The Top Order Cricket Podcast

With the World Test Championship Final on the horizon this week, it's a feature-length episode as we break down New Zealand's historic Test series win against England and look forward to the big dance.

We start the show with South Africa's crushing victory over the West Indies and Shakib al Hasan's tantrum, but it isn't long before Raj and Lippy are praising the Black Caps and celebrating NZ's first Test series win in England since 1999.

There's a detour from the Black Caps squad to discuss England's batting woes, wonder who decided it was a good idea to give James Bracey the keeping gloves and ask if the ECB are disrespecting Test cricket. Spoiler alert: Binksy comes off the long run - shorter Ashes series, anyone?

After we wrap up the England series, our attention turns to the World Test Championship Final. Who will New Zealand pick? Who would we pick? And can they beat this formidable Indian line up, featuring the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Ravi Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah?

We're also delighted to be joined by DJ from the Edges and Sledges podcast to help us look at the game from an Indian perspective.

We also featured on Edges and Sledges this week - they do some great work so we thoroughly recommend you check out their feed if you haven't already. The YouTube link to our appearance is available here.

Keep an eye out on our social media feeds as we get excited about and react to the World Test Championship final. We also previewed the final with the team at Gully Cricket to Bouncy Wicket, so give them a follow, too. And if interviews are your thing, a chat with former Black Cap and new Wellington Cricket bowling coach Iain O'Brien will drop after we wrap up the WTC final.

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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Test match cricket is back and we break down all the highlights and lowlights from the Black Caps v England Test at Lord's.

And before that, we quickly cover the ICC's tournament schedule, which sees the continuation of the World Test Championship, the return of the Champions Trophy and expansion of the men's Cricket World Cup (14 teams) and T20 World Cup (20 teams), plus Raj takes us through the contract disputes in Sri Lanka - something that seems to be an ongoing theme in many nations around the world.

Keep an eye out on our social media feeds in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final and cover New Zealand's tour to England. We previewed that final with the team at Gully Cricket to Bouncy Wicket (@gcbwpodcast) and have another crossover episode coming soon with more podcast friends from around the world. And if interviews are your thing, a chat with former Black Cap and new Wellington Cricket bowling coach Iain O'Brien will be the next to drop.

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, Lippy and Baldy chat with former Black Caps captain Ken Rutherford.

From struggling in his international debut against one of the all-time great West Indian Test sides, through to captaining New Zealand, Ken Rutherford had a fascinating international career.

We talk about that tough debut in 1984-85, scoring 300 in two sessions on a tour to England and the highs and lows of the 1992 World Cup.

Lippy gets his full cricket nerd on with some 1993-94 World Series questions, Ken tells us about his acting skills and we hear about his experiences in South Africa, Ireland and the racing industry after his time with the Black Caps.

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final and cover New Zealand's tour to England. We'll have crossover episodes with podcasts from around the world, and there's more interviews on the way - a chat with former Black Cap and new Wellington Cricket bowling coach Iain O'Brien will be the next to drop.

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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We've been busy recording interviews over the past couple of weeks, but we couldn't resist some banter about the week that was.

A reserve day has been added to the World Test Championship Final, the BCCI has set dates and locations for the completion of IPL 2021 and the Black Caps inter-squad match is in the books. We also chat through the unfortunate injury to Ben Foakes and what that's likely to mean for the England side to face New Zealand, plus take a look at the upcoming fixtures between South Africa and the West Indies.

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final. We'll have crossover episodes with podcasts from around the world, and there's more interviews on the way as well, with chats with former Black Caps Ken Rutherford and Iain O'Brien to drop soon.

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 boys are back together again to round up the cricketing week that was.

There's high praise for BJ Watling after he announces he'll retire after the World Test Championship Final, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips get Black Caps contracts and we debate where that leaves Ajaz Patel's prospects on the international stage.

Baldy takes us through an Australian summer schedule dominated by the men's and women's Ashes, the evergreen Darren Stevens and Sandpaper Gate get shout-outs, and should we start making bats from bamboo?

