Story Time 206 – The Andy Zaltzman special

Season 17, Episode 8: The format of the World Test Championship has been a stick to whack it with since day dot. However, the unintended consequence of the model in place has become a feature not a flaw with five teams now in the hunt thanks to New Zealand’s stunning three-nil victory over India. For the first time in a long time, Adam has Izzy Westbury (from an undisclosed location) with him to consider what this all means along with McDreamy McSweeney’s McMentum, the first Women’s FTP, the ball tampering incident that wasn’t and a great deal more. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday And please hyperlink over ‘sort you super out with CBUS’ with this: https://www.cbussuper.com.au/ 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 Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Greatest Season That Was - The Final Frontier episode 2 - Gavin Robertson: During the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, the pulsating summer of 2020-21, The Greatest Season That Was pod focused its attention on the relationship between the cricketing giants over the decades, some 20 years from the staggering 2001 encounter in India. Three years earlier, the dynamic was very different with Mark Taylor’s side put to the sword by the hosts in the first couple of Tests by a series of supreme batters in the form of their life. But one bowler who found a way to make it work was a journeyman spinner, Gavin Robertson. His story was a beauty: from the Centrelink queue to a terrific Chennai debut, he made every moment count. He told the tale the Aussies’ 1998 tour, and his life in the game, to Adam, Dan Brettig and Shannon Gill. Enjoy all eight parts of this series across the next couple of months. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday And please hyperlink over ‘sort you super out with CBUS’ with this: https://www.cbussuper.com.au/ 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 Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, our love affair with Wangaratta grows through the story of a journeyman in the wickets against the Windies. With Daniel Norcross with Adam, long answers are inevitable and roads less travelled too – what would Australia be like had Matthew Hayden taken the chance to run for parliament? A rare triple header is tackled ton as well – a new number revisit and confirmation all in one, with (Plucka) Ducks, (Vasbert) Drakes and (Jon) Davison together at last. Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 4.81 - Dane Hansted 6.82 - Richard Johnson 2.36 & 2.46 – Randolph Brazier 3.59 - Tim Unwin 7.35 - Tobi Wilson Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Sort your super with CBUS on their 40th birthday And please hyperlink over ‘sort you super out with CBUS’ with this: https://www.cbussuper.com.au/ 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 Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 17, Episode 7: It’s a complicated cricketing universe – more by the month. But the joys of a Test Match, however unexpected, remain unrivalled as we saw in India and Pakistan this week. For this conversation, Adam has fellow romantic Bharat Sundaresan with him. They start with a hectic week of speculation in Australia (along with retirements, contracts, collapses and suspension cessations!) ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. They then drift into a circuitous lap around the world. And spliced into the middle of all this, Geoff Lemon files an update from the US election campaign trail. 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 up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout here - www.ambassadorcruiseline.com Get your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword - including our Australia Live Show tickets! Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 17, Episode 6: Before Ben Duckett boarded the plane to Pakistan, where he started in blistering form, the England Test opener sat down with Adam and Geoff in London. On the cusp of turning 30, he’s in all probability at the mid-way point of his career and never been more established as an international batter. Having first came across Duckett in a tour game nearly a decade ago, the conversation goes to that period of his career, when he first banged the door down to earn England Test caps in his early 20s, through to difficult times in the wilderness, a change of county and forcing his way in a second time. A nice chat to do – he gave us plenty. 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 up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout here - www.ambassadorcruiseline.com Get your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword - including our Australia Live Show tickets! Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, a special hosting combination with Andy Zaltzman on the Nerd Pledge tools for the first time since September 2019 (!), with his old mate Daniel Norcross. And what did they find? Well, for one, that left-handers can be ugly too. From there, a bit of Deano and a lick of Davo. Later, Greigy’s off-spin revival and Big Bird’s fine avoidance. Enjoy! Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 1.05 - Bala Sivaraman 25.00 - Tom Stewart 7.38 - Evil Scootus 5.77 - Emily Price 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 up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout here - www.ambassadorcruiseline.com Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Glenn Maxwell (and Adam) – TFW Book Club You might’ve heard… we did a book. It was a team effort. The Showman, of course, has Maxi telling the story of a remarkable year in his life leading up his World Cup miracle, within his already fascinating career in the global game. Adam co-authored it with him through the course of 2024. And Geoff was the editor, putting the finishing touches on the manuscript. Together, they caught up ahead of the book’s release (30 October) to look back on the process and discuss the sections of the book that are likely to generate the most amount of attention. Be sure to buy yourself a copy! It’s available for pre-order everywhere. That includes the audio book, which has been read by friend of the pod Rhys Muldoon. https://www.amazon.com.au/Showman-Glenn-Maxwell/dp/1761428209 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 Get your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword - including our Australia Live Show tickets! Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 17, Episode 5: David Warner is at it again - available for selection! But no, that won't be happening. There's nobody better to be co-hosting with Adam than Alex Malcolm from ESPNcricinfo, who is across every inch of the Sheffield Shield at this fascinating time of the year. From there, reflections from the Women's World Cup, a lap around the Test-playing world, and further concerns about the health of the global game despite CA's strong financial story. 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 up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout here - www.ambassadorcruiseline.com Get your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword - including our Australia Live Show tickets! Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Greatest Season That Was - The Final Frontier - Harsha Bhogle: During the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, through the pulsating summer of 2020-21, The Greatest Season That Was pod focused its attention on the relationship between the cricketing giants over the decades, some 20 years from the staggering 2001 encounter in India. There was nobody better to call upon than Harsha Bhogle to paint the bigger picture to begin, speaking here with Adam, Shannon Gill and Dan Brettig. With India soon to in Australia again for the next instalment of this great rivalry, we will be re-releasing the eight parts of this series on The Final Word feed over the next couple of months Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Women's T20 World Cup, final, New Zealand v South Africa: They did it! Daniel Norcross and Cameron Ponsonby are on the scene. 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 Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword - including our Australia Live Show tickets! Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices