Untenable

Is the IPL, the biggest franchise tournament in World Cricket, becoming boring, predictable, too batter friendly and in need of a shakeup?Plus a lookahead to the 1st Mens Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s - can England bounce back from their Ashes defeat?The return of ‘General Cricketing Sadness’, A.I. Slop, a very ‘high concept’ quiz from Mattchin and why ‘Untenable’ might be word of the summer.

Jonty Rhodes, one of our favourite cricketers ever and arguably the best fielder the game has ever seen, is our very special guest this week. A whole generation of cricket fans, including us, grew up watching Jonty do things on a cricket field that had never been seen before - extraordinary catches, diving stops and ridiculous run outs - a proper pioneer. In a wide ranging interview we cover his career highlights, the players he now admires, the art of fielding, THAT 1999 World Cup Semi Final, investing in franchise cricket, coaching in the IPL and crucially which character in ’The Lion King’ does he most resemble? Plus Mattchin is back with a ‘Jonty Rhodes’ inspired quiz.

The King of Spain, Ashley Giles, is our special guest on this week’s Tailenders. Inevitably we travel back to the 2005 Ashes series - the greatest series of all time -  but also reflections on the highs and lows of professional sport, the genius of Richie Benaud, bowling to Brian Lara, the Art of Spin and the challenges of running Worcs CCC.  Plus Mattchin has a new feature ‘Village People’ as he seeks to discover the underbelly of Village Cricket.

We get Jimmy’s ‘hot take’ on the Men’s Test Squad Announcement and the appointment of Marcus North as National Selector. Plus more Charisma Substitutes, Mattchin has a new challenge and has Tailenders' first Sponsorship deal collapsed in controversy before it even got going?

Our very own Issy Wong has been selected for the England T20 World Cup Squad - but what was it like waiting for THAT call? Plus what happened when the T20 Squad went on an Army Bootcamp, Jimmy kicks off about the Substitute rule in County Cricket, tech issues (has Jimmy been hacked by The Russians?), billage cricket sponsorship, Felix has a radical idea to improve post match interviews, and we have LOTS of homework for the Tailenders listeners.,

Fast bowler Tymal Mills is our special guest on this week’s show and is the subject of one of Mattchin’s most bizarre quizzical concepts in the history of Tailenders - and that’s saying something. Plus who should get the nod for England, playing with legends, the ups and downs of franchise cricket and what’s it like to get 6 wickets in 6 balls….we chat to the bowler who did just that and broke the ‘cricketing internet’.

Jimmy can’t stop taking wickets, Fe and Mattchin have had an ‘Indie Cricket Day Out' at Bristol and Greg bumped into a cricketing legend at Lord’s - but who was it? Plus ‘Mattchin Time’, Restaurant recommendations, Listener ‘Alternative XIs’, Health tips from Justin Rose, Correspondence of Uncertainty and what has driven a wedge in Greg and Felix’s friendship?

The County Championship is back and we’re loving it! Jimmy’s in the wickets and, despite it being absolutely freezing, there was a full #tailendersoftheworlduniteandtakeover at Lords for Day 1 of Middlesex v Gloucestershire. Plus random Chocolate Bars, Playfair annuals, Scoring etiquette, GCSE results and a History Lesson from Mattchin.

So due to a scheduling clash things went a bit awry on this week’s recording - but then Greg had a ‘stupid idea’.Cue: #Tailendersoftheworlduniteandtakeover in ‘live’ action. Plus: Happy A-IPL Fools Day; which cricketers are cats and which are dogs?; a sort of County Cricket preview; and why might Daniel Radcliffe open the batting for Lancs?

A review of a review. This week we’re joined by Vithushan Ehantharajah, associate editor at ESPNcricinfo to try and make sense of the Review into the Mens Ashes Series - which England lost 4-1. Plus how cricket helped Greg on his epic Comic Relief Cycling Challenge, what’s the minimum number of slides needed for a Powerpoint presentation and Mattchin most definitely does not rip off ‘Would I Lie To You?’.