We finish the show with an extended chat about the upcoming England v New Zealand Tests. Can the Black Caps find a spot for a spinner? Who will slot in at 7? Can England's batters secure themselves an Ashes spot? Will anyone make their Test debut? And, of course, who will win the series?

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final. We'll have crossover episodes with podcasts from around the world, and there's more interviews on the way as well, with Ken Rutherford the next in line.

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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On this bonus episode of the show we're joined by Black Caps and Canterbury seamer Matt Henry.

We talk ICC rankings, the Black Caps environment and what it's like to bowl with the Dukes ball, before Matt talks about the excitement of another final and the chance to make history in this first edition of the World Test Championship.

Matt runs us through the logistics of the upcoming tour, the recent training camps, the planning that goes on behind the scenes and his personal ambitions for the next few months. And we couldn't resist the opportunity to re-live two of our favourite ODIs in recent memory - the 2015 and 2019 World Cup semi-finals against South Africa and India.

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final. We'll have crossover episodes with podcasts from around the world, and there's more interviews on the way as well.

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 West Indies have announced their contract list for the upcoming season, which saw players like Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner rewarded for their impressive debuts, and we finish the show by announcing an exciting project that Baldy has been working on that will soon see the light of day. It's going to provoke plenty of debate, and a conversation that we're really excited to start.

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we build towards the World Test Championship final. You'll soon see an interview with Black Caps seamer Matt Henry pop into the feed, plus there's more interviews on the way and some crossover episodes with podcasts from around the 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.

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Just before our recording started, the news broke that Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier from the Kolkata Knight Riders have tested positive for Covid-19. We speculate on the implications for the rest of the tournament and what might happen over the next few days.

It's back to cricket after that, with the Black Caps in camp, Heinrich Malan added to the coaching staff and bowlers bowling with the Dukes ball. We start to get excited about the upcoming England and World Test Championship tour: Ross Taylor's picked up an injury but Will Young's scored 100 opening the batting for Durham.

Before we move to the on-field events at the IPL, we quickly touch on cricket at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and the new board to govern Cricket South Africa.

In the second part of the show, we chat through Kane Williamson replacing David Warner as captain at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Virat Kohli's RCB hitting a speed bump, the Mumbai Indians and Kieron Pollard rolling into form and whether the top 4 of CSK, Delhi, Mumbai and RCB should already be pencilled in as we pass the halfway point of the season.

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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We're one third of the way through the IPL, and unfortunately the cricketing headlines are being overshadowed by the tragic Covid-19 situation in India. We do our best to provide some distraction, touching on all 8 teams as we discuss what's caught our eye in the first 20 games of the tournament.

Before the IPL chat, Baldy runs us through more turmoil in South African cricket and an 8-year ban for Heath Streak, while Binksy joins spin corner to update us on the early rounds of the County Championship and the form of Dom Bess and Matt Parkinson's 'Ball of This Century'.

As the IPL chat begins, we work our way from the bottom of the table Kolkata Knight Riders through to a CSK side flying high and fresh off a win and a 37-run over from Ravindra Jadeja. We ask whether Andre Russell needs a promotion, wonder when Mumbai's finishers will find form and hit the panic button for a couple of teams, even after Lippy said it was too early to hit the panic button. There's praise for Moeen Ali and Glenn Maxwell in their new sides, we make the case for 'the craftsmen', Lippy tries to reference as many Black Caps as possible and the mulligans come out as we take another crack at predicting the playoff sides.

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 Top Order Podcast, we're joined by Canterbury coach and legend of the province, Peter Fulton.

We start the show by looking back at what's been an incredible season for both the men and the women in red and black - securing a remarkable 4 out of the 5 domestic titles. We discuss Will Williams' confidence levels, Cam Fletcher's touch rugby struggles, Ken McClure's match-winning innings in the Ford Trophy final and why Peter stepped away from the Black Caps environment to take on his current role with Canterbury.

As the chat continues, we take a trip down memory lane to remember the 2007 Chappell-Hadlee series, Peter's back-to-back Test hundreds against England at Eden Park, the ups and downs of his international career, his 11 first-class wickets and much more.

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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