In this episode of the show, Binksy, Jamie and Stu look back at the fourth Test between England and India, plus New Zealand's victory in the T20 Tri-Series final against South Africa. We also look ahead to the 5th Test in the UK and the Black Caps v Zimbabwe series.

We start the show by talking about India's fantastic fightback on days 4 and 5 of the Test at Old Trafford, which saw the series remain at 2-1 with one match to play. There were hundreds for Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, but also some controversy surrounding the conclusion of the day's play.

Ben Stokes wasn't happy then, but he'd done plenty to earn his player of the match award, taking a 5-wicket bag and scoring 100 across the course of the Test. Joe Root was equally impressive, and Rishabh Pant's bravery stood out for the visitors. We round out the India v England conversation with a discussion about potential and probable changes the 5th and final Test.

To finish the show, Stu chimes in to highlight the Black Caps' unbeaten run to some T20 silverware in Zimbabwe, which culminated in a dramatic final against South Africa. With 7 runs needed from 6 balls, Matt Henry stepped up and, with the help of two fantastic catches in the outfield, closed out the victory for New Zealand. In addition, we look ahead to the upcoming Test series against Zimbabwe.

We'll be back in your feed next week to recap the England v India and NZ v Zimbabwe Tests. 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

4:05 India's 4th innings fightback

7:00 England reaction

11:30 Was the pitch too flat?

21:10 Joe Root's brilliance

30:10 Ben Stokes's bowling and leadership

37:05 Rishabh Pant's bravery

42:30 Controversy corner

50:50 Changes and predictions for 5th Test

1:04:40Black Caps win T20 series against SA & Zim

1:08:40 NZ v Zim first Test starts Wednesday 30 July

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu look back at Australia's 3-0 Test series victory in the West Indies, which saw them produce a near record-breaking performance in the final match. We also discuss the start of the T20 Tri Series from a Black Caps point of view, with NZ back in action on the world stage. (Note the episode ends abruptly, as we lost the final 2 minutes of the recording, which was mainly Baldy talking about how fun it has been to watch Lhuan-dre Pretorius bat in his short international career.)

We start the show by talking about Australia's performance against the West Indies. Three games, three wins, maximum World Test Championship points, but was it a good performance? There's plenty of talk about the batters, with Sam Konstas and Cameron Green mentioned, before we move to the bowling group to discuss Mitchell Starc's milestone match and the best bowler in world cricket who hardly ever plays, Scott Boland. To round out our conversation about this series, we ask where the West Indies can find some batters who can support their bowling group.

With the Black Caps taking part in the T20 Tri-series against South Africa and Zimbabwe, we discuss New Zealand's first two matches and the depth they appear to be building in the T20 format. There are mentions for BJ Jacobs, Tim Robinson, Devon Conway and Mark Chapman, before the recording cut off just as Lhuan-dre Pretorius was being discussed.

We'll be back in your feed next week to recap the 4th Test between England and India and more news from the Black Caps. 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 West Indies: Worst 3-0 Test series win ever?

6:35 Cam Green a shining light for Australia's batting?

11:10 Mitchell Starc shines in his 100th Test

17:05 Scott Boland: hattrick hero who barely gets a game

25:10 West Indies 27 all out: where to from here?

29:50 Did Sam Konstas misfield on purpose?

34:00 Black Caps building depth in the T20 format

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at an epic encounter at Lord's, which saw England go 2-1 up against India.

We start the show by talking about the quality of the match and the emotions of a gripping 4th innings, in which Ravindra Jadeja almost played hero with the tail but ultimately saw the legend of Ben Stokes grow even further.

The conversation then bounces around from India's missed opportunities to the quality of batting on display from KL Rahul and Joe Root, the return of Jofra Archer and the ongoing discussion around slow over rates and the Dukes cricket ball.

To round out the show, we look ahead to the selection questions facing both sides for the 4th Test. Will Jasprit Bumrah play? Should India make more changes? A bump in the road for Shoaib Bashir and whether England will rotate their bowling attack in what shapes to be another fascinating encounter.

We'll be back in your feed early next week to recap the Australia v West Indies series along with more England/India news and maybe even a Black Caps update. 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 What an epic Test match!

3:55 Emotions of Days 4 and 5

9:20 The Ben Stokes legend grows

14:45 Did India play the better cricket for longer?

21:30 Will we ever fix slow over rates and the cricket ball?

29:30 Will Joe Root overtake Tendulkar?

35:20 Jofra Archer's return and England's bowling

42:35 Key selection decisions ahead of the 4th Test

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, the entire Top Order Podcast team gather to discuss the recent Test matches between India and England, and the West Indies and Australia — one which saw a complete reversal of the previous encounter and another that was déjà vu all over again.

