The Final Word Cricket Podcast Adam Collins, Geoff Lemon

Season 16, Episode 17: India, the UK and the USA are all heading towards national elections, in the same year that the USA, England and India will all be prominent in cricket, starting with the gathering for the T20 World Cup. For that to arrive, the IPL had to finish, after a campaign as long as any election, and this time Mitchell Starc went from first gear to seventh with exactly the right timing, as did Team USA to down a Full Member nation in a series for the first time. Meanwhile, the ICC still has mates with a (digital video of a) bridge to sell you.

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Get down to Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City!
More extra, less ordinary. westfield.com/united-kingdom/london

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Title track by Urthboy
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Season 16, Episode 16: It has been quite the story. First, the revelation that France's cricket board was approving scorecards from domestic games with no evidence of ever existing. Then, blacklisting the entire national women's squad when those players asked for an investigation. The ICC says there is nothing to see here. As ever, there is a lot of money at stake.
We speak to the France24 reporter who broke the story, Peter O'Brien, and one of the banished players, Poppy McGeown.

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Get down to Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City!
More extra, less ordinary. westfield.com/united-kingdom/london

Get your 10% discount on top-notch kit from Serious Cricket
FINALWORD24 at checkout --> seriouscricket.co.uk
Or the Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw

Donate to support our Edinburgh Marathon runners for the Lord's Taverners
All links at linktr.ee/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, is this one of the most bogus games to get first-class status? Probably not in the top hundred if we're honest but it's funny anyway. Also, a great player's brief and bombastic return, another's fondest day, and the ease of resolving scheduling dilemmas when you have sufficient clout.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:
2.33 - Pushkar Godbole
4.92 - Robbie McIntyre
1.85 - Vijai Prabhudass
4.86 - Gareth Cottiss

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Enter our Westfield UK competition
Gift vouchers or your own T20 World Cup final party at Sixes
westfield.com/united-kingdom/tfw

Donate to support our Edinburgh Marathon runners for the Lord's Taverners
All links at linktr.ee/thefinalword

10% off kit from seriouscricket.co.uk with FINALWORD24 at checkout
Your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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The 1961 Ashes had it all, especially at Old Trafford. The ground where Jim Laker ran amok the previous time the Australians visited would be the scene of a staggering come-from-behind triumph under the bold leadership of Richie Benaud, spinning to win from out of the rough. Adam has Steve Cannane with him to interview Harry Ricketts, the co-author of a terrific new book focused on a match that helped earn the Australian captain the reputation as the best leader in the game. But it’s a portrait just as much about the England skipper, Peter May, and how a champion player would become a symptom of an antiquated class system by the end of his time in charge. A book that’s going to win a stack of awards, it’s out this week. Enjoy!

Buy a copy of Richie Benaud's Blue Suede Shoes here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/richie-benauds-blue-suede-shoes-9781526670274/
 
Read Steve Cannane's Review for the FT here: https://www.ft.com/content/d1e4e4e4-59a9-4f41-abdb-1059932cb7fe

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Enter our Westfield UK competition
Gift vouchers or your own T20 World Cup final party at Sixes
www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/tfw

Donate to support our Edinburgh Marathon runners for the Lord's Taverners
All links at linktr.ee/thefinalword

10% off kit from seriouscricket.co.uk with FINALWORD24 at checkout
Your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, how many things do you not know about Jim Laker? For us, plenty, including how close he came to turning out in the baggy green. Lara Killick asks about some rubbery figures, we head back to the early IPL, some forgotten T20 Blast, and the very beginning of Test cricket once again.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:
2.49 - Cam Allen
18.77 - Chris Byrne
29.00 - Lara Killick
21.24 - Alan Simpson
7.75 - Eranda Jayawickreme
1.71 - Niall Taylor

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Enter our Westfield UK competition
Gift vouchers or your own T20 World Cup final party at Sixes
www.westfield.com/united-kingdom/tfw

Donate to support our Edinburgh Marathon runners for the Lord's Taverners
All links at linktr.ee/thefinalword

10% off kit from seriouscricket.co.uk with FINALWORD24 at checkout
Your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 16, Episode 15: Yes, we finally have our ad-free feed up and running, extra exciting in the same week as Adam claims to have watched The Greatest Round of County Cricket Ever. Wait for his documentary series on it in 10 years' time. Jofra Archer is tentatively back bowling snorters, there is civil unrest in Australian state cricket, and we finally figure out how the IPL works as Mitch Starc hits top gear. Also, our Westfield competition starts this week, and our listeners get innovative in fundraising for the Edinburgh marathon.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:
3.18 - Thilo Fob

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Get down to Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City!
More extra, less ordinary. westfield.com/united-kingdom/london

Get your 10% discount on top-notch kit from Serious Cricket
FINALWORD24 at checkout --> seriouscricket.co.uk
Or the Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw

Donate to support our Edinburgh Marathon runners for the Lord's Taverners
All links at linktr.ee/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices