The Top Order Cricket Podcast

The Top Order Podcast
  • 3.3 (6)
  • Cricket
  • Updated Weekly

A Pom, an Aussie and two Kiwis walk into a bar ... it’s not a joke, it’s The Top Order, a cricketing podcast where good friends mix their own banter and opinion with extended interviews with some of cricket's most interesting characters from the past and present day.

  1. 3d ago

    Black Caps v England Test Preview: Selection questions, NZ's last dance and England under pressure

    In this episode of the show, Binksy, Raj and Stu look ahead to the upcoming Test series between England and the visiting Black Caps.. We start the show by taking a wider view of where both squads are at leading into this encounter. For New Zealand, it feels like the start of a big year of Test cricket - one that could define how we look back at this current group of players. For England it's all about next steps as this squad tries to put the disappointment of The Ashes quickly in the rear-view mirror. As the conversation continues, we discuss key selection questions ahead of the first Test at Lord's, and the key takeaways from New Zealand's win over Ireland. Has Nathan Smith done enough to earn a spot in the XI? Will spin be enough of a factor to warrant Mitchell Santner and/or Shoaib Bashir in the lineups? How significant is Tom Blundell's recent run of good form? With a debut likely for Emilio Gay and Jacob Bethell set to be fit to play, it's also the bowling lineup that looms as the key question for England to resolve. Ben Stokes has shifted down the order - perhaps to open the bowling - and Ollie Robinson's return to Test cricket will be fascinating, particularly until Jofra Archer rejoins the squad. There's also talk of the pressure facing Brendon McCullum this home summer, and whether we can expect to see any changes to England's style of play. Binksy's excited about the Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook trio, Stu's got nagging doubts about the Black Caps' batting lineup and Raj is simply focusing on one ball at a time. We make predictions (kind of), ponder whether this will be Kane Williamson's final series and generally get enthused about what we hope will be three exciting Tests with plenty of talking points. If you haven't already, check out our IPL final recap, and stay tuned for more England v NZ content as this series progresses. 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 thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.  0:00 Intro 1:30 New Zealand's last dance? 5:05 Black Caps v Ireland - what did we learn? 12:10 Pressure on Brendon McCullum? 16:55 Selection questions: New Zealand 25:30 Selection questions: England 28:05 Ben Stokes' role 31:00 Will England change their approach? 36:40 Can NZ's batting lineup be trusted? 44:30 Will this be Kane Williamson's final series? 46:10 More England thoughts 47:40 Predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    58 min

  2. 4d ago

    IPL 2026 Final Recap: Kohli & bowlers shine as RCB beats GT to go back to back

    In this episode of the show, Binksy, Raj and Stu look back at the 2026 IPL final between the Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which saw RCB victorious to claim back to back titles. We start the show by recapping our tournament predictions, which looked a lot worse thanks to Mumbai's failings and Punjab's late collapse, before we discuss a final that may well have been decided within the first few overs of the game. It was an all-round effort from RCB, much like it has been all season, as the bowling attack of Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazelwood, Bhuvi Kumar, Rasikh Salam and Krunal Pandya chipped out the impressive GT top 3 of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, which meant that despite a 50 to Washington Sundar, GT was always going to have to produce something special with the ball to win the game. A cameo from Venkatesh Iyer put RCB on the front foot, and although Rashid Khan struck twice to give GT a glimmer of hope, another Virat Kohli masterclass secured back to back titles for RCB. We discuss the consistency and balance RCB displayed all season, what another IPL title means for Virat Kohli's legacy and briefly mention where the other teams fell short. To round out the show, we take a moment to appreciate Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's brilliant season and ponder how much different the IPL could look next year in light of Sachin Tendulkar's suggested tweaks. We'll be back in your feed again tomorrow with a Black Caps v England Test series preview, as attention quickly turns to the longest format of the game. 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 thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.  0:00 Intro 0:50 Our IPL predictions revisited 2:55 RCB's balanced squad and bowlers 8:20 Virat Kohli's impact & legacy 16:45 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's season 21:00 Sachin Tendulkar's suggested tweaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    26 min

