The Final Word Cricket Podcast

It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, let's begin with the apocryphal contributions of Olivia Newton-John, and work our way down to the coastal town of Warrnambool for what could and should be the greatest collaboration of all between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. With a little more Warwick Armstrong Style for those who celebrate.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

50.00 - Phillip Wing

17.17 - Alex Malin

6.35 - Thom Kelly

3.99 - Chewbacca Snuffleupagus

3.73 - Joey McGahan

7.71 - Claire Danny Daniel

10.00 - Will Day

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

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

Help our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.

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Season 14, Episode 9: When it comes to the second half of the 20th century, few figures had a bigger influence on English cricket than Dennis Amiss. But those born in recent decades might not know much of him, as a player and a personality defined by understatement even with the height of his achievements. Aggressively opening the batting when possible, resolutely defending when necessary, and going large in a way that predated Graeme Gooch's theory of 'daddy hundreds', he took on the best fast bowlers of his era - Holding, Roberts, Lillee, Thomson - and found a way against the best spin - Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar. Later he ran Warwickshire cricket, signed Brian Lara, was a national selector and held senior positions at the English board. Quite the CV for a Birmingham lad who grew up working at the family tyre shop around the corner from Edgbaston. Just after his 80th birthday, in the Midlands sunshine, Dennis is as chipper as ever.

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

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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Season 14, Episode 8: Nick Hoult from the Telegraph leads this show, after a huge news week in England that includes suggestions from the top of the ECB of abandoning the new format and league that they have spent the last few years arguing for. Other stories include England players becoming likely to refuse national contracts in favour of T20 franchises, and a masterful week of needling from Stuart Broad. Also this week, Kohli squares off with Gautam Gambhir to become a Champion of the Proletariat, Sri Lanka make history against Ireland, Nepal offers a mixed bag during its Asian Premier Cup win, Steve Smith arrives in Sussex, and the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy rolls on alongside the County Championship.

Your Nerd Pledge number this week:

4.63 - Tim Andrews

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

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, with a coronation coming up, let's go back to the last time one was necessary. In step with that, we have England's most ineffective captain, Australia's selectors trolling Wally Hammond, another rare record for Vinoo Mankad, another appearance for Henry Olonga, and the end of our search for a bowler who took 10 and none.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

4.65 - Tobi Wilson

4.50 - Aravind

3.43 - Shawn Rajanayagam, Stuart Akers, Real Victor Trumper

10.20 - Matthew Davies

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

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

Help our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.

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Season 14, Episode 7: Victorian captain, back in the Test side for India, then not in the Ashes squad, Peter Handscomb's cricket career is still the proverbial rollercoaster. These days he is learning to take the ride. Now in a stint playing for Leicestershire, Handscomb sits down with The Final Word for a long and frank conversation about the hard winning of self-belief, the role of anxiety, the complications in enjoying the highs, and the process of letting go.

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

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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Season 14, Episode 6: After our initial conversation last week about Saudi Arabia wanting to buy Indian cricket, it's time to talk to Daniel Brettig, who did some substantial reporting for The Age. Also this week, Ireland bat big in Sri Lanka, New Zealand level a ridiculous T20 series in Pakistan, Glenn Maxwell and David Warner roll on in the IPL, Jimmy Anderson hunts another target in the County Championship, and the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint Trophy gets underway in a flurry of sixes.

Your Nerd Pledge number this week:

2.39 - Peta Dowling

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

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, a very unusual Story Time. It's not the weekend. It's a Monday. But it's not just any Monday, or any 24th of April. It's not just Damien Fleming's birthday. It's not just 25 years since the Sandstorm century in Sharjah. It is Sachin Tendulkar's 50th birthday. And after years of making sport with Happy Birthday Sachin segments on The Final Word, it seemed only fair to wish him one sincerely, by dedicating a whole Story Time to what was the biggest career in the game.

Your reverse-engineered Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

2.66 - James Philbrook

1.67 - Slim Johns

3.83 - Not That Tim Minchin

28.70 - Michael Holden

7.00 - Terry Hogan

5.47 - Dan Walsh

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

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

Help our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, a Story Time double is coming your way, so for the entree we have a round of revisits to finish off some answers that we previously got wrong. So many stories to breeze through here, but the only tempter you really need is to know that Andy Caddick broke the internet.

Your Nerd Pledge revisits this week:

2.56 - Simon Ward

1.54 - Cameron

3.18 - Max Hanlon

2.55 - Pushkar Godbole

6.20 - Brent Simmonds

2.44 - Matt Blacker

4.47 - Rob Kingston

3.47 - Paul Harmer

12.40 - Elia Andrews

3.30 - Toby

3.66 - Erin Kane

3.20 - Gareth Cottiss

5.34 - Andy Turner

4.23 - Chris Lintott

4.89 - Richard Jones

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

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

Help our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.