We start at Edgbaston, where a Shubman Gill masterclass and bags of wickets from Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj inspired India to a comprehensive 336-run victory over England. We talk about India’s selection, Gill’s brilliance, how India’s seamers stepped up without Jasprit Bumrah, Jamie Smith’s star continuing to rise, what went wrong for England and whether either side needs to make changes for the third Test at Lord’s.

In the second half of the show, we move to Grenada where Australia retained the Frank Worrell Trophy with a Test win in very familiar fashion to the first match of the series. Australia’s top order largely struggled, the middle-order dug them out of a hole, the West Indies threatened at times but ultimately the world-class Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins, Lyon quartet (backed up by Beau Webster) took the 20 wickets the Aussies needed to secure a comfortable victory in the end. In addition to all of that, we discuss a step forward from Cam Green and potential changes for the final Test.

We'll be back in your feed next week to recap the third Tests between India v England and Australia v West Indies, plus anything else that grabs our attention. 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 England v India - India make changes and deliver a big win

4:45 Shubman Gill's masterclass

7:10 Is it time for England to panic?

10:55 Did England get their tactics wrong?

14:40 Shubman Gill again

17:00 Mohammed Siraj & Akash Deep step up

20:40 Jamie Smith better than Adam Gilchrist?

28:20 Selection questions for both teams

43:40 West Indies v Australia - deja vu as Australia win the Frank Worrell Trophy

49:00 Sam Konstas and the Australian top order struggles

55:35 Beau Webster and Alex Carey

1:01:00 Changes for the 3rd Test?

1:06:25 Black Caps' Test squad named for Zimbabwe series

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Stu and Jamie look back at Australia's 'comfortable' win against the West Indies, discuss selection questions facing India and England for the second Test of their series, plus a short conversation about the Black Caps T20 squad for the tri-series also involving South Africa and Zimbabwe.

We start the show by talking through Australia's win against the West Indies, which saw the visitors bat first and concede a first innings lead but still come away with a comfortable victory on the scorecard at least. To no one's surprise, there are conversations about Australia's top order once again, with Sam Konstas and Cameron Green in the spotlight, plus dropped catches, praise for the likes of Jayden Seales, Josh Hazlewood and Shamar Joseph across both bowling attacks, and also some DRS controversy that certainly bothered Roston Chase.

In the second segment, we look ahead to the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, mainly with an eye to selection. Jofra Archer has joined the England squad - will he play? And should he? Whereas India have a few questions to answer, particularly in the bowling department. Does England's win in the first Test mean Jasprit Bumrah needs to play the second? Do India need to be braver in their selection? What do they do with the 4th bowling option/number 8 - Shardul Thakur? Nitish Kumar Reddy? Kuldeep Yadav? Arshdeep Singh?

To round out the show we briefly discuss the Black Caps T20 squad to face Zimbabwe and South Africa in the upcoming tri-series, which looks to favour an explosive top order of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, and has no room in it for Devon Conway or Mitch Hay.

We'll be back in your feed next week to recap the second Tests between India v England and Australia v West Indies, plus anything else that grabs our attention. 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 A comfortable win for Australia?

1:55 Australia's top order struggles - Konstas, Green

11:40 Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales shine for the West Indies

19:25 DRS controversy

27:10 Dropped catches

30:20 Australia's bowlers - Starc, Hazlewood

34:25 England v India - Jofra Archer added to England squad

42:30 What's India's best way to take 20 wickets?

52:10 Should India change their batting order?

1:00:05 Black Caps T20 squad - Allen & Seifert in, Conway & Hay out

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show Binksy and Jamie discuss a captivating 1st Test at Headingley where a brilliant 4th Innings hundred from Ben Duckett saw England chase down 370.

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

2:53 England's Historic Chase

6:07 Key Players and Strategies

8:54 India's Batting

11:58 England Bowling Effectiveness?

15:00 Fielding Standards and Catching

18:03 Looking Ahead to the Next Test

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu look ahead to the upcoming Test series between the West Indies and Australia.

Fresh off a loss in the World Test Championship Final, Australia head to the West Indies with very little time to lick their wounds and a lot of questions hanging over their heads, particularly the batters. Steve Smith is injured (at least for the first Test), Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped and Sam Konstas looks set to return to the top of the order.

We start the show with an explainer, then touch briefly on the West Indies side and what we might expect as a formula for victory over the course of the series. We talk about comments from Daren Sammy, the fast bowling trio of Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, the inclusion of Shai Hope and Brandon King and non-selection of Alick Athanaze and Joshua da Silva in what could be a much changed batting lineup.

From there on, it becomes an Australian deep dive as we try to figure out what the selectors are thinking and whether the batting collapses against South Africa at Lord's were an anomaly or a sign of things to come. Will Sam Konstas get a consistent run of games? Can Josh Inglis take his opportunity and become a Test regular? And where should Cameron Green bat?

