The Top Order Cricket Podcast

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu react to team changes for the second test between South Africa and Australia, look ahead to the Black Caps upcoming series against India, and discuss some notable points from England's central contract list.

1:05 SA v Aus - changes for both sides

8:30 Black Caps v India Preview

11:45 ODI opportunities for Finn Allen/NZ's T20 batting options

16:55 Will O'Rourke injury/NZ bowlers

18:25 India's stars on show/spinners a key challenge for NZ

22:30 BJ Jacobs' BBL opportunity

26:25 England contract news

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In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu review the first test between South Africa and Australia.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro

1:00 Australia win by 214 runs

6:50 Did we underestimate Australia?

13:45 Matt Renshaw's epic test match

18:45 The discipline of Starc, Cummins, Hazelwood & Lyon

27:50 Nathan Lyon & the impact of spin

31:45 Do Australia have even more batting lineup questions now?

45:15 Positives for South Africa?

48:20 Changes for the second test?

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In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy and Stu test drive the YouTube livestream as we watch the first session of Day 3 during the first Test between South Africa and Australia. And over the course of the session, we select a World Test XI for a three-Test series against the alien collective at the MCG, Ahmedabad and Lords.

We start the show with a recap of the first two days of the test, including selection decisions from both sides, the early inroads made by South Africa's bowlers and the impressive recovery from Australia led by a near double century from Matt Renshaw.

As the conversation and the session continues, attention turns to picking a World XI to face the alien collective in a three-match series. We debate bringing people out of retirement, the balance of the squad, the kind of qualities needed to represent the Earth in an intergalactic battle and plenty more in this extended discussion as the Australian bowling attack makes inroads into South Africa's top order.

To round out the show, we finish with a few listener questions about the NZ20 and the Black Caps' ODI squad for the upcoming India tour.

We'll be back again soon to discuss the first test of this series and any other news that catches our eyes. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

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In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu quickly hit on a couple of news items out of New Zealand and India before diving into an extended preview of the upcoming Test series between Australia and South Africa, which begins on 9 October.

We start the show with news of disharmony among some New Zealand cricket legends, including Sir Richard Hadlee, about the way the NZC board has approached the consultation and communications process that led to the decision to pursue the NZ20. Will it prove to be the best decision for New Zealand Cricket? That's a question we might not know the answer to for a good few years yet. We also briefly touch on the runfest going on in the white-ball series between India and the West Indies, which has seen hundreds galore and a sparkling double-century - the fastest ever in ODI cricket - from Shubman Gill.

As the conversation continues we move to the main feature of the show and the much anticipated Test series between World Test Champions South Africa and the visiting Australian side. We discuss the shape of the series and recent performances, and run through a range of squad news including the fitness of Kagiso Rabada and Cameron Green, plus call-ups for Nic Maddinson, Marques Ackerman and Sam Harper.

Next we move to the key players and matchups that could define the series. What role will spin play? Will Keshav Maharaj outbowl Nathan Lyon? Can Steve Smith prop up an Australian batting lineup that looks more vulnerable than it has in a long time? Does none of that matter because Australia's seamers are so good? Or can Temba Bavuma go big to lead this South African side to another famous victory?

In the final segment of the show, we make some series predictions so it's all on record to review at the end of what we hope will be a fascinating few weeks of test cricket.

We'll be back again soon to discuss the first test of this series and any other news that catches our eyes. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro

1:40 Sir Richard Hadlee's letter to NZC

12:05 India v West Indies

17:40 Australia v South Africa Test Preview

18:50 Squad news & Australia's batters

26:20 Who bats 5 for Australia?

32:10 South Africa's squad/lineup decisions

41:00 Key players/match ups: Lyon v Maharaj

48:00 South Africa's batters v Australia's seamers

53:25 Predictions

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In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Raj and Stu look back at the week that was to discuss batting questions for Australia's white-ball side, England's summer performance, the arrival of Stephen Fleming, the retirement of Mark Wood, and the Black Caps' T20 squad to take on India in a few weeks' time.

We start the show with a conversation about Australia's recent white-ball performances and the key questions facing the squad a year out from the ODI World Cup. We examine the allrounder position, potential roles for Cameron Green and Matt Renshaw, plus another segment from the Cooper Connolly fan club. Within this section, there's also praise for Marco Jansen and Matthew Breetzke for their roles in the first ODI.

As the conversation continues and England's series with Sri Lanka comes to a close, we turn our attention to the English summer as a whole. At times it's felt very tumultuous, with the departure of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum being removed from the test coaching, but on the other hand the white-ball team has performed incredibly well. We discuss some positives, a few work-ons and the arrival of Stephen Fleming after his first few interviews to the British media as test coach. We also pay tribute to Mark Wood, who announced his retirement from international cricket after 250+ wickets for England across all formats.

