The Final Word Cricket Podcast

Season 18, Episode 4: Over the years, we’ve had the company of many people for whom cricket is not their day job, but none with as many letters after their name. Mervyn King’s life in economics involved teaching at some of the finest universities, going on to become the long-standing governor of the Bank of England. That term included the 2008 Great Financial Crisis, as one of the world’s most important figures in finding a way out of that shock. Now retired, he’s able to give to the game he’s loved since growing up in the 1950s, serving this year as president of MCC. In the Lord’s pavilion, he spoke with Adam about a complex period of transition in the international game, and his own vast career.

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Season 18, Episode 3: Great news this week that after years of campaigning, the ICC board has agreed to support Afghanistan’s women cricketers in exile. Details aren’t yet clear but the principle is. Also this week, more Olympic news, James Anderson is made a knight, a hefty county round includes some sizzling finishes, and there was an even better one in the unofficial Australia-England Test starring Charli Knott.

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That's right, we've been kindly offered the chance to play on Wormsley, one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world, with The Final Word XI set to take on our mates at Zero Ducks Given on Monday the 18th of August. It's a superb opportunity for us to raise money for The Lord's Taverners, the charity close to both podcasts, so we came together for this chat (a collaboration, if you will) with Toby Tarrant and Daniel Norcross. Tickets are available in the below link: £20 to watch or £90 to have a day out in the marquee. Book the day off work now!

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It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, Adam and Geoff reunite from The Oval in London, and as luck would have it, this show includes two separate stories featuring a great Oval moment and a great Oval player. It also, rather less expectedly, includes the story of the Australian Shahid Afridi, who did so many miles from Traralgon to Doncaster that he earned the right to tweak a birth certificate or two.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

2.21 - Kennedy H. Ross

4.62 - Jim Carnegie

4.53 - Paddy Considine

8.18 - Andy Newton

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Season 18, Episode 2: It can’t be easy putting red-ball cricket first as a modern West Indian cricketer, but that’s exactly what Kemar Roach has done. Throughout a long and winding international career the start in 2008, and is still going strong 17 years later, the quick from Barbados has always given complete commitment across 85 Test Matches. Back in London for his fifth stint with Surrey, after playing a key role in their county threepeat, he joined Adam at The Oval to reflect on his adventures in the game. In doing so, he wasn’t short of an opinion about the importance of financing Caribbean cricket in a way that gives them the best chance to enjoy consistent success once again. And all done with a big smile on his face – a terrific guest.

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Season 18, Episode 1: The new season begins! It begins with a triple century in the county championship, among a slate of brilliant finishes. It also begins with a sad formal farewell to the sport from Will Pucovski. And as tends to be the way, our episode finds its way through governance changes and scheduling questions into some peak 90s light entertainment. Settle in for Season 18: we can vote, but we still can't drink in America.

Your Nerd Pledge revisit for this week:

3.43 - Sam Ashworth

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It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, Daniel Norcross is back with Geoff for a short and sweet Story Time that somehow turned into this. It begins with Jeremy Coney's preferred method of staving off hyenas, and goes on through pondering who is Daddy, why we remember certain names, who was on the verge of weeping through his entire long career, and who may have wept after his very short one. The ticket is free, take the ride.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

5.08 - Elliott Hoffman

16.28 - Rafael Szumer

7.14 - Chris Holt

4.44 - Martin Smith

3.70 - Damo B

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

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Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au

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Season 17, Episode 35: Welcome to episode three in our series of interviews with county cricketers at the top of their games. It’s opening day today with Lancashire visiting Lord’s. After being relegated at the end of 2024, the job for the men representing the Red Rose is obvious – to bounce straight back up. And when it comes to posting their runs over the next six months, it’ll be their skipper who sets the tone. Keaton Jennings has enjoyed a great run over the last five seasons at the top of the list. At age 32, he’s now deep into a career that has taken him from captaining the South African Under 19s to making a Test ton on debut for England. It’s been a while since his last international cap, but he’s never been far from the thoughts of selectors given he’s shown that he can cut it with the best. In this interview, he provides great insight to what it’s like trying to master the mental side of the game and how that’s liberated him to play his best cricket in recent years. Intelligent and self-aware, he’s another outstanding guest.

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Season 17, Episode 34: As the Mighty South Aussies finally took home another Sheffield Shield and completed the domestic double, Australia's national contracts came out, which raises interesting questions about who will be defending the World Test Championship title in June. In other matters this week, Ben Stokes' body is not a wonderland, James Anderson stuns the world by straining a calf, St Kilda punish Carlton in grade cricket, and the end for the Gabba becomes clear.

Your Nerd Pledge revisit for this week:

5.30 - Richard Jones

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

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Season 17, Episode 33: Welcome to our second interview in a series with county pros at the top of their game as season 2025 begins. Jack Leach’s career has been an unusual one - a Test spinner best known for the most significant 1 not out in modern Test nistory. But when he has the ball in his hand, he's been a matchwinner or England. And when he’s had the backing of the powers that be, he’s seen as one of the most important players in the dressing room. In our conversation, we speak with one of Taunton’s favourite sons as he prepares for another crack at getting the county championship trophy to Somerset for the first time. A great guest.

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

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Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au

Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies:

t20vision.com/FINALWORD

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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