Women's T20 World Cup, Day 11 - England/Scotland, Australia/India: An injury-hit Australia showed they are still deserving of their favouritism, holding their nerve against India in a high-scoring gem. That leaves Harmanpreet Kaur’s side on the brink. Meanwhile, England smashed Scotland to beef up their net run rate at the perfect time. Here’s Daniel Norcross and Cam Ponsonby. Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers, Blowers and Alex Tudor from December 12-19! Pick up 10% off with...

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, there is one club with some supporters who believe it is the entire cricket world. But what happened when it had to go toe to toe? Also, did we just find the most sacked man in cricket? We've got one of the most recognisable, along with one of the most unusual injuries. Another fun show this week. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 11.76 - Thomas Melia 5.14 - Martin Kirk 5.15 - Angadh Oberoi 2.84...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 10 - New Zealand/Sri Lanka, South Africa/Bangladesh: Amelia Kerr and Georgia Plimmer saw off Sri Lanka’s total with ease but not quite convincingly enough to move into outright 2nd place in the group on NRR. The White Ferns will be banking on a favour from their Trans-Tasman cousins over India to help ease their path into the semi-finals. In the second game in Dubai, South Africa held a battling Bangladesh at arm's length and will now face a nervous wait for other...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 9 - Australia/Pakistan: Australia cruised to their third win of the tournament but not without serious injury concerns. A shoulder dislocation to speedster Tayla Valeminck and a foot injury to captain Alyssa Healy could open the door to their challengers iat the pointy end of the tournament. Daniel Norcross and Cam Ponsonby take up the conversation in our nightly wrap from the UAE. Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers, Blowers and Alex Tudor from December...

Season 17, Episode 3: Henry Blofeld, or Blowers, as he’s universally known, was a staple of cricket broadcasting in England for half a century. First calling internationals in the early 1970s, he was central to Test Match Special becoming a national institution as a much-loved voice in that famous commentary box. He narrated the game around the world until 2017 when he hung up his BBC mic. Having covered hundreds of Tests, Blowers is a man with thousands of yarns. The master storyteller...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 8 - West Indies/Bangladesh: We're at an interesting point in the group stage where each game changes the vibe. With that in mind, it was so important the Windies came to play against Bangladesh and play they did, banking a healthy Net Run Rate boost at Sharjah. As ever, join Daniel Norcross and Cam Ponsonby for their nightly wrap. Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers, Blowers and Alex Tudor from December 12-19! Pick up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 7 - South Africa/Scotland, India/Sri Lanka: The time had come for India to light a fire under their tournament and they have done so against Sri Lanka, scoring the highest total of the World Cup so far. Earlier, South Africa did their Net Run Rate plenty of good as well, bouncing back after their loss to England a couple of days ago. At Dubai Sports City, join Daniel Norcross and Cam Ponsonby for their nightly wrap! Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers,...

Season 17, Episode 2: It's time for Mr Sheffield to rise again, which means the annual jostling for national position begins in earnest. Some players are rested, some are tested, some are bested, while Michael Neser is inevitably fastest to impress-ted. England get their Test tour of Pakistan going without Ben Stokes, Shan Masood tons up, the Women's T20 World Cup is up and running, Sanath Jayasuirya needs a new phone for his new job, Tim Southee goes south, and Ireland knock off South Africa...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 6 - Australia/New Zealand: Are the Australians unstoppable, again? Is that what's going on here? Daniel Norcross and Cam Ponsonby consider this important question after Alyssa Healy's team hammered New Zealand in Sharjah. Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers, Blowers and Alex Tudor from December 12-19! Pick up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout here - www.ambassadorcruiseline.com Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Get your...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 5 - England/South Africa: It was tougher than it looked. Chasing anything over a run-a-ball in this comp will be, and that's what South Africa set England at Sharjah. In the power play it looked like loads, but then the hyphenated pair sorted it out to give Heather Knight's side a second win. Cam Ponsonby is with Daniel Norcross for us every day of the tournament in the UAE - enjoy their nightly wrap. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge...

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, we start by looking back at how Bangladesh went from destruction to a seat at cricket's top table. From there, the stories of two Queenslanders - a Slasher and a leggie. We finish with some cryptic fun that takes us back to Jamaica in 1995 where the Waughs were never better. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 4.47 – Calum Evans 15.00 – Alex Newcombe 4.64 – Keelan O’Reilly 2.31 – Adam Soffer Go...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 4 - India/Pakistan, West Indies/Scotland: What is it about India and Pakistan at World Cups? It went as predicted, with Harman's team bouncing back from their loss to the White Ferns. Later, it was the Windies' turn to get on the board after dropping their tournament opener. Over to Daniel Norcross and Cam Ponsonby at Dubai Sports City who will take it away from there. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Go Ambassador cruising with...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 3 - Australia/Sri Lanka, England/Bangladesh: Not the most clinical performances from Australia nor England, but the favourites did enough to overcome Sri Lanka and Bangladesh respectively in their tournament-openers. It’s in Sharjah where Daniel Norcross and Cam Ponsonby are with you tonight for their recap. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers, Blowers and Alex Tudor from December 12-19! Pick...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 2 - New Zealand/India, South Africa/West Indies: Well, well. India, the team everyone thought might give it a shake and challenge Australia have been hammered by New Zealand in the White Ferns' most significant World Cup victory in over a decade. Meanwhile, South Africa were just as ruthless in dispatching the Windies. There's plenty for Daniel Norcross and Cam Ponsonby to chew over at Dubai Sports City! Support the show with a Nerd Pledge...

Women's T20 World Cup, Day 1 - Bangladesh/Scotland, Pakistan/Sri Lanka: A crucial opening night win in this World Cup for Pakistan’s women, seeing off the dangerous Sri Lanka. Earlier, Scotland did a lot right with the ball against Bangladesh but didn’t have enough with the bat. For the first of our daily eps, coming thick and fast every day from the UAE, it’s Daniel Norcross and Cam Ponsonby! Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Go Ambassador cruising with...

Season 17, Episode 1: Is Hampshire but the first domino to fall? Now sold to the conglomerate that owns the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, county cricket could be set to change in ways that would've been barely believable a decade ago. It's the start of a very busy agenda that takes us around the World Test Championship, to domestic competitions near and far, and casts forward to the Women's T20 World Cup starting later in the week. For this, Adam Collins has ESPNcricinfo's Matt Roller for...

The 2024 England Australia Daily, 5th ODI, Bristol: We got there. Five matches, five results. This one could have fallen either way, with both teams walking the tightrope of imminent rain. It was another contest that went wildly one way or another. Sometimes bowlers looked unplayable, other times they looked unusable. But a flurry of boundaries decided it before a flurry of sleet. That's our final word for the English season: next up, Season 17. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge...

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, after orbiting her at a distance for several months, Adam and Geoff spend some time with one of Daniel's favourites, Betty Snowball. Also this week, a tale of Scotland, a one-day match that is both famous but remembered in almost no detail, and an equally forgotten one-day champion. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 2.86 - Owen T 4.77 - Ollie Chauhan 18.90 - Graeme Innes 9.60 - Joel Emonson...

The 2024 England Australia Daily, 4th ODI, Lord's: Series level. What a spectacle. Rain first, shortened to 39 overs a side, then one of the most bizarre matches you will ever see. Explosive hitting, supreme fast bowling, 2023 callbacks, 2019 callbacks, 2013 callbacks, and more besides. Jofra Archer, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, all had their moments, at a ground where Australian teams so rarely lose. It's 2-2 with one to play. Will Macpherson joins Geoff Lemon. Support...

Season 16, Episode 39: The Australian season begins, even as the English season continues to a chilly end. We’ve been busy with our TFW match and a book deadline - find out all about both. And everything else has been busy, with the county championship nearing its end, the 50-over silverware decided, Test matches around the world with another Ashwin special, and a lot more. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Check out Westfield London and Stratford...

The 2024 England Australia Daily, 3rd ODI, Durham: We got a game! They said it would rain, but Chester-le-Street had sunshine in patches and we got most of the overs in. It was tough going against the local seamers early, but Steve Smith did his thing and Alex Carey saved the day again for Australia. Then it was over to England, where Will Jacks and Harry Brook had their own night out. Daniel Norcross joins Geoff Lemon. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Check...

The 2024 England Australia Daily, 2nd ODI, Headingley: No, there was no Daily for the 1st ODI. Sometimes, even Can't Stop Won't Stop is defeated by a deadline. But we're back on the horse for the second match, with Cameron Ponsonby joining Geoff in Leeds. Last time Alex Carey came here, he got a very hostile reception. This time, he showed them what's what, from a disastrous position. Like the first match, a see-sawing day. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge...

Season 16, Episode 38: They form the most Final Word adjacent domestic team in the world, and after a long winless streak The Freaks have done it. Some silverware courtesy of the T20 Blast. Take that, Freak haters. Also this week, baseless news gets all the attention out of Afghanistan although the real news is worse. South Africa is the latest country to grapple with the ethics of playing a Taliban-backed team. Kamindu Mendis keeps making tons, Ireland's women take down England a second...

The 2024 England Australia Daily, 3rd T20, Manchester: It was a washout in Manchester: colour us surprised. But does that mean we won't record a Final Word Daily? Hell no! We still have to decide who now holds the T20 Ashes, and we have plenty to talk about ahead of the ODI series with new England captains, weird squad substitutions, and some reanimated corpses stumbling towards 2027. Matt Roller joins Geoff Lemon from the Old Trafford scorer's box. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge...

The 2024 England Australia Daily, 2nd T20, Cardiff: Wales has not been a happy hunting ground for Australia, and it looked like that might change on a brisk night when Travis Head and Matt Short again got flying. The contest didn't end there though, with a returning Brydon Carse having a say before the influence of Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and a truly mad finish. Matt Roller joins Geoff Lemon. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Check out Westfield London...