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Season 14, Episode 5: Cricket farewelled someone truly special this week, Faith Thomas, who played a Test match in 1953 as Faith Coulthard when she became the first Indigenous woman to represent Australia in any sport. Her friend and biographer Tyson Baird joins the show to talk about her personality and legacy. Also this week, the Australian men's Ashes squad is announced, and a Saudi Arabia T20 league could have drastic ramifications for cricket's structure.

Your Nerd Pledge number this week:

19.80 - Clint

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Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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Season 14, Episode 4: Four years ago, we sat with Lawrence Booth, the editor of cricket's bible, to discuss his most recent edition on the night that Geoff won the gong as Wisden's book of the year. Four years and a pandemic later, Adam is with the same guest on the same couch in the MCC Library at Lord's to discuss edition number 160, and it's a belter. International cricket needs advocates like never before with the sport changing by the month. Lawrence articulates that in blunt terms alongside a celebration of the best of our game - not least the welcome BazBall revolution. And of course, Shane Warne is paid tribute in the best traditions of the publication. Enjoy the chat and the book.

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Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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Season 14, Ep 3: We're lucky to work on a lot of cricket around the world each year and never take that for granted. But what I (Adam here) didn't have on my radar until last year was a tournament with origins dating back before the women's professional era - the FairBreak Invitational. It takes some getting your head around at first, but bringing players together from more than 30 countries is pretty special and deserves a lot of love from the cricket community at large. In this ep, six people who were instrumental to the success of the recently-completed second edition of the tournament in Hong Kong.

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Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, Bharat Sundaresan makes his suggestion for most iconic commentary duo, we find out about Test hat-tricks on debut and about pioneering blasters, we look at the life of a very early legend, the worst good days in the field, and the worst worst efforts second with the bat. Also, stay away from Thomas Downes and his ranch.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

2.08 - Sam Ashworth

1.36 - Cameron Allen & Alex Brown

2.02 - Keiron Costello, Dorwin D'Souza & Max Heaton

Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

Help our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.

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Season 14, Ep 2: This week, some more exciting corporate nonsense from the cash-chasing division of the ICC, making up both milestones and meanings. All that we're asking for is Michael Bevan Day to be formally recognised. The Australian national contracts are done for men and women, and there's plenty to read in those tea leaves. Bangladesh knocks off Ireland but there's a ton on debut for Lorcan Tucker, and we catch up on IPL, Fairbreak, and the early County Championship.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

7.43 - Shannon Blackmore

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, a couple of chunky revisits get mixed through the new numbers as we look at why so many Pakistan cricketers ended their lives in England, how Nobby became named Nobby, which 1800s Chunky Boi you would most love to cuddle, who Chappelli rated most of all, and what the difference is between the differences that were the difference. We're going down to Decimal Town, baby! Coming?

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

1.68 - Eric Parnis

2.45 - Matthew Jones and Big Geoff

2.71 - Richard L

5.39 - Elise Gane

5.55 - Osman Bahemia

6.29 - Andrew West

23.75 - Rob O'Neill

Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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Season 14, Ep 1: It's a new season of The Final Word. More importantly, the Australian board has a new pay deal in place with huge significance for the women's game, and the English board has finished its disciplinary investigation into racist behaviour at Yorkshire. Bharat Sundaresan joins Geoff to make an attempt at drawing conclusions. Also this week, the IPL gets underway with Old Man Dhoni still clearing fences, South Africa edge closer to a World Cup spot, and Ireland start their first ever Test series in Bangladesh.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

4.41 - Richard Hall

Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, a time when Zimbabwe ruled the world and Henry Olonga set it alight. Which of the great players is most undervalued, and why is the answer is Zaheer Abbas? The origin stories for a moustachioed icon and for the best to ever do a certain job. And the way that we answer answers that we can't answer.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

21.49 - Adam T

5.93 - Michael Edelstein

1.67 - Slim Johns

4.97 or 4.47 - Rob Kingston

53.00 - Alastair Townsend

3.41 - Basab Majumdar

Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

Help our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.

