Michael, Phil and Ben look back on England's comfortable win in the second test with South Africa which levels the series between the pair heading into the third and final match.

There's praise for Ben Stokes performance with bat and ball as well as his captaincy which seems to be evolving with each match played.

Elsewhere there's finally some praise for Zak Crawley following a difficult summer.

Our guest this week is none other than former England captain Joe Root! He joins the podcast to discuss how it feels to be re integrated into the side without the burden of captaincy, his close bond with new skipper Ben Stokes and also why this England side is the funnest he has ever played in.

Away from the test side, Mike says it's time the Welsh Fire were disbanded for their own good as they continue to struggle in the Hundred and there's sympathy for the village side who were bowled out for just nine runs!

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Michael, Phil and Ben unpack England's humbling defeat to South Africa and discuss whether it is a wake up call for their aggressive approach or simply a blip that Brendon McCullum needs to forget.

The guys are joined by former Proteas skipper Graeme Smith, who says McCullum's tactics are not sustainable at the highest level. 

Smith also gives his verdict on England's struggling opening partnership and his plans to revolutionise T20 cricket in South Africa.

Phil gives us the latest from the Hundred and we discuss the upcoming Ben Stokes documentary.

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Michael, Phil and Ben are back in the studio with a very special guest as they build up to the return of Test cricket!

The legendary Sir Geoffrey Boycott joins the guys to discuss his new book, Being Geoffrey Boycott, which details his 18-year career which spanned 108 Tests for England.

We get his take on the current England setup and the impact of 'Bazball'. Geoffrey also explains why Joe Root stands alone as the best batsman in World Cricket, and he has a message for the ECB regarding their high performance review.

Plus, The Telegraph's Charlie Morgan joins the show after facing a machine replication of the South African pace attack. He fills us in on what it's really like to face Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen.

Telegraph subscribers can enjoy an exclusive 20% discount on Being Geoffrey Boycott by visiting the Telegraph Extra website (telegraph.co.uk/extra).

Check out the video of Charlie vs the South African pace attack here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2022/08/16/what-really-like-face-south-africa-pace-attack/

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Michael, Phil and Ben sit down with South Africa and Essex spinner Simon Harmer as he prepares to face England later this month.

He opens up about how close he was to playing for England, what the secret to his recent form has been and also why he thinks 'Bazball' is not just good for England, but a positive for wider Test cricket.

We also look back at the opening week of the Hundred. Michael and Phil feel the competition has underwhelmed in its opening week and that more needs to be done to entice young fans and families.

The guys also pay tribute to the late, great, Shane Warne as he features heavily in this week's 'Free Hit' as the man who delivered the most brutal sledging to both Mike and Phil!

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Michael, Phil and Ben reflect on yet another series defeat for England's white-ball cricketers after a chastening loss to South Africa. Although England have gone through a home summer without a white-ball series win for the first time since 2013, the boys say it is too soon to panic.

Jason Roy's struggles with the bat have been a talking point but Vaughany says it is important Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler stand by him if England are to stand any chance of winning the World Cup in October.

England's women, on the other hand, have had a summer to remember. After navigating their home matches undefeated, they are now in action in the Commonwealth Games and are hoping to top it all off with a gold medal. Sophia Dunkley, one of the young stars of the team, joins the guys from Birmingham to discuss the summer, the Commonwealth games, taking inspiration from the Lionesses and the future of the women's game.

Plus, we talk about the return of the Hundred and give YOU the opportunity to have a free hit at Phil!

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Ben, Michael and Phil reflect on yet another frustrating series for new England white-ball captain Jos Buttler. After levelling the ODI series with South Africa, England were forced to settle for a draw after the deciding match at Headingley was rained off.

We discuss Buttler's stuttering start to life as skipper and draw comparisons with Joe Root's tenure as Test captain, suggesting that Buttler, like Root, is suffering from a lack of support whilst also dealing with a packed schedule.

Our guest this week is the Indian cricket legend Ravi Shastri. After having profound success as both a player and a coach, he has now established himself as one of the leading commentators in the game. Shastri discusses some of the highlights from his glittering career, how he thinks the IPL will develop into a two season competition and gives us his take on 'Bazball'.

We also discuss a remarkable innings from Glamorgan's Sam Northeast, who hit 410 not out in the County Championship before a declaration denied him the chance to break Brian Lara's record of 501!

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England's one day cricketers are struggling to get going under their new captain Jos Buttler. After suffering a series defeat to India over the weekend, they were soundly beaten in their opening ODI against South Africa on Tuesday too.

To make matters worse, test captain Ben Stokes announced on Monday that he will be stepping away from 50 over cricket, citing that his body can no longer cope with all three formats of the game.

Ben, Michael and Phil discuss Stokes decision and in particular his parting statement which seemed to take aim at those who run the game. We also hear from former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who tells us that he fears for the future of test cricket if something is not done to safeguard players.

Our guest this week is one of the finest fast bowlers to ever play the game, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram joins the show to give us his take on Stokes retirement, discuss his own glittering career and his love for Lancashire

And we look back on a thrilling finish to the Vitality Blast final too!

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After a thrilling month of red ball cricket for England, it has been a week to forget for the white ball side.

Jos Buttler's opening T20 series as captain against India ended in a 2-1 defeat and his first ODI against the same opponent could not have gone much worse. The World Champions were bowled out for just 110 with Roy, Root and Stokes all going for ducks. Micheal, Phil and Ben unpack the thrashing and ask if it is simply a blip or if major surgery is needed with the T20 World Cup less than 100 days away.

Our guest this week is India spin bowling legend Ravi Ashwin, he speaks at length about his concerns for the one day game, his thoughts on 'Bazball" and what can be done in England to develop more spinners moving forward.

Away from the action on the field we get stuck into the best of your emails and discuss the elaborate fake IPL scam in India designed to con Russian gamblers.

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England's cricketers continue to entertain under the guidance of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. After completing a clean sweep against New Zealand, they chased down a record of 378 runs, with ease, to see off India at Edgbaston to win the delayed fifth test and claim a series draw.

Mike, Phil and Ben unpack the incredible win and ask what is the limit for this current side who have now made it four test wins on the bounce following the arrival of Brendon McCullum.

We also speak with former Managing Director of Men's cricket at the ECB Ashely Giles. He opens up about a turbulent final few months in charge which culminated in a heavy Ashes defeat in Australia. He also gives us his take on the exciting new era for England cricket following the appointments of McCullum and Stokes.

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Ben, Michael and Phil reflect on a series clean sweep for England after they wrapped up their Test series against New Zealand in quick fashion on Monday.

They discuss the growing partnership between head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes and ask if it will be more of the same when India arrive later this week for their rearranged Test.

As Test cricket enters a new era, things are quite the opposite for the one-day side. Influential captain Eoin Morgan has announced he will be retiring from international cricket after spending months struggling for form and fitness. We pay tribute to Morgan and discuss the likelihood of Jos Buttler replacing him as captain.

And we hear also from New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult. He sat down with Michael and Ben during the series to discuss lining up against his former captain McCullum, playing alongside Buttler and how he keeps himself fit by playing all formats of the game.

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