  3. May 24

    This Week in Cricket #204: Contenders & Exit Interviews at IPL 2026

    In this episode of the show, Binksy, Raj and Stu take stock of all 10 teams at IPL 2026 as we move to the knockout phase of the competition. We start the show by focusing on the three teams already qualified for the playoffs at the time of recording - Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru & Sunrisers Hyderabad. There are contrasts among the styles - GT's bowling has been a huge strength, SRH look to overpower sides with their batting & RCB favour a more balanced approach - but all three must feel they have a strong chance of lifting the trophy in 2026. There's talk about the upcoming battle between Josh Hazelwood & Bhuvi Kumar and the GT top three of Sai Sudharsan, Shubman GIll & Jos Buttler - plus yet more praise for Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan & Eshan Malinga. As the conversation turns to the sides on the bubble - Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals & Kolkata Knight Riders - we avoid discussing the permutations and instead focus on which of these teams we'd most likely expect to play spoiler when one of them slides into that number 4 slot on the table. For KKR, it's the bowling that has shone in recent matches - the spin of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in particular capturing most of the headlines. Punjab finally awoke from their slumber thanks to a superb hundred from Shreyas Iyer, but after a losing streak that long, can they really be expected to win 4 matches in a row? Rajasthan's equation was simple - beat Mumbai and they're in - then hope Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's outstanding season can continue for a few more games against the toughest opposition. In the final segment, we say goodbye to Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and the Chennai Super Kings. Are there any bright spots? What skillsets should they target in the 2027 auction? And could that auction feature big names like Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Aiden Markram & Matt Henry? We'll be back in your feed again soon with more cricket news, including to review the IPL finals and preview the Black Caps 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 thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening. 0:00 Intro 1:30 IPL 2026 - The contenders 2:20 RCB - consistency has been key 9:55 GT - Top 3 and bowers world class 14:00 SRH - can batting firepower win it all? 20:20 The bubble: KKR's spinners 23:10 Punjab Kings' bizarre season 26:10 Rajasthan Royals - Sooryavanshi's star turn 32:30 Exit interviews - are LSG too average? 38:35 MI to face tough offseason questions 43:30 DC - glass half full or half empty? 49:25 CSK - is the rebuild on track? 55:40 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 3m

  4. May 17

    This Week in Cricket #203: Finn Allen robbed, Virat Kohli appreciation & Ollie Robinson's return

    In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the week that was in IPL 2026, discuss England's Test squad to take on the Black Caps and cover off some news from New Zealand, Australia and the World Test Championship. We start the show by trying to make sense of an increasingly murky IPL playoff picture after KKR's big win over the Gujarat Titans in the early hours of Sunday morning New Zealand time. With plenty set to change overnight, we looked at both Kolkata and Gujarat to investigate what's been going well for these two sides recently. There's praise for spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, seamers Kagiso Rabada and Kartik Tyagi, plus the powerful striking of Finn Allen. As the conversation continues, attention turns to the Punjab Kings, who at the time of recording were on an almighty slump. We spotlight the impact (or lack thereof) of their overseas seam-bowling contingent - particularly T20 World Cup standout Marco Jansen. We also take the time to chat about Virat Kohli's masterful hundred for RCB against KKR and the need to appreciate greatness when it's right in front of your eyes. In the second half of the show, we head to the UK to examine the newly announced 15-player England Test squad to take on the Black Caps (at least for the first Test). Zak Crawley has run out of chances and Emilio Gay & James Rew join, but it's the bowling attack which has seen the largest number of changes since The Ashes. There's a return for Ollie Robinson, talk of Ben Stokes opening the bowling and possible opportunities for Matthew Fisher and Sonny Baker. To round out the show, we cover off the news that the NZ20 has been officially delayed until December 2027, Devon Conway is keen for a central contract, Australia named a youthful looking white-ball squad featuring the likes of Cooper Connolly & Ollie Peake, and the ICC are set to discuss one-Test series in the World Test Championship. We'll be back in your feed again soon with more cricket news, including the charge to the IPL finals and the Black Caps' tour to England. 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 thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening. 0:00 Intro 1:00 IPL 2026: The playoff picture is murky 3:15 KKR enters the chat 5:45 Was Finn Allen robbed of POTM? 10:15 Punjab Kings losing streak 18:30 Virat Kohli appreciation 25:45 Fielding & scheduling 29:20 England Test squad v NZ 30:05 Changes to the bowling attack 43:15 Pitches and ball conditions 49:00 NZ20 delay, Devon Conway contract 54:35 Australia's youthful white-ball squads 1:01:10 ICC considering 1-Test WTC series Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 12m