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Season 13, Ep 29: This week, reporter Annesha Ghosh updates us about the WPL that she has spent the past few weeks watching more closely than anyone, after Harmanpreet Kaur's Mumbai Indians took down Meg Lanning's Delhi Capitals. Also this week, the Afghanistan board claims they received an ICC funding increase, but there is no evidence that it happened. Western Australia continue their dynasty with a Mr Sheffield Shield title and a trophy clean sweep for the season. Steve Smith doesn't blink, but the ICC does over the Indore pitch rating. Our marathon-running team is all set. And it's the last episode of TFW Season 13.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

2.44 - Matthew Blacker

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Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

Help our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. It isn't often that we breach the two-hour barrier, but this was worth it. A BUMPER revisits special with 18 numbers – a new record for a single ep. Hop in to learn about the all-round sporting brilliance of Harald Frei, a nagging seamer called Mad Jack, the sad final appearance of Johnny Briggs, and a chap by the name of Dick Daft. And so, so much more. Enjoy!

Your revisited Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

411.12 - Sean McGivern

2.82 - Sam Brown

3.74 - Angus Digby

4.03 - Amelia Vine

21.12 - Chris Dobbins

9.30 - Anna Forsyth

23.30 - Michael Holden

6.81 - James Philbrook

2.60 - Paul Reeve

3.30 - Toby

16.43 - Francis Keepfer

4.89 - Richard Jones

6.00 - Tim Minchin

4.99 - Guy Hornsby

13.62 - Andrew Lowcock

2.52 - Rahul Venkat

4.74 - Matthew Evans

12.33 - Chris Unwin

As Jeff Fenech said, we love youse all.

Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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Season 13, Ep 28: This week, the MCC gets swarmed by Eton and Harrow fans , and Emma John joins the show to help explain this especially English toff barney. Before we get to that, Australia is still playing in India, Sri Lanka get finished up in New Zealand, the WPL reaches its finals, Victoria stun Western Australia and Queensland in the Mr Sheffield Shield, Aleem Dar and Dane van Niekerk sign off, Nepal finish a crazy winning streak after Asif Khan's even crazier innings, and how many litres of paint can Kane Williamson drink?

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

12.40 - Elia Andrews

Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, a new record for single largest pledge provokes a ridiculous voyage into the obscurities of the past. We have cricketing pilots, an Almanack exploration, Stork Hendry going in to bat for Clarrie Grimmett, and a thorny clue that you might have more luck with than we did.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

411.12 - Sean McGivern

23.30 - Michael Holden

1.68 - Eric Parnis

2.93 - Graeme Innes

4.43 - Sean O'Carroll

17.75 - Tane Aikman

Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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Season 13, Ep 27: And with that, it was done. Ahmedabad receded into the distance. Mumbai vanished into the night. Those weeks were left behind. So we turn out attention to Bangladesh, where the Tigers have just whitewashed world champions England in a T20 series, and friend of the show Mohammad Isam has been watching as always. Also this week, Temba Bavuma breaks through against West Indies, New Zealand finish another classic against Sri Lanka, the National Indigenous Cricket Championships are over with a new winner for the first time, the Shield gets spicy, and Shaun Marsh says goodbye to the long game.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

5.51 - Lucas Stewart

Here's the Bangladesh website for Isam's new book, On the Tigers' Trail.

Join us for the Edinburgh half-marathon on 28 May to raise funds for the Lord's Taverners. Register to run at this link or by emailing finalwordcricket@gmail.com. Donate to support the runners here. Or learn about other Tavs projects by joining their mailing list at bit.ly/tavssignup.

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20% off primo WoodstockCricket.co.uk bats with the code TFW20

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, a host of sports betting enthusiasts get involved across a range of matches, there are some Djokovic strategic bathroom breaks, and we uncover the Australian answer to the man who could jump onto a mantelpiece.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

3.00 - Matt Near the Gabba

3.60 - Uzair Khan & Charlie Ryan

4.00 - James Harding

6.20 - Brent Simmonds

2.03 - Brendan Crabb

Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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India v Australia, Ahmedabad Day 5, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. The best thing we can say about that is, it is over. Day five was about as tedious as it promised to be, but luckily down in New Zealand they were playing another classic with Sri Lanka for company.

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India vs Australia, Ahmedabad Day 4, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. It's The Final Word Daily, and after people talking about it for three years, Kohli made a Test hundred. Not his toughest conditions, not his most perilous position, but the job was done. Also, Axar Patel carried on, Nathan Lyon bowled a marathon, and more.

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India vs Australia, Ahmedabad Day 3, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. A long day where the scoreboard won't suggest that much action, but the playing field begged to differ. Shubman Gill made a breakout century, Virat Kohli got to his first fifty in a year, but the Australians kept the brakes on with some clever bowling and a whole lot of determination.