In the final segment of the show, we react to the Black Caps T20 side named to face India in late October. Conversation centres mainly on the strength of the side, and also how the casually contracted players like Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne and Mark Chapman look set to play big roles. We also discuss the inclusion of Bevon Jacobs and why he may have been chosen over other potential candidates.

We'll be back again next week, most likely with news from the India v West Indies series and an Australia v South Africa Test series preview. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro

1:00 Australia v South Africa

2:30 Role questions for Australia

11:45 Matt Renshaw & Cooper Connolly

17:50 Matthew Breetzke

20:00 England's home summer review

25:45 Kevin Pietersen joins the English coaching staff

30:35 Stephen Fleming's first interviews

35:00 Mark Wood's retirement

39:05 Black Caps T20 squad v India

50:20 Rachin Ravindra's injury

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In this episode of the show, Binksy, Jamie and Stu look back at the third test between England v Pakistan with an eye to what we've learned from the series as a whole and the key questions still remaining for England before they head to South Africa.

We start the show with our initial reaction to England's dominant series win, which has been somewhat overshadowed by Pakistan's flat performances on the field and at times shambolic team dynamics off it.

As the conversation continues, we discuss what we've learned from the series and what might still be up for debate. Jofra Archer stayed fit all summer, Ollie Robinson took bags of wickets and they were nicely backed up by Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue. On the batting side of things, it's looked much harder work for both sides, with no centuries from either side. With an England focus, we cast our eye up and down the lineup to discuss who might miss out when Jacob Bethell returns, as strong series from Dan Lawrence and Jordan Cox have complicated matters. We also ponder what Stephen Fleming would have been thinking while watching the series and what he might have learned from these three test matches.

To round out the show, we touch on BBL deals for Mark Chapman and Tim Robinson, plus the offer made to Mitchell Santner, and how this provides yet another signal that the fate of the NZ20 will be an interesting watch over the next 12 months.

We'll be back again soon with more news and views, recaps and previews. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro: England v Pakistan

1:15 Initial reaction to the series

10:30 A full summer of Jofra Archer

16:50 Top order batting is hard

22:20 Who misses out when Jacob Bethell returns?

34:15 How different is batting 3 than opening?

40:40 England's best XI right now if everyone is fit?

43:10 What would Stephen Fleming be thinking?

48:40 Black Caps in the BBL & NZ20 thoughts

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In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the first two tests between England v Pakistan, which have seen the English bowlers dominate, piling even more pressure on the visitors.

We start the show with the positives for England, who have started the Joe Root reboot with two dominant performances to wrap up the series with a test to spare. While they wait for Stephen Fleming to arrive, the bowling group seems to be coming together and Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue & Gus Atkinson seem to be complementing each other beautifully. In particular, we ask whether England missed a trick leaving him largely on the sidelines for the past three years.

As the conversation continues, we discuss the growing trend of shorter test matches. Why is it happening? And is it actually an issue if the games are still entertaining? We also try to make sense of the multitude of problems that appear to be plaguing Pakistan. Mohammad Abbas is shining, Mohammad Ali is trying hard, but why is everyone else finding it so tough?

In the final segment of the show, we look ahead to the third test. Do Pakistan have any hope of turning around the result? And are England likely to make any changes? We also pay tribute to Richard Hayward - 'a true gentleman of the game'.

We'll be back again soon with more news and views, recaps and previews. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro

1:00 England v Pakistan

3:00 Positives for England

9:35 England's bowlers

12:20 Ollie Robinson

18:00 Are the pitches too bowler-friendly?

20:50 Are short tests a problem?

36:25 Why are Pakistan struggling so much?

44:25 Outlook for the 3rd test?

51:50 Richard Hayward

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In this episode of the show, Baldy, Raj and Stu look back at the two-day test between Australia and Bangladesh, plus talk India v Sri Lanka, England v Pakistan and the Top End T20 Series.

We start the show with reactions from Australia bouncing back to level the series against Bangladesh. There's plenty of praise for Mitchell Starc and Shoriful Islam, who starred with the ball, but questions galore for the batting lineups of both sides. For Australia, we debate whether time is finally up for Marnus Labuschagne and talk through more potential reshuffles in the Australian batting lineup, but also highlight the big step forward this series may prove to be for Cameron Green.

On the Bangladesh side, no doubt they were hoping for a better showing after winning the first test, but the focus now must be on building on the good things from this series - and somehow getting more opportunities to play in Australian conditions. We also examine the conditions that led to a two-day test.

As the conversation continues and Sonal Dinusha continued to stand firm, we briefly touch on the first test between England and Pakistan, as well as the New Zealand A involvement in the Top End T20 Series.

In the final segment of the show, we discuss the India v Sri Lanka series while day 5 of the second and final test plays out around us. For India, it's been a series where fringe players like Manav Suthar, Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel have grabbed their opportunities with both hands. On the other side of the equation, we try to make sense of Kuldeep Yadav's form and whether he'll ever get an extended run in test cricket.

