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The Top Order Cricket Podcast

The Top Order Cricket Podcast

By: The Top Order Podcast
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About this listen

 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.Copyright 2024 The Top Order Podcast Cricket
Episodes
  • Australia v West Indies Test Series Preview

    Australia v West Indies Test Series Preview
    Jun 22 2025
    In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu look ahead to the upcoming Test series between the West Indies and Australia. Fresh off a loss in the World Test Championship Final, Australia head to the West Indies with very little time to lick their wounds and a lot of questions hanging over their heads, particularly the batters. Steve Smith is injured (at least for the first Test), Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped and Sam Konstas looks set to return to the top of the order. We start the show with an explainer, then touch briefly on the West Indies side and what we might expect as a formula for victory over the course of the series. We talk about comments from Daren Sammy, the fast bowling trio of Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, the inclusion of Shai Hope and Brandon King and non-selection of Alick Athanaze and Joshua da Silva in what could be a much changed batting lineup. From there on, it becomes an Australian deep dive as we try to figure out what the selectors are thinking and whether the batting collapses against South Africa at Lord's were an anomaly or a sign of things to come. Will Sam Konstas get a consistent run of games? Can Josh Inglis take his opportunity and become a Test regular? And where should Cameron Green bat? We also discuss the Australian bowling group with an eye to the future - can Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon make it through the full WTC cycle? Who are the next players in the pecking order? And does that even matter at this point? To round out the show, we make tentative predictions and then look at the World Test Championship fixture list to talk about who should be favoured and who has the best chance to be in that final in 2027. We'll be back in your feed soon to review the first Test between India and England, then again to recap Australia v West Indies. 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 2:00 Dates and venues 3:25 West Indies squad news 10:30 Fall out after Australia's WTC Final loss - Labuschagne dropped 17:00 Has Beau Webster secured his spot? 20:55 Australia's top 4 - Konstas and Inglis come in, but for how long? 30:55 Other batting options for Australia in future 36:10 Australia's bowlers - how long can this fantastic group continue? 43:00 Series expectations 47:30 World Test Championship fixtures - who has the best draw? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • England v India Test Series Preview: England's strength at home, new-era India & predictions!

    England v India Test Series Preview: England's strength at home, new-era India & predictions!
    Jun 17 2025
    In this episode of the show, Raj, Baldy, Binksy and Stu look ahead to the upcoming Test series between England and India. We start the show with a short summary of what's ahead of us in this five-match series, before sharing what excites us most about India's tour to the UK. We discuss the unknown quantities of a visiting side led by Shubman Gill and missing the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, plus England's strength at home in recent times. There's also talk about potential lineups, whether we might see a debut for Sai Sudharsan, a return for Karun Nair and the make up of England's bowling attack. We ask if India really need two allrounders in the side, whether they can they find room for Kuldeep Yadav, if Jacob Bethell will be in England's best XI and discuss our expectations for this new-look Indian batting lineup. To round out the show, we give our predictions for what we hope will be a series that makes for fascinating viewing over the next six weeks. We'll be back in your feed next week to review the first Test and any other news that catches our eyes. 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 Venues and build up 2:50 What makes this series so interesting? 9:50 England's recent strength at home 12:20 England's potential playing XI for the first Test 14:55 India's lineup and selection questions 20:00 Preparation for both sides 25:15 Expectations for India in this WTC cycle 28:40 Series predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • This Week in Cricket #179 - South Africa win the World Test Championship Final

    This Week in Cricket #179 - South Africa win the World Test Championship Final
    Jun 15 2025
    In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Raj and Stu relive the rollercoaster ride that was the 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final, which saw South Africa crowned champions as they defeated Australia by 5 wickets at Lord's. We start the show with our thoughts, feelings and emotions from a game that swung back and forth and up and down across the three and a bit days of cricket. We talk South Africa's reaction, the mood after the first couple of days and the pitch conditions for this showcase event. As the discussion continues, we focus on the standout contributors, such as Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. We also look ahead to the next WTC cycle to ponder the big questions facing Australia and whether this title will propel South Africa to more and more success over the coming years. We'll be back in your feed very soon with a full preview of the India v England Test series, and then regularly as that series progresses alongside Australia v West Indies and other news. 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 South Africa are the World Test Champions 5:00 State of play after Day 2 - Australia with their noses in front 8:20 Lord's surface and conditions 17:30 Kagiso Rabada, Pat Cummins & Co. show their class 22:10 Australia's batting fragility 25:10 Aiden Markram's heroics and how South Africa build on this win 31:20 Big questions for Australia for the next WTC cycle 37:30 Final words on South Africa's future and Temba Bavuma Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    49 mins
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