England vs Australia 1981

Cricket has seen seismic changes to the game in recent times. With the introduction of T20 cricket back in 2003, the game seems to be moving towards more short format competitions including the IPL, the Hundred and many other franchise leagues around the world. But this wasn’t what cricket was built on. In this podcast, we will explore some of cricket’s most memorable test match series, look back at some of cricket's most colourful characters and explore on a deeper level what made each series so iconic. Welcome to Iconic test series.

In this episode, I discussed the 2005 Ashes series between England and Australia. Australia had dominated England over the previous two decades having not lost an Ashes series since 1987. But a reinvigorated England with Michael Vaughan at the helm made this series one of the best there's ever been. Joining me in this episode was Phil Walker who is the editor-in-chief at Wisden.

In this episode, I discussed the 1995 test match series between the West Indies and Australia. This was built as an unofficial world test championship final between the two best teams in the world. Joining me to discuss this series was Louis Cameron. Louis was a former first-class cricketer for Victoria state and is now a journalist for Cricket Australia.

In this episode, I discussed the 1984 series between England and the West Indies. Joining me to discuss this episode was Derek Pringle. Derek was a former England all-rounder who played three test matches in the 1984 series against the West Indies.

In this episode, I'll discuss the 1981 Ashes series between England and Australia. Joining me to discuss this series is Matthew Engel. Matthew is a journalist who wrote for the Guardian for nearly 25 years as well as edited the 1993–2000 and 2004–2007 editions of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.

In this episode, I'll discuss the 1976 series between England and the West Indies. Joining me to discuss the series is Richard Thomas. Richard is a professor and head of media and communications at Swansea University, a member of the MCC, and the author of ‘Cricketing Lives’.

In this episode, I'll be discussing the Basil D'Oliveira Affair and the fallout of the 1968 England vs South Africa series. Joining me to discuss this is Charles Barr, a former associate member of the MCC at the time as well as a former university lecturer at UEA.

In this pilot episode, I'll explore the origins of test match cricket and how it evolved into its current form. Joining me to discuss this was Simon Wilde who is a cricket journalist who has written for the Times and the Sunday Times who has recently published a book called, England The Biography: The Story of English Cricket 1877-2019.