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India vs Australia, Ahmedabad Day 2, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. It's The Final Word Daily, where Usman Khawaja batted his way to one of the longest innings ever played in India, and Cameron Green notched his first Test ton. Even in the face of this, Ravichandran Ashwin was undimmed although the other bowlers couldn't say the same. India's brief batting stint before stumps looks full of promise.

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India vs Australia, Ahmedabad Day 1, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. It's The Final Word Daily, coming from a deeply weird day where the Test match was taken over by politicians at the start of the day. We've certainly never seen anything like it.

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Season 13, Ep 26: With the ECB's hearing into Yorkshire's racism charges underway, we spend the second part of the show speaking to the reporter who has done more work on this story than any, The Cricketer's George Dobell. Before that, recording in Ahmedabad ahead of the fourth India-Australia Test, there have been fireworks in the early rounds of the Women's Premier League, Western Australia keep dominating the Shield, South Africa's quicks do the damage against West Indies, Bangladesh host England in ODIs, and we have an especially delicious link to our answer on Nerd Pledge.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

8.61 - Dane Hansted

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. And this week it's a special. Geoff and Adam get together with our other hosts, Bharat Sundaresan and Daniel Norcross, in a hotel in Indore that is far too fancy for any of us to be staying in, to record this special all-in episode. With bonus Louis Cameron and Brettig in a Box.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

3.74 - Angus Digby

9.42 - Matt Wust

9.30 Anna Forsyth

3.72 - Sam Hartmann & Paul Richards

2.80 - James

6.00 - Not That Tim Minchin

Send us a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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India vs Australia, Delhi Not Day 4: Another day four, another day of nothing happening. Except for press conferences and ICC ratings for the pitch, which was deemed no good. Adam and Bharat rake through the leavings and wonder what India will do next.

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India vs Australia, Indore Day 3: It's The Final Word Daily. It's all over, before lunch on day three. That makes seven and a half days of cricket across three Test matches. But the kicker: the Australians are back in the series. India lose a shootout! Find out how.

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India vs Australia, Indore Day 2: It swung back and forth, it spun one way and another, and eventually another huge day of Test cricket came to an end. Handscomb and Green did some batting, Ashwin staged another intervention, Pujara showed all of his stubbornness, and Nathan Lyon produced an all-time performance. Now the stage is set for Australia to come back into the series - or for something even less likely.

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India vs Australia, Indore Day 1: After two massive batting collapses for Australia, the tables turned. India got bowled out for 109 after Australia's three spinners joined forces. But the pitch is doing everything, and Australia have just inched into a lead. It's all happening!

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India vs Australia, Indore Day 0: After a long break with some time to clear their heads, the Australians will approach Indore with some team changes, while India don't need to make any, but might make one. Also, why not talk about New Zealand beating England by one run?

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Season 13, Ep 25: While the Women's T20 World Cup final might have gone entirely as expected to complete a hat-trick, the domestic WNCL final did not - an astonishing game of cricket even before the five-wicket final over. Meanwhile, the first women's IPL edition is gearing up for its start. Elsewhere, England and New Zealand set up an intriguing final day that got even better than expected after we finished recording this podcast. And there's a return for Happy Birthday Sachin, with a story via Bollywood actor Saiyama Kher.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

14.70 - Darragh O'Donovan

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2023 T20 Women's World Cup: After a short sharp tournament full of upsets and close calls, the final went to form. Not without some magic from Laura Wolvaardt and Chloe Tryon. Beth Mooney, Megan Schutt, Ash Gardner and company just kept doing their thing. Geoff and Bharat watched the game with a Hindi cover band for company in a bar in Indore.

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, one of the dodgiest characters we've yet had the pleasure to meet on the show, plus a one-day record you've never heard of that will never be broken, some more scorecard chicanery from the 1800s, another descendant of the Furphy clan, and the style icons of the 1990s.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

13.32 - Dom Griffiths

1.11 - Alastair Wilson

5.66 - Nathan Browne

1.54 - Cameron M and Seb Goldsmith

7.70 - Joel Crosby

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Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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Title track by Urthboy

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India vs Australia again, but in the women's T20 World Cup semi in Cape Town. A day of brilliance for Jemima Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur, the usual high standards from Beth Mooney, and a coming-of-age performance from Darcie Brown. Twists and turns aplenty. With Geoff and Bharat.

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Season 13, Ep 24: On his last trip to India covering cricket in 2017, Australian reporter Andrew Wu was surprised to be targeted by anti-Chinese abuse. On returning in 2023 he wrote about the experience. Now he sits down with Bharat and Geoff in downtown Delhi to share some reflections. Also this week, Adam and Geoff round up the Women's T20 World Cup, the Delhi Test, England's win in New Zealand, the Sheffield Shield, the WNCL, and the belated match report from the Final Word XI triumph at Birchgrove Oval.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

3.20 - Gareth Cottiss

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Title track by Urthboy

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. In the grip of the Delhi Flu, Bharat Sundaresan nonetheless gamely tackles this late-night episode from India with Geoff. We have puzzles via poetry, the moment when baseball finally crossed over to cricket, and a wrist-spinning Catholic insurgency. All backed up by the symphony of bad house party vibes and endless horns.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:

2.60 - Ramaswamy, Paul Reeve & Bala Sivaraman

5.10 - Shaun Ton & Simon Tamblyn

2.99 - Rich Baldwin

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Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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India vs Australia, Delhi Not Day 4: With the match done, Geoff and Bharat headed down to the ritzy Lalit Hotel to hear from head coach Andrew McDonald. What has gone so badly wrong for Australia in India, and why?

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India vs Australia, Delhi Day 3: In a match that has gone in fast forward, the fastest forward was saved for the end. A historic collapse, 10 wickets for Jadejashwin, and the Australians turned into fungus heads from The Last of Us.

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India vs Australia, Delhi Day 2: In the Test that just keeps giving, the match swung back and forth on the second day. Nathan Lyon had another day out, Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin played another rescue knock, while David Warner is out with a concussion and Travis Head went nuts opening the batting.

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India vs Australia, 2nd Test, Delhi Day 1: That was fun. A wild day of Test cricket, starting with an unexpected bouncer barrage, a reverse-sweep-a-thon, and two of the biggest brains in the game going forehead to forehead. Is Australia's score anywhere near enough?

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India v Australia, 2nd Test, Delhi: When you get the chance to record an episode at the Feroz Shah Kotla Fort, one of the most impressive ancient structures in India, why not? Adam has been scrutinising Pat Cummins' body language at the press conference, and there is one change for India, but perhaps should be more.

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It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, it's finally time to get amongst the revisits, which means that this is a bumper show. Go for a long walk or a long drive and settle in with us for Jo Angel's headwear, Bob Hawke's bicentennial paraphernalia, a Hungarian etymology lesson, the best thing ever to happen in Castlemaine, a modern-day version of an 1800s wicketkeeper, and a little heralded cricket ground that may just be, per capita, the most Final Word venue ever used.

Your Nerd Pledge revisits this week:

1.30 - Daniel Price

5.78 - Jack Rule

4.06 - Simon Butcher

1.50 - Luke Kneebone

5.50 - Joel Burton

2.99 - Dannish Babar

3069.00 - Gabor Torok

2.12 - Alan Edgar

1.84 - Joel Emonsen

3.40 - Nigel Browne

5.21 - Michael Hargreaves

2.23 - Shane Fagg

4.50 - Bernhard Sayer

5.00 - Sarah Berman

1.72 - Jack Jorgensen

12.33 - Chris Unwin

1.49 - Jason Wilkins

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Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

Help our Edinburgh Marathon runners raise funds for the Lord's Taverners at bit.ly/eddiemarathon, or learn about other Tavs projects with bit.ly/tavssignup.

Title track by Urthboy

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Season 13, Ep 23: Coming to you at sunset from the old VCA ground in Nagpur, where Damien Martyn hit that six onto the press box roof in 2004, this is at last our first weekly show from India. The old stadium a different place now, much more low key than when it hosted Tests, but our friend Milind bhai from the security detail showed us around. This week on the show, the fallout from Australia's Test loss at the other VCA ground, the women's T20 World Cup gets underway with some serious upsets, Jofra Archer bursts back into the England one-day team while their Test side prepares in New Zealand without Trent Boult, Aaron Finch retires, the Big Bash finishes up, and West Indies play out a fun Test match against Zimbabwe. Join us on the roof

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

1.80 - Bernhard Sayer

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Title track by Urthboy

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Season 13, Ep 22: The Nagpur Test is over early, so what better time to speak to the man who coached India to the 2011 World Cup, Gary Kirsten. He also took India and South Africa to No.1 in the Test rankings during his tenure. Before that, he was one of South Africa's all-time greats with the bat. An illuminating chat with The Final Word.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:

4.03 - Amelia Vine

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Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com

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India v Australia, 1st Test, Nagpur Day 3: They don't come much more comprehensive than that. India's lower order kept bringing the pain, having some fun for themselves at Australia's expense, before the Ashwin & Jadeja show got going for the umpteenth time. All over in three days, get the details here.

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India v Australia, 1st Test, Nagpur Day 2: There were five wickets on debut for Todd Murphy, but at the other end that Jadeja feller did it again. Find out about a tough and often brilliant second day.

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