: Getty Images)

The first Test between South Africa and Australia was overshadowed by bad light in Durban. Australia won by 214 runs, but the game lost more than 60 overs due to bad light. Should they have used the pink ball to get more play? Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta debate if using a pink ball is the best solution.

Cricketers are often seen as unbreakable, entertaining us week after week, competing at the highest level and chasing sporting victory. For many, it's a dream career, but for some that is far from reality. Gloucestershire seamer Craig Miles, has decided enough is enough and has retired from the sport at the age of 32, to protect his "mental well-being". He tells Stumped what led to his decision.

Plus, England's Ollie Pope has pulled out of the players draft for the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League. Pope was among a number of English players, who entered the draft and have come under criticism, given the Taliban's oppression of women and girls. We examine the ethical questions surrounding involvement in the competition and ask where responsibility lies: with individual players, or with cricket's governing bodies?

Photo: Australia leave the field as play is stopped due to bad light during day 2 of the 1st Dafabet Test match between South Africa and Australia at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on October 10, 2026 in Durban, South Africa. (Credit: Gallo Images/Getty Images)

It's a new era for India with Smriti Mandhana replacing Harmanpreet Kaur as captain. Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss Harmanpreet’s legacy and if Smriti is the right person for the role?

New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson joins the programme as he relaunches a fast bowling challenge that discovered his skills 18 years ago. He hopes the competition can unearth new talent for the Black Caps and White Ferns.

Plus Australia are in South Africa for the first time since the “sandpapergate” scandal which rocked international cricket in 2018. All eyes will be on Steve Smith, who was sent home from that tour and stripped of the captaincy. What does his return to South Africa mean, and will the past still cast a shadow over this series?

Photo: Harmanpreet Kaur of India celebrates with the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup trophy alongside team mate Harleen Deol after her team's victory in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup India 2025 Final match between India and South Africa at Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy on November 02, 2025 in Navi Mumbai, India. (Credit: ICC via Getty Images)

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.