  5. May 10

    This Week in Cricket #202: Top Order hits 500, Black Caps Test squad announced & GT on the charge

    In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu celebrate the Top Order's 500th episode before discussing the week that was in IPL 2026 and evaluate the Black Caps' Test squad for the upcoming tour to Ireland and England, plus a bit of England Cricket chat as well. We start the show by raising the bat to 500 episode for The Top Order Podcast. It's been a fun journey filled with plenty of highlights, so the boys share a few before moving on to the cricket once again. As the conversation turns to IPL 2026, we discuss a week which saw the majority of the higher-ranked sides stumble, while the Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings took advantage and moved up the ladder. For GT, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan are easy to praise, but it's Rashid Khan who we put in the spotlight for his impressive contributions and craft. Binksy then asks whether Stu believes in the Sunrisers yet, whereas Stu's trying to figure out why the Punjab Kings are dropping so many catches - and also basking in the glory of Finn Allen's hundred for KKR. In the second half of the show, the guys discuss the newly announced 19-player Black Caps Test squad to tour the UK and Ireland. What did they get right in the draft last week? And are there any surprises? There's praise for the seam bowling attack despite the absence of Jacob Duffy, with Matt Henry, Will O'Rourke, Kyle Jamieson, Nathan Smith and co. all in line to feature. On the England side of things, a new selector has (sort of) been announced, and Binksy outlines potential changes from The Ashes that could open the door for a return for Ollie Robinson and a fresh face in the batting line up. We'll be back in your feed again soon with more cricket news, including the charge to the IPL finals and the Black Caps' tour to England. 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 thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening. 0:00 Intro 1:30 500 episodes for the Top Order 6:20 IPL 2026: GT's charge into the Top 4 11:25 Is it time to believe in SRH? 15:00 Why can't the Punjab Kings catch? 20:15 Finn Allen stars for KKR, but is it too late? 24:30 CSK holding on 28:35 Black Caps Test squad announced 39:25 Changes for England? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    53 min

  6. May 3

    This Week in Cricket #201: IPL Update, Black Caps squad draft & a new NZC CEO

    In this episode of the show, Baldy, Raj and Stu discuss the week that was in IPL 2026, Geoff Allott's appointment as New Zealand Cricket CEO and draft their Black Caps Test squad for the upcoming tour to Ireland and England. We start the show by discussing another disappointing week for the Mumbai Indians, before we turn our attention to the three sides just on the outside of the playoff picture - the Gujarat Titans, the Chennai Super Kings and the Delhi Capitals. Are Shubman Gill's GT building momentum? Does Sanju Samson have another 4-5 hundreds in his locker? And how much did DC's Kyle Jamieson enjoy his yorker to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?! As the conversation continues, there's praise for Virat Kohli, Heinrich Klaasen, Josh Hazelwood, Arshdeep Singh and a host of other players, before we move on to discuss New Zealand Cricket's appointment of Geoff Allott as CEO. What are the key decisions waiting for him on day 1? And what does this mean for the NZ20? To round out the show, Baldy challenges Raj and Stu to draft a 15-player Black Caps Test squad to tour the UK and Ireland, which leads to a few disagreements and a much longer show than Baldy was expecting. Does Mitchell Santner's injury complicate the selection process? Jacob Duffy or Kyle Jamieson? Or both? Is there room for a bolter? A back-up wicketkeeper? A spinner? Kane Williamson's legacy, Glenn Phillips's role and the back-up seamer spots in hot demand. We'll be back in your feed again soon with more cricket news, including the charge to the IPL finals and the Black Caps' tour to England. 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 thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening. 0:00 Intro 1:00 IPL 2026: Is the Top 4 already decided? 3:40 Mumbai Indians continue to disappoint 7:25 Are the Gujarat Titans building momentum? 9:35 Virat Kohli is majestic 12:35 Are the Chennai Super Kings still in the mix? 15:30 Delhi Capitals up and down form 20:40 RCB, SRH & Punjab Kings looking good 28:45 Geoff Allott named NZ Cricket CEO 37:55 Black Caps Test squad draft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 23m

  7. Apr 26

    This Week in Cricket #200: Does a good bowling attack matter in T20s? And are Will Young & Zak Crawley on the decline?

    In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu discuss a range of topics from IPL 2026 at the halfway stage. Who has impressed? What predictions did we get wrong? And what did we get right? We also touch on the current overseas tours involving the Black Caps and NZ A, plus check in on the England Test contenders now that the County Championship season is underway. We start the show by discussing the flurry of runs we've seen at the IPL over the past few days. Shreyas Iyer and the Punjab Kings chased down the Delhi Capitals' 264, and Sunrisers Hyderabad made light work of a 220+ run chase against Rajasthan Royals. We saw hundreds for Sanju Samson, Sai Sudharsan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and KL Rahul, but many of those players ended up on the losing side. As the conversation continues, we wonder whether bowlers can ever turn the tables on quality batters, compare Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to Wayne Gretzky, dismay at the struggles of the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans and look back in horror at some of our pre-tournament predictions. There's also praise for RCB and the unbeaten Punjab Kings, who sit atop the table at the halfway point of the season. To round out the show, we move away from the IPL to talk about two Wills from the Black Caps - the return of Will O'Rourke and the form of Will Young. We also shine a spotlight on some of England's leading contenders for Test spots now that the County Championship is underway, such as Zak Crawley, Jamie Smith and James Rew. We'll be back in your feed again soon with more cricket news, including plenty of IPL coverage and the current NZ tours. 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 thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening. 0:00 Intro 2:20 IPL 2026: runs galore in PBKS v DC & SRH v RR 5:25 Will bowlers ever top the batters in T20? 16:15 Can anyone catch the current top 4? 21:45 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's fantastic form continues 26:50 Prediction mulligans: Gujarat & Mumbai's struggles 33:15 RCB looking very consistent 37:30 Punjab Kings unbeaten 41:30 Black Caps news: Will O'Rourke & Will Young 49:00 County Championship: England contenders form updates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 8m

  8. Apr 20

    This Week in Cricket #199: Black Caps selection questions for 2026 and IPL Week 3 in review

    In this episode of the show, Stu and Raj discuss the current overseas tours involving the Black Caps and NZ A, plus some key emerging questions as the third week of IPL 2026 comes to a close. We start the show by discussing the many Black Caps on tour in various parts of Asia in the month of April - primarily the NZ side in Bangladesh and the NZ A team in Sri Lanka. We highlight names to watch such as Curtis Heaphy and Tim Pringle, as well as the form of familiar faces like Henry Nicholls, but then wonder whether there will be opportunities for any of them in the year ahead as we look forward to key series against England, India and Australia. As we turn our attention to the IPL, the middle orders get their time in the spotlight. The openers dominate the headlines - and the orange cap leaderboard - but can you win the tournament without a reliable middle order? Shreyas Iyer and his Punjab Kings come in for praise, while questions are raised about the Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans despite their impressive performances so far. To round out the show, we debate whether it is time to put a line through the Mumbai Indians' chances and talk through the most recent games on the calendar, which saw costly missed opportunities, the highest IPL team score of the season, more runs for Cooper Connolly & a first win of 2026 for KKR. We'll be back in your feed again soon with more cricket news, including plenty of IPL coverage and the current NZ tours. 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 thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for listening. 0:00 Intro 0:55 Black Caps in Bangladesh & NZ A Sri Lanka 3:10 Black Caps selection questions for the big year ahead 16:15 IPL 2026 Week 3 19:55 Is this the year of the middle order? 27:45 Rajasthan v KKR 32:15 Punjab Kings v LSG 37:10 RCB v DC 39:25 Sunrisers Hyderabad & Gujarat Titans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    48 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.3
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

A Pom, an Aussie and two Kiwis walk into a bar ... it’s not a joke, it’s The Top Order, a cricketing podcast where good friends mix their own banter and opinion with extended interviews with some of cricket's most interesting characters from the past and present day.

Information

  • Creator
    The Top Order Podcast
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    504
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 The Top Order Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Top Order Cricket Podcast

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