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…

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 H…

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…

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 matc…

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, powe…

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…

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…

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 fa…

In this episode of the show, we discuss the upcoming retirement of Tim Southee from the Test arena, plus quickly whip around some of the white-ball series going on around the world and the off-field challenges threatening to disrupt the ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025. We start with Tim Southee's announcement and a potential fairytale finish …

In this episode of the show, we reflect on the Black Caps' 3-0 series win against India, which left interesting questions for both sides as they head into their next fixtures. We also discuss potential World Test Championship final scenarios and the flurry of white-ball series from around the world. The Black Caps made it a clean sweep against Indi…

In this episode of the show, we celebrate another incredible week for the Black Caps, which culminated in a series win in India for the Black Caps for the very first time. We also look back at Pakistan's turnaround against England as they spun their way to another victory in the third Test of that series. The Black Caps' win in Pune capped off a re…

In this episode of the show, we celebrate an incredible week for New Zealand Cricket that culminated in a Test win in India for the Black Caps for the first time in 36 years and a T20 World Cup for the White Ferns within 12 hours of each other. We also look back at Pakistan's bold decisions against England and how they paid off to set up a mouth-wa…

In this episode of the show, we move to a new studio but it’s still cricket on the agenda as we look back at the week that was. England broke plenty of records on a Multan road, Kane Williamson looks set to miss at least the first Test against India, the White Ferns breathed life into their T20 World Cup chances and Team India’s depth was on show a…

In this episode of the Top Order Podcast, we discuss another busy week of cricket from all around the world - from Sri Lanka's dominant win against the Black Caps in Galle, which led Tim Southee to step down from the captaincy, to India's whirlwind victory against Bangladesh in Kanpur. We also quickly look ahead to England's Test tour of Pakistan a…

In this episode of the show, the Top Order are together again to discuss a busy week of cricket from all around the world - from Sri Lanka's win against the Black Caps in Galle to India's dominant performance against Bangladesh in Chennai, before a whirlwind around the grounds to drop in on series involving England, Australia, New Zealand, South Af…

In this episode of the show, we discuss the abandoned Test in Greater Noida between Afghanistan and New Zealand, Sri Lanka’s win against England, India’s squad to face Bangladesh and a the England v Australia bilateral T20 series. We start the show with a rant about the shambles that saw no play between the Black Caps and Afghanistan, but instead f…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy, Raj and Stu are back in the same room again after a short break to discuss the cricketing week (or couple of weeks) that was, with a focus on England v Sri Lanka and the upcoming six away tests for the Black Caps. Recorded after Day 1 of the third Test between England and Sri Lanka, we begin with a conver…

In this episode of the show, Stu and Baldy discuss the Black Caps test squad to face Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, plus the contractual situation facing NZC now that Devon Conway and Finn Allen have stepped away from the security of a central contract. We also look back at the quality bowling on show in South Africa’s series win against the West Indie…

In this episode of the show, we take a break from the live cricket to discuss the most influential cricketers of the 21st century. This is Part 2 of this discussion, so if you haven't yet listened to Part 1, go back in your feed and start there to hear our definition of 'influential', and the wider group of candidates we considered. In this second …

In this episode of the show, we take a break from the live cricket to discuss the most influential cricketers of the 21st century. In Part 1 of this two-part discussion, we outline our definition of 'influential', and throw out a bunch of candidates for the Top Order Podcast's Mount Rushmore. We talk about T20 influencers like Chris Gayle and Kiero…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the three T20s between India and Sri Lanka, England's Test series sweep against the West Indies, and touch on the final of Major League that saw the Washington Freedom take out the title. We couldn't quite believe our eyes when we saw Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh among the wicket-t…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Raj and Stu look back at the second Test between England and the West Indies, as well as Gautam Gambhir taking over as Indian men's team coach and England's clean sweep of the White Ferns. The first three days of the Trent Bridge Test were very competitive - the West Indies took the lead thanks to runs from Kave…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the first Test between England and the West Indies, as well as the recent announcement of the Black Caps' contracts for the upcoming year. The first Test of the English summer was supposed to be a fairytale finish for Jimmy Anderson at Lord's, but over the course of the short time the …

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Raj and Stu share some extra thoughts on the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Final, plus the tournament as a whole, including pitches, the 20-team format & scheduling. We also look ahead to the upcoming Test series between England and the West Indies, and the first game in particular, which will be Jimmy Anderson…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at India's triumph in the Men's T20 World Cup final. We bounce around a bit during this discussion, but start the show by talking simply about what a great game of cricket it was - a game where the momentum swung back and forth throughout the match, with key players stepping up to turn th…

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at the two semi finals at the Men's T20 World Cup with one eye on the final, which will see India take on South Africa. We start the show by discussing India's win against England, which was set up by an excellent partnership from Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, then finished off by India's b…

In this episode of the show, Raj and Stu look back at the final four games of the Super 8 stage at the Men's T20 World Cup with one eye on the semi finals, which will see India take on England and South Africa vs Afghanistan. We start the show by discussing India's win against Australia, which sent the Aussies home. There's huge praise for Rohit Sh…

In this episode of the show, we look back at the latest four games of the Super 8 stage at the Men's T20 World Cup, which saw India all but book a semi-final berth while all other sides fight for their tournament lives. We start the show by discussing Afghanistan's historic win against Australia. Captain Cummins got another hat trick, but it was fi…

In this episode of the show, we look back at the first four games of the Super 8 stage at the Men's T20 World Cup, which saw Australia, England, India and South Africa record victories. We start the show by discussing Australia's win against Bangladesh - a game that included a 'Pat trick' as Captain Cummins collected three wickets from three balls …

In this episode of the show, we look back at the final group games at the T20 World Cup, which saw the USA qualify for the next round and the Black Caps limp out of the tournament. We also look ahead to the Super 8 phase, previewing the two groups and the chances of heavy hitters like India, Australia, England and South Africa, as well as the two h…

In this episode of the show, we look back at a busy week of games at the T20 World Cup, which saw India and the USA beat Pakistan, Afghanistan beat New Zealand, plus Australia and South Africa take control of their groups. We start the show by discussing the low-scoring thriller between India and Pakistan, which saw Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya an…

In this episode of the show, the team are all in the same room to review the first few days of the ICC T20 World Cup hosted by the West Indies and USA. We discuss our early impressions, throw out a few hot takes and share our favourite performances from the opening week. Are the pitches no good? Is it already time to write off Sri Lanka? How good i…

In this episode of the show, the team are all in the same room to preview the ICC T20 World Cup hosted by the West Indies and USA. We discuss the 20-team format, what overall tournament success looks like for the ICC, the quick turnaround from the IPL and the type of cricket we might see played throughout the month of June. We then look at the 4 gr…

In this episode of the show, the team are all back in the same room to discuss the IPL 2024 final, which saw a dominant performance from the Kolkata Knight Riders that reflected their dominant season. We discuss Mitchell Starc’s magic delivery to Abhishek Sharma, and how his best performances of the season came in the biggest games. There’s praise …

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at the final week of the IPL 2024 regular season before previewing the upcoming knockout fixtures. Recorded on 20 May, we talk about a week that saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru storm into the playoffs, Sunrisers Hyderabad snatch second place, Kolkata Knight Riders watch some rain fall, Rajasthan…

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 13 May, we rank all 10 teams into 3 tiers, as we unpack the key themes emerging from this tournament as a whole as during the lead-in to the playoffs. Are the Kolkata Knight Riders in a tier of their own now? The Rajasthan Royals keep losing! Abh…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 6 May, we review all 10 teams, handing out the power rankings along the way, but with a much bigger focus on the top half of the table this week. Is the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling attack now good enough to win the competition? And has S…

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Raj review the past two days of IPL 2024 action - Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings - as well as discussing the India and England provisional T20 World Cup squads that were named this week. We'll be back again early next week with more news and views in the nex…

In this episode of the show, Raj, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 30 April, we review all 10 teams, handing out the power rankings along the way. In a topsy-turvy week, the Rajasthan Royals march on thanks to big contributions from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sandeep Sharma, Dhruv Jurel & Sanju Samson The Kolkata Kn…

In this episode of the show, Stu and Raj review the past three days of IPL 2024 action - Rajasthan vs Mumbai, CSK v LSG and the most recent game between the Gujarat Titans and the Delhi Capitals = which saw 3 hundreds, a couple of thrillers and some results that could be hugely impactful come playoff time. Recorded on 25 April, we discuss hundreds …

NOTE: The introduction of this episode was cut off from our recording, so the show jumps straight into team number one to start this podcast and there's odd sound glitch. In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 22 April, we review all 10 teams, handing out the power rankings alo…

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Baldy review the past three days of IPL 2024 action - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals and the Gujarat Titans v Delhi Capitals. Recorded on 18 April, we discuss the record-breaking runfest at the Chinnaswamy, which saw a Travis Head century, plus ex…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy, Raj and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 15 April, we review all 10 teams, awarding the turquoise cap and handing out the power rankings along the way. Is the biggest threat to the Rajasthan Royals actually the Rajasthan Royals? Will the Kolkata Knight Riders ever slow down?…

In this episode of the show, Stu and Baldy provide a midweek IPL update to discuss CSK's win against KKR and two final-over thrillers that saw points go to Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Gujarat Titans. We discuss standout performances from Rashid Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shashank Singh, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Shubman Gill as wel…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy, Raj and Stu review the week that was in IPL 2024 with another instalment of the power rankings. Recorded on Monday 8 April, we discuss all 10 teams and the key questions facing all of them as we pass the 20-game mark of the tournament. Can anyone stop this Rajasthan Royals side? Is the KKR bowling lineup,…

In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu review the recent IPL 2024 games between LSG and RCB, and KKR v Delhi Capitals. Recorded on 4 April 2024, we start by discussing Kolkata's huge win against Delhi: Are we about to live in a world where scores of 270 in a T20 become the norm? Sunil Narine's boundary-fest at the top of the order Angkrish Ragh…

Back by popular demand, the Binksy, Raj, Baldy and Stu gathered in the same room to run through the second instalment of the IPL 2024 Power Rankings. We discuss all 10 teams and how they are travelling after the first 14 games of the tournament. Are the Rajasthan Royals the real deal? KKR are flying, but how worried should they be about the form of…

In this episode of the show, Raj and Baldy discuss the past few days of IPL action. Recorded on 29 March 2024, we look back at the highlights from the first full week of the IPL, including: Sunrisers Hyderabad's record total, which kept pre-tournament favourites Mumbai winless from their first two games. Is 277 in 20 overs a good thing? Is it time …

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu cast their eye over the first few days of IPL action and unveil the first power rankings of the 2024 tournament. Recorded on Monday 25 March, after each of the 10 teams had played one game, we look back at the big moments and key players from the 5 matches so far, including: CSK debuts for Rachin Ravindra…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Stu and Raj preview the IPL tournament, covering Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Wall-to-wall T20 cricket is about to begin, with the IPL followed by the T20 World Cup and in this episode (part 2 of 2) we focus on five teams, discussing squad news, why each team can win, potential …