For Sri Lanka, the results will show a home series lost, but it certainly hasn't been without a great deal of fight. They're a rebuilding side, but the performances of the likes of Pasindu Sooriyabandara and in particular Sonal Dinusha have provided at least some green shoots of hope.

We'll be back again soon with more news and views, recaps and previews. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro

1:15 Australia v Bangladesh

2:15 Mitchell Starc stars as Aussie bounce back

4:00 An important series for Cameron Green

7:50 Was the pitch that bad?

13:25 Australia's batting woes continue

30:15 What now for Bangladesh?

36:20 England v Pakistan

38:20 NZ A in the Top End T20 Series

41:40 India v Sri Lanka

42:50 Positive series for Suthar, Padikkal & Jurel

47:15 The Kuldeep Yadav conundrum

56:25 Sonal Dinusha & Sri Lanka's green shoots

59:00 Outro

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In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Raj and Stu look back at Bangladesh's comprehensive and history-making win against Australia, then look ahead to England's upcoming series against Pakistan.

We start the show full of praise for Bangladesh after their impressive victory over Australia in Darwin. Tanzid starred with 100, Mehidi and Hasan Mahmud were excellent with the ball, and that plus contributions from up and down the XI contributed to dominant win that belied their underdog status.

As the conversation continues, we dive into what went wrong for Australia. Why did they decide to bat first? What's going on with Jake Weatherald's technique? How much longer will Marnus Labuschagne stay in the side? How important was Cameron Green's hundred? What's Beau Webster's ideal role? Is it time to panic?

In the final segment of the show, we talk about the upcoming England v Pakistan series, with a focus on the home side. Will we see a different style of cricket with Joe Root back at the helm? Will Shoaib Bashir get an opportunity to play? If not, which four seamers will play? And what would qualify as a pass mark for England?

We'll be back again next week with more news and views, recaps and previews. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro

0:45 Bangladesh's 'biggest win'!

4:05 Tanzid Hasan & Bangladesh's batting

6:50 Panic stations for Australia?

9:40 Australia's batting concerns

10:55 Why did Australia bat first?

17:10 Were Australia underprepared?

19:00 How important was Cameron Green's hundred

21:45 Marnus Labuschagne under pressure again

24:10 Beau Webster's role & potential changes

35:10 Bangladesh wanted it more

37:50 England v Pakistan

39:40 What should we expect from England?

44:05 England's spin bowling options

50:00 England's style changes

53:30 Pitch conditions

54:50 What result would England be happy with?

1:00:10 The Hundred

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In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu look ahead to three upcoming series in the World Test Championship cycle that are all due to begin over the next 10 days: Australia v Bangladesh, Sri Lanka v India & England v Pakistan..

We start the show with the closest series on the horizon: Australia taking on Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay. On paper it looks like plain sailing for Australia, particularly after Campbell Thompson's 8-wicket haul made a mess of Bangladesh in the warm-up fixture, but what would be a pass mark for the home side? We talk about managing Josh Hazelwood's workload, the pressure on Marnus Labuschagne and potential new caps at Australia begins a run of 20 tests across the next 12 months.

As the conversation continues, we head to Galle, where Sri Lanka hosts India for a two-test series that begins on 15 August. The home side is coming off a tough tour of the West Indies, but with injuries to Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Washington Sundar, are India the side with more to prove over these next two games? There's talk of opportunities for players like Devdutt Padikkal and Manav Suthar, plus Kuldeep Yadav's form and whether there's room for Dhruv Jurel in India's best XI.

Next up it is England v Pakistan, with the visitors securing a long-awaited away victory thanks to a big hundred from Abdullah Shafique, runs for Babar Azam and wickets for the spinners. We talk about whether any of that can translate to English conditions, then discuss the home side's 16-strong squad for the first two tests. There's returns for Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope and a host of bowlers, Jordan Cox looks set to bat 3, but a potential injury to Emilio Gay could complicate things further. We'll have a more in-depth preview of this series next week as well.

To round out the show, we talk about the strong NZ A side selected for a tour to Australia, and where the opportunities might come for that group at the international level.

We'll be back again next week with more news and views. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro

0:50 Australia v Bangladesh Test Preview

2:45 Australia's bowling workload

8:30 Marnus Labuschagne under pressure?

15:50 Bangladesh v CA XI

22:25 What's a pass mark for Australia?

24:10 Sri Lanka v India Test Preview

24:50 India's changing test lineup

32:10 Kuldeep Yadav & Ravi Jadeja

35:25 More batting or more bowling for India?

42:10 England v Pakistan

43:00 Pakistan's win against West Indies

45:35 England's squad named

46:35 Is Dan Lawrence playing as the allrounder?

53:10 World Test Championship cycle

55:40 NZ A squad

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