We also discuss the Australian bowling group with an eye to the future - can Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon make it through the full WTC cycle? Who are the next players in the pecking order? And does that even matter at this point?

To round out the show, we make tentative predictions and then look at the World Test Championship fixture list to talk about who should be favoured and who has the best chance to be in that final in 2027.

We'll be back in your feed soon to review the first Test between India and England, then again to recap Australia v West Indies. 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

2:00 Dates and venues

3:25 West Indies squad news

10:30 Fall out after Australia's WTC Final loss - Labuschagne dropped

17:00 Has Beau Webster secured his spot?

20:55 Australia's top 4 - Konstas and Inglis come in, but for how long?

30:55 Other batting options for Australia in future

36:10 Australia's bowlers - how long can this fantastic group continue?

43:00 Series expectations

47:30 World Test Championship fixtures - who has the best draw?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Raj, Baldy, Binksy and Stu look ahead to the upcoming Test series between England and India.

We start the show with a short summary of what's ahead of us in this five-match series, before sharing what excites us most about India's tour to the UK. We discuss the unknown quantities of a visiting side led by Shubman Gill and missing the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, plus England's strength at home in recent times.

There's also talk about potential lineups, whether we might see a debut for Sai Sudharsan, a return for Karun Nair and the make up of England's bowling attack. We ask if India really need two allrounders in the side, whether they can they find room for Kuldeep Yadav, if Jacob Bethell will be in England's best XI and discuss our expectations for this new-look Indian batting lineup.

To round out the show, we give our predictions for what we hope will be a series that makes for fascinating viewing over the next six weeks.

We'll be back in your feed next week to review the first Test 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

1:00 Venues and build up

2:50 What makes this series so interesting?

9:50 England's recent strength at home

12:20 England's potential playing XI for the first Test

14:55 India's lineup and selection questions

20:00 Preparation for both sides

25:15 Expectations for India in this WTC cycle

28:40 Series predictions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Raj and Stu relive the rollercoaster ride that was the 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final, which saw South Africa crowned champions as they defeated Australia by 5 wickets at Lord's.

We start the show with our thoughts, feelings and emotions from a game that swung back and forth and up and down across the three and a bit days of cricket. We talk South Africa's reaction, the mood after the first couple of days and the pitch conditions for this showcase event.

As the discussion continues, we focus on the standout contributors, such as Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. We also look ahead to the next WTC cycle to ponder the big questions facing Australia and whether this title will propel South Africa to more and more success over the coming years.

We'll be back in your feed very soon with a full preview of the India v England Test series, and then regularly as that series progresses alongside Australia v West Indies and other news. 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

1:30 South Africa are the World Test Champions

5:00 State of play after Day 2 - Australia with their noses in front

8:20 Lord's surface and conditions

17:30 Kagiso Rabada, Pat Cummins & Co. show their class

22:10 Australia's batting fragility

25:10 Aiden Markram's heroics and how South Africa build on this win

31:20 Big questions for Australia for the next WTC cycle

37:30 Final words on South Africa's future and Temba Bavuma

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the show, it's a full house and a packed runsheet with RCB winning IPL 2025, the Black Caps naming a new coach and an updated central contract list, England announcing their squad for the first Test against India and preview of the World Test Championship Final between Australia and South Africa.

We start the show by talking about the IPL final, which saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeat the Punjab Kings to take out the title for the first time in 18 years. There's praise for Krunal Pandya's match-defining spell, RCB's middle order and a generous backyard cricket invitation for Virat Kohli now that he's ticked another item off his bucket list.

Next we move to New Zealand to talk Black Caps announcements, with Rob Walter named as the new head coach with the latest batch of central contracts offered shortly after. There's talk about the faith shown in Walter by NZC, Gary Stead's legacy, the uncharacteristically youthful look to the contract list and Devon Conway's future.

To round out the show, we discuss the upcoming World Test Championship Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's. Who will open for the Aussies? Where will Cameron Green slot in? Can South Africa score enough runs to challenge? What should we expect from the pitch? Does the WTC have a scheduling problem? And who will win?

We'll be back in your feed next week to review the WTC final and preview the India v England Test series. 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

1:55 RCB wins IPL 2025

8:10 Where to now for Virat Kohli?

10:10 A word on the Punjab Kings

14:50 Rob Walter appointed Black Caps' coach

21:10 Gary Stead's legacy

27:00 Youthful look to NZ's central contract list

28:45 Devon Conway's international future

33:45 Adi Ashok in, Ajaz Patel and Ish Sodhi out

36:15 England's bowling stocks to take on India

43:15 Is there room for Jacob Bethell?

47:50 World Test Championship Final Preview

48:45 Australia's batting selection questions

59:55 Is South Africa's batting lineup a concern?

1:05:25 What should we expect to from Lord's?

1:08:55 Does the WTC Final have a scheduling problem?

1:11:45 Predictions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices