The Top Order Cricket Podcast

The Top Order Podcast
The Top Order Cricket Podcast

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. 7 HR AGO

    Cricketmas 2024: Two greats retire and we wrap up England v NZ and Australia v India

    It's Cricketmas time again on the Top Order Podcast! This week we have a very special episode* wrapping up recent Tests in Brisbane and Hamilton. Firstly to the Brisbane Test between Australia and India [0:00]. With both top orders struggling, we try to decipher which team has more rocks or diamonds. In amongst all the analysis and breakdown is the shock retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin that broke just minutes before we recorded on Wednesday 18 December. We pay tribute to a true great of the game and lament his non-availability for what promises to be two exciting Tests in Melbourne and Sydney with the series on a knife-edge at 1-1. Then it's time to wrap up both the England v New Zealand series from Hamilton [33:56] and the retirement of the great Tim Southee. Raj wants to maximise the remainder of Kane Williamson's career (don't we all) and we contemplate if Will Young has done enough to hold his spot going forward. On the England side, our northern hemisphere analysts discuss whether Ollie Pope has done enough to keep his spot, and how good Jacob Bethell could be going forward. From all of us at the Top Order Podcast, have a wonderful and safe holiday season! If you enjoy our content, please vote for us as the Best Cricket Podcast in the Sports Podcast Awards. We’re delighted to be shortlisted and really appreciate your support: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-cricket-podcast/ We'll be back in your feed again next week with more news and views from the cricket world. 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. * We're not sure how it's special. It's special like all Christmas episodes are special we suppose. Except we don't sing. We truly value our listeners too much to do that... 0:00 Introduction 1:20 India v Australia - questions for the Aussies after rain disrupts play 21:55 Questions for India 27:40 Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement 34:00 Black Caps v England - NZ win the third Test 46:20 England's tactics and approach Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 14m
  2. 13 DEC

    England Cricket check-in, Jason Gillespie resigns & the over-rate debate

    In this episode of the show, Binksy and Jamie jump online for an English Cricket check-in, in which they to try and keep their feet in the here and now but inevitably turn their thoughts to the Ashes. They start the show by discussing Darren Lehmann's comments regarding Joe Root, then move to the brilliance of both Root and his Yorkshire teammate Harry Brook. There's a conversation about team permutations for both the Black Caps and England heading into the third and final test of the series in New Zealand, which will serve as Tim Southee’s farewell to Test cricket. To round out the show, there’s also a brief but fruitless chat on how to improve over rates, plus breaking news at the time of recording concerning Jason Gillespie resigning from his role as Pakistan coach. If you enjoy our content, please vote for us as the Best Cricket Podcast in the Sports Podcast Awards. We’re delighted to be shortlisted and really appreciate your support: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-cricket-podcast/ We'll be back in your feed again next week with more news and views from the cricket world. 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 1:40 Darren Lehmann's comments about Joe Root 6:45 Harry Brook moves to #1 in the ICC rankings 14:25 Changes for the third Black Caps v England Test in Hamilton? 23:20 The over-rate debate 32:20 Predictions for NZ v England final Test 34:15 Jason Gillespie resigns as Pakistan coach Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    41 min
  3. 8 DEC

    This Week in Cricket #169: Harry Brook does it again, Marnus is back & why can't batters score more runs?

    In this episode of the show, Baldy & Stu look back with contrasting emotions at the week (or three days) that was after Australia's convincing win against India and New Zealand once again collapsing against England. We start the show on a happy note for Baldy by discussing a turnaround in fortunes for Australia during the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. Scott Boland picked up where Josh Hazlewood left off, Mitchell Starc's radar was on from ball one and Pat Cummins also played his part in a dominant performance from the Aussie quicks. We also saw valuable contributions from Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan McSweeney, a hundred from Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy continue to look very comfortable at Test level. There's also discussion about why batters are struggling so much at the moment when the ball moves around, and the topsy-turvy nature of Test cricket results all over the world. In the second half of the show, it was rinse and repeat for England as Harry Brook and then Brydon Carse took centre stage again and the Black Caps crumbled under the pressure. In fact, England were so dominant we didn't even mention that Gus Atkinson took a hat-trick! There's praise for Joe Root, Jacob Bethell & Nathan Smith, Tom Blundell's return to form, a conversation about England winning the tactical battle, and unfortunately more selection questions for New Zealand with Tim Southee and Devon Conway in particular under the spotlight. We'll be back in your feed again next week with more news and views from both these exciting 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 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 Australia's bowlers set the tone for a big win against India 5:00 Scott Boland steps in and doesn't miss a beat 6:45 Why are batters struggling so much in the longer format? 9:35 Key partnership from Marnus Labuschagne & Nathan McSweeney 16:10 Travis Head breaks loose 19:10 Pat Cummins' contribution 20:45 Nitish Kumar Reddy looks ready for Test cricket 24:00 Is India's batting lineup dangerous or fragile? 30:10 Rohit Sharma the middle-order batter 34:35 Test cricket results are all over the place 36:55 Looking ahead to Brisbane 40:15 Black Caps v England reaction 42:25 Harry Brook's performance, along with Ollie Pope 48:00 England winning the tactical battle against NZ 51:05 England targeting Tim Southee 57:20 New Zealand's batting woes, particularly Devon Conway 1:06:25 Tom Blundell's hundred 1:10:10 Changes for the Black Caps? 1:14:45 Jacob Bethell and Joe Root Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 31m
  4. 1 DEC

    This Week in Cricket #168 - Brook, Carse & dropped catches sink the Black Caps & Australia v India injury news

    In this episode of the show, we review England's big win against the Black Caps at Hagley Oval, plus discuss some squad/injury news in the Border-Gavaskar series. England had some excellent performances from the likes of Harry Brook and Brydon Carse, but is it simply a case of catches win matches (or in New Zealand's case, dropped catches lose matches)? We discuss the first Test in plenty of detail, with comments on Brook, Carse, Ollie Pope, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Nathan Smith and others, plus look ahead to the selection questions facing both sides. Is there a spot for Will Young? Has Jacob Bethell done enough with his chance for England to hold his place? And much more . . . We also chat about potential changes to both Australia and India for the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar series, with Josh Hazlewood injured and doubts about Mitchell Marsh, while for India it looks likely that both Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma will return. Who will India leave out? And will the injuries provide a lifeline for Marnus Labuschagne? We'll be back in your feed again soon with more news and views from both these exciting 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 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 1:40 Initial reaction to England's big win against New Zealand 3:50 Did the Black Caps drop the game? 5:55 Harry Brook takes advantage 9:45 Ollie Pope's contribution, as well as Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes 16:45 Did New Zealand pick the right bowling attack? 21:00 Black Caps struggling for consistency 22:30 Brydon Carse takes 10 wickets in the match 30:00 NZ selection questions 48:15 Any questions for England? 53:00 Hazlewood injury & Marsh doubts for Australia 58:05 Shubman Gill & Rohit Sharma set to return for India Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 14m
  5. 27 NOV

    IPL Mega Auction 2024-25 Review: Big paydays, snubs, surprises & the fan experience

    In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu react to both days of the IPL mega auction, which saw Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer attract record bids, 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi picked up by Rajasthan Royals & the Mumbai Indians add a few Kiwis to their squad. We discuss the big winners (local players), Bevan-John Jacobs' surprise selection, powerful top orders, the Right to Match cards, where the New Zealanders and Australians landed (or didn't land), and how the huge player movement impacts the fan experience for overseas viewers. We'll be back in your feed again at the conclusion of the first Test in the Black Caps v England series with more news and views from the cricketing week that was. 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 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 1:15 Local players on the move at high prices 9:30 Where did the Black Caps end up? 12:15 Bevan-John Jacobs selected by Mumbai Indians 14:45 Australians everywhere 16:45 David Warner among the snubs, but 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi goes to RR 22:10 Daryl Mitchell goes unsold, along with Shardul Thakur and other notable names 26:20 How does the player movement impact the fan experience? 35:05 Final thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    43 min
  6. 26 NOV

    Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Bumrah, Jaiswal & Kohli shine as India wins in Perth

    In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu review the first Test of the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, which saw India start slowly but then roar back to dominate Australia and make a number of significant statements at Optus Stadium. We talk about Jasprit Bumrah's leadership (and his magnificent bowling), the patience and application shown by KL Rahul & Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Virat Kohli's return to form. There are questions about where it all went wrong for Australia, what to do with Marnus Labuschagne, as well as praise for their bowlers - Josh Hazlewood in particular - along with declarations, DRS decisions, debutants and much more as we unpack this fascinating game. We'll be back in your feed again in the next 24 hours with our initial reaction to the IPL mega auction, and then at the conclusion of the first Test in the Black Caps v England 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 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 and Australia's great start to the match 4:30 Jasprit Bumrah's leadership and his influence with ball in hand 12:40 Mohammed Siraj's strong performance 14:40 Yashasvi Jaiswal's patience and skill combine 20:50 KL Rahul ground Australia down 23:50 Virat Kohli's hundred 27:40 India's declaration paid off! 29:40 Are Australia in crisis? And what to do with Marnus Labuschagne? 35:40 What's happened to Australia's batting depth? 48:15 Final comments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    58 min
  7. 24 NOV

    Black Caps v England Test Series Preview - What's real? And who will win?

    In this episode of the show, we preview the Test series between the Black Caps and England, which starts on 28 November at Hagley Oval, plus welcome Jamie to the Top Order team. We discuss the venues, the build up, the key matchups and give our series predictions as we bounce around a huge number of topics and questions facing both sides. Which New Zealand side is real, the one that lost four consecutive Tests against Australia and Sri Lanka? Or the first team ever to win 3-0 in India? And what about England - are they more likely to score 800 or collapse in a Bazball heap? Can Latham and Conway outpoint Crawley and Duckett? Will Joe Root and Harry Brook carve up the Black Caps again? Why did England bring three spinners on the tour? Will the Black Caps send Tim Southee out on a high? Or will they extend his Test career into a World Test Championship final? And much more! We'll be back again a few days with a review of the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia, as well as a recap of the IPL mega auction. 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 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 and welcome to Jamie Barker 2:20 Venues, dates and World Test Championship permutations 5:50 The build up - contrasting form for the two sides 7:10 Which NZ team is real? The 3-0 v India or 0-2 v Sri Lanka? 10:40 Will England's confidence be dented by the Pakistan series? 16:30 Squads - any surprises or question marks? 22:45 Jordan Cox injury - how will that impact England's lineup? 29:00 Why have England picked three spinners in the squad? 31:40 England's seam attack in transition 35:25 Rehan Ahmed 38:10 Key matchups - Duckett & Crawley v Latham & Conway 46;10 Do England already have one eye on the Ashes? 50:15 Series predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 4m
  8. 18 NOV

    Border-Gavaskar Trophy Preview - The big questions, key matchups and series predictions

    In this episode of the show, we preview the Border-Gavaskar Test series between Australia and India, which starts on 22 November in Perth and has huge implications for the World Test Championship ladder. We discuss the venues, the build up, the key matchups and give our series predictions as we bounce around a huge number of topics and questions facing both sides. Will Jasprit Bumrah dominate the Australian top order? Can Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma find form again against Captain Cummins and his high-class bowling attack? What about Ashwin v Lyon? And who will win the series? Redemption for India after the disappointments against New Zealand? Or will Australia put one foot into the World Test Championship final? We'll be back again next week with a full preview of the Black Caps v England series, followed closely by a review of the first Australia v India Test from Optus Stadium. 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 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 2:00 Venues and pitches - are Australia's pitches becoming more bowler friendly? 13:30 The battle of the seam attacks - who will lineup alongside Bumrah for India? 23:45 Batting questions for India - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the spotlight 34:55 Australia's lineup largely settled, but are they in form? 47:40 Australia's bowling questions 51:55 Series predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 9m

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.

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada