The Top Order Cricket Podcast

The Top Order crew are together in the same room again to look back at the week that was.

We start by discussing the Black Caps v Ireland T20 series, which featured strong performances by a middle order featuring Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham and Michael Bracewell. But where do they all fit in to plans for the upcoming T20 and ODI World Cups?

Ben Stokes has retired from ODI cricket - Does that mean the cricket calendar is broken? Is there any way to fix it?

Baldy introduces a new segment as a cunning plan to discuss spin bowling, Binksy tells us why 410* doesn't impress him, there's a shout out for Will Williams and plenty more on a windy night in Auckland.

We'll be back in your feed next week, so please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel and moving towards more video content in future.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including our recent conversation with Sophie Devine looking ahead to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, plus chats with Finn Allen, Shane Bond, Lesley Murdoch, Gary Stead, Colin Miller, Barry Richards and many more fascinating people from all across the cricket 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, White Ferns captain Sophie Devine joins the show a few days out from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Sophie talks about the excitement in the squad for the Games experience, what new coach Ben Sawyer has brought to the group and her goals and expectations for the tournament.

We also discuss NZC's new pay parity deal and how that will impact women's cricket in New Zealand at all levels, plus Sophie's experience at the Fairbreak Invitational and the busy few months she has ahead of her at the Hundred and the WBBL.

Look out for another This Week in Cricket show in the coming days, and please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - including this one soon - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Rachin Ravindra, Katey Martin, Lockie Ferguson, Dion Nash, Mike Hussey, Barry Richards 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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This week on the show, Stu is joined by former NZ U19 captain Marc Ellison to discuss the Black Caps v Ireland ODI series and the general Irish cricket landscape.

We look back at brilliant performances from Michael Bracewell and Harry Tector, missed opportunities for Ireland, the challenges the squad faces when competing with the more established international sides and the role Finn Allen could play in NZ's upcoming World Cup campaigns.

The full Top Order crew will hopefully reunite again soon, but if you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Wasim Khan, Ken Rutherford, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, 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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This week on the show we're joined by Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University, Jamie Barker, to discuss England's remarkable fourth-innings chase against India and the dramatic change in attitude that has been on display since Rob Key, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took charge.

It's always fascinating to hear Jamie's views on a wide range of topics that have relevance to any high-performance role, and this episode is no different. We talk about the importance of clarity, whether this positive mindset is sustainable, and Binksy finally discards his own pessimism to let his England fan flag fly.

Jamie helps us understand the psychology behind a mindset shift, the key factors that enable such a shift to happen so quickly, why we often see a 'new manager bounce' across all sports and much more.

We'll be back next week to discuss the Black Caps' tour to Ireland, Australia in Sri Lanka and look ahead to the White Ferns' Commonwealth Games campaign. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel - including this one!

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Wasim Khan, Mike Hussey, Ish Sodhi, Katey Martin, Dion Nash 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 Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 25 to 21 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are).

We've got a former prime minister, a knight, a game-changer, genuine pace and a star from way back when as we welcome entrants from England, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia and the West Indies.

Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media.

If you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel.

For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Tim Southee, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Katey Martin, Jacob Oram, Colin 'Funky' Miller and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

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

Thanks for listening.

*SPOILER ALERT*

This episode features players from 25-21 in the following order.

25 - George Lohmann

24 - Imran Khan

23 - Allan Donald

22 - Adam Gilchrist

21 - Curtly Ambrose

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In this episode of the Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame, we continue our countdown by discussing players 30 to 26 (scroll to the bottom of the description if you can't wait to find out who they are).

All five of this episode's inductees are members of the 10,000 run club, we've got grumpy leaders, unique stances and a few Top Order personal heroes as we welcome entrants from Australia, India, Pakistan and the West Indies.

Do you agree with our assessments? Or have we got it horribly wrong? We'd love to continue the conversation, so don't hesitate to share your views via email or on social media.

If you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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. A few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel.

For an even deeper dive on the theory and process behind the Hall, head to our website. You'll find the Preamble, plus the list, which will eventually feature detailed write-ups about every player from 103 to 1 as we make our way through the Hall in the coming weeks and months. We're playing catch-up a little with the written content, but we'll get back up to date as soon as we can.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Ajaz Patel, Frankie Mackay, Dion Nash, Rachin Ravindra and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

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

Thanks for listening.

*SPOILER ALERT*

This episode features players from 30-26 in the following order.

30 - Allan Border

29 - Sunil Gavaskar

28 - Younis Khan

27 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul

26 - Steve Waugh

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The Black Caps v England series is over and who could have predicted the past month of action? In this episode, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the key moments and players. We discuss:

And much more as we deep-dive back into this fascinating series.

June was a disrupted month for us with life and illness getting in the way, but we're expecting to be back on track in July.

Please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Wasim Khan, Dion Nash, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Lesley Murdoch, Lockie Ferguson 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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Just the two of us this week after a couple of late scratchings, but Michael and Stu talk through the events of another fascinating Test match at Trent Bridge. Records tumbled, catches went down, there were runs galore and the game was perfectly poised until Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes took hold of the match with a five-over barrage of boundaries that the Black Caps couldn't recover from.

We discuss Ollie Pope, Daryl Mitchell, Joe Root, Brendon McCullum and much more as we try to make sense of the performances from both sides. Are England good now? What's gone wrong for the Black Caps? Why Neil Wagner? Will Zak Crawley and Will Young keep their spots for the third Test? And isn't Test match cricket fantastic?

If you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes, including chats with Shane Bond, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin, Tim Southee, Barry Richards 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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It's an unexpected bumper episode this week, with plenty of talking points from an action-packed Test match at Lord's between England and the Black Caps.

We talkEd through the back-and-forth nature of the game, Joe Root's match-winning hundred, outstanding bowling displays, not-so-outstanding batting displays, whether spin will play a part in this series, Brendon McCullum's fingerprints, changes for the second Test and much more as we reviewed the rollercoaster ride that played out at the home of cricket.

After a brief detour to Sri Lanka to discuss Australia's T20 series against the hosts, we examined the comments made by ICC CEO Greg Barclay in an interview during the England v New Zealand Test and what they mean for the future of international cricket.

We'll be back again next week to review the second Test at Trent Bridge. In the meantime, if you haven't already, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Matt Henry, Mike Hussey, Katey Martin, Jarrod Kimber, Dion Nash, Wasim Khan 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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The Top Order Podcast crew is a man down this week, with Raj out of action, but the remaining trio look back at a somewhat puzzling week for New Zealand cricket, plus an IPL final triumph for the Gujarat Titans.

We start the show in India, discussing IPL 2022 as a whole and highlighting the impact of two of the tournament's biggest stars - Hardik Pandya and Jos Buttler.

It's been a strange week back here in Aotearoa, with the White Ferns' latest contract list missing some big names - most notably Amy Satterthwaite. We try to make sense of this decision. Was it bold, confusing, disrespectful or all of the above?

Finally, we look ahead to the Black Caps v England Test series by discussing a New Zealand side that doesn't feel quite as assured as they did a year ago - particularly after a loss to the First-class Counties Select XI.

What will the bowling attack look like at Lord's on Thursday? Will the batting line-up fire? Will Brendon McCullum's impact on England be instantly noticeable? Plus bold predictions, mind games and plenty more as we gear up for what promises to be a fascinating series.

We'll be back next week to review the first Test, but before then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter and Facebook, & @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram) 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, and a few of our episodes are available on YouTube - we're slowly chipping away at populating this channel.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including the recently retired Katey Martin, Colin 'Funky' Miller, Shane Bond, Finn Allen, Wasim Khan 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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