Wisden Cricket

Lauren Winfield-Hill, Katya Witney, Ben Gardner and Yas Rana look ahead to the start of the English international summer, which gets underway with a T20I series against West Indies. Also on the show, Phil Walker's chat with England's new head coach, Charlotte Edwards, as a new era begins. 0:00 Intro / 1:05 Charlotte Edwards interview / 28:56 England / 33:46 West Indies / 37:53 Lauren Winfield-Hill / 51:43 India / 58:28 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.

Lauren Winfield-Hill, Katya Witney, Ben Gardner and Yas Rana react to the first England squads of the Nat Sciver-Brunt and Charlotte Edwards era. There's also Katya's fascinating chat with Emily Arlott, included in those squads after an excellent start to the season. 0:00 Intro / 1:27 Lauren Winfield-Hill / 16:04 England squads / 21:53 What's England's best XI? / 28:47 County round-up / 34:03 Emily Arlott interview / 1:01:59 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.

Isa Guha joins Phil Walker and Yas Rana to talk about Virat Kohli’s glittering Test career after the India great announced his immediate retirement from the format. Later in the show, Mark Butcher talks about Kohli’s wider legacy as a Test cricketer. There’s also discussion on England’s first white-ball squads of the summer, the upcoming World Test Championship final and Isa’s work at her charity, Take Her Lead. 0:00 Remitly / 0:48 Intro / 1:37 Patreon / 2:39 Virat Kohli / 21:35 How do India rebuild? / 27:25 BGT / 33:17 Mark Butcher on Virat Kohli / 47:52 England's white-ball squads / 50:03 World Test Championship final / 57:19 County Championship / 1:00:06 IPL & PSL / 1:00:40 Take Her Lead / 1:11:41 Wisden Cricket Monthly / 1:15:38 Scott Oliver / 1:43:49 Outro

Following the the ECB’s ban on trans women participating in competitive recreational cricket, the panel get into why the decision was made and what the future holds for trans women in cricket. Later in the show there's Lauren Winfield-Hill on all the action from the Metro Bank One Day Cup. 0:00 Intro / 3:25 Suzi James speaks to Phil Walker about the decision / 35:07 Studio chat / 48:13 Lauren Winfield-Hill / 1:00:24 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.

Loads to get through this week. There's Yas Rana and Phil Walker on James Rew's England call-up and Rohit Sharma's Test retirement, a special feature celebrating 20 years of Chance to Shine and Ben Gardner on a potential players' revolt. Mark Butcher also joins Yas to chat about talent ID in the wake of Rew's selection. 0:00 Remitly / 0:49 Intro / 2:19 James Rew / 11:30 Patreon / 11:53 Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards / 12:11 Rohit Sharma / 23:39 County Championship / 30:26 Mark Butcher / 41:41 Chance to Shine Pt.1 / 57:36 Chane to Shine Pt.2 / 1:04:27 Howzat Travel / 1:04:51 The players' revolt / 1:20:31 ODI hospitality / 1:21:18 Outro

Tim Wigmore and Cameron Ponsonby join Yas Rana to talk about Vaibhav Suryavanshi's record-breaking innings, the latest from the County Championship, Tim's new book on the history of Test cricket, potential IPL expansion and more. Mark Butcher also joins the show to discuss England's Test squad to face Zimbabwe, released on Friday. 0:00 Remitly / 0:48 Intro / 1:28 Patreon / 2:05 Mark Butcher on England's Test squad / 16:46 Gullivers Sports Travel / 17:08 Vaibhav Suryavanshi / 24:37 England / 31:54 Josh Tongue / 34:36 Farhan Ahmed / 38:50 County Championship / 48:11 Test Cricket: A History, by Tim Wigmore / 1:10:02 Total Play Ltd / 1:22:22 Sam Curran / 1:23:45 IPL expansion / 1:31:46 Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe / 1:33:37 Outro -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Loads of stuff to cover on this week's show. Nat Sciver-Brunt has been appointed as England's new captain, Tier 1 action has continued with some standout performances, there's a look at what life is like for sides in Tier 3 and discussion about India's new ODI batting star. 0:00 Intro / 1:32 Lauren Winfield-Hill on Nat Sciver-Brunt and Tier 1 / 22:07 Charlotte Edwards interview snippet / 24:05 What life is like in Tier 3 / 39:46 India's newest batting star / 44:57 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.

Yas Rana and Ben Gardner discuss a dramatic finish to the Women's World Cup Qualifier and Lauren Winfield-Hill reflects on a historic opening round of Tier 1 county fixtures. There's also Steve Snell, Head of Performance at Cricket Scotland, with a fascinating insight into the impact of Scotland's near miss at the World Cup Qualifier. 0:00 Intro / 1:31 Steve Snell on Scotland / 22:31 Lauren Winfield-Hill on Tier 1 / 41:22 World Cup Qualifier / 47:12 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.

Lawrence Booth joins Ben Gardner and Yas Rana to talk about the release of this year's prestigious Wisden Almanack, including the award winners for 2025. Elsewhere in the show there's chat about round three of the County Championship, the latest from the IPL, Mark Butcher on finger spin and much more. 0:00 Remitly / 0:50 Intro / 2:04 Wisden 2025 award winners / 13:09 Lawrence's Editor's notes / 26:55 Questions / 32:32 Gullivers Sports Travel / 33:29 Mark Butcher / 44:09 Wisden Photograph of the Year / 45:15 County Championship / 1:01:14 IPL / 1:06:21 PSL / 1:07:54 BANvZIM / 1:08:49 Jon Hotten / 1:32:13 Outro

Lauren Winfield-Hill, Katya Witney, Ben Gardner and Yas Rana preview the 2025 women's county season and discuss the latest from the Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Pakistan. 0:00 Intro / 1:09 Lauren Winfield-Hill / 17:54 County season preview / 29:56 World Cup Qualifier / 47:27 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.

Yas Rana, Phil Walker and Ben Gardner reflect on another round of County Championship action, including a statement knock from Durham's Ben McKinney. There's chat around Zak Crawley's England place, gripes with the points system and bad light, Phil's charter for 2026 and more. Mark Butcher also joins the show to chat with Yas about the pros and cons for tall batters and why genuine quicks struggle in the County Championship. 0:00 Remitly / 0:50 Intro / 2:21 Ben McKinney / 11:56 Zak Crawley / 17:45 Points system / 19:25 Cricket's bad light problem / 32:30 Phil's charter for 2026 / 35:15 Other County Championship results / 43:19 Mark Butcher / 59:29 Wisden Cricket Monthly / 1:00:56 IPL / 1:06:53 Other cricket / 1:11:18 Outro

A bit of a different episode today as Katya Witney conducts a deep dive into what makes Australia the best side in the world. She speaks to Shawn Flegler, Head of Performance for Women's Cricket in Australia, about investment in the WNCL and WBBL, pathways for young players, leadership programmes and much more. As someone who's experienced both the Australian and English domestic systems, Lauren Winfield-Hill joins Katya to look at how the two setups compare. Elsewhere in the show, Georgia Elwiss chats to us about playing under Charlotte Edwards' leadership, both as captain and coach, and there's an update from the Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. 0:00 Intro / 1:36 Pathways, selection and WBBL investment / 12:00 Developing young players / 24:30 Leadership and succession planning / 31:50 Georgia Elwiss on Charlotte Edwards / 46:49 World Cup Qualifiers / 1:02:58 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers an

Mark Butcher, Ben Gardner, Nathan Johns and Katya Witney discuss Harry Brook's appointment as England's new white-ball captain and the opening round of County Championship fixtures. Later in the show there's chat about the scheduling of county cricket and the WCA report, as well as an interview with Rod Lyall about his new book on the governance of cricket. 0:00 Remitly / 0:45 Intro / 1:33 Mark Butcher / 16:06 Harry Brook / 18:46 County Championship / 37:21 County schedule / 45:50 WCA report / 1:00:42 WCA report part two / 1:21:51 IPL / 1:23:26 Outro

England legend Charlotte Edwards is the new national team head coach. On this week's show, our panel discuss what she'll bring to the role and why it's great news for English cricket. The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.

The season is here! Can anyone stop Surrey? Yas Rana, Mark Butcher and Phil Walker preview the 2025 County Championship season, while Jack Leach talks to Katya Witney about his last 12 months and ambitions for 2025. 0:00 Remitly / 0:53 Intro / 2:33 Division One / 27:27 Players of the season and breakout stars / 34:15 Jack Leach interview / 50:22 DKP / 52:32 We've won an award! / 54:08 Division Two / 1:11:49 Other cricket / 1:19:52 Charlotte Edwards / 1:22:54 Wisden Cricket Monthly / 1:28:57 Outro

Yas Rana, Ben Gardner, Katya Witney and Lauren Winfield-Hill react to Heather Knight's sacking as England captain, reflect on her legacy and discuss the candidates for taking over. 0:00 Intro / 1:07 Lauren Winfield-Hill on Heather Knight / 19:29 The right decision? / 25:59 Knight's legacy / 29:43 Who should be the next captain? / 46:57 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.

Yas Rana is joined by Cam Ponsonby to discuss Shoaib Bashir's loan move, why England need to give Sam Cook a chance, the IPL as a spectacle and more. Elsewhere in the show there's Mark butcher on the start of the IPL and Jo Harman's interview with Derbyshire legend Wayne Madsen. 0:00 Remitly / 0:53 Intro / 2:08 Mark Butcher / 14:43 Covering England tours / 21:12 Shoaib Bashir / 32:53 Dan Worrall and Sam Cook / 43:21 IPL / 56:15 New Zealand vs Pakistan / 1:01:16 Usman Khawaja / 1:04:40 Lhuan-dre Pretorius / 1:06:10 County cricket / 1:13:41 Wayne Madsen interview / 1:41:47 Outro

Yas Rana, Katya Witney and Lauren Winfield-Hill are in the studio this week to react to Jon Lewis' sacking following England's disappointing winter. There's reflection on his tenure and chat about potential replacements, before moving on to the WPL final and Nat Sciver-Brunt's incredible tournament. 0:00 Intro / 1:15 Jon Lewis / 16:35 Who should replace him? / 22:29 Women's Premier League / 24:34 Nat Sciver-Brunt / 30:47 New Zealand / 31:20 County season / 35:40 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.

Yas Rana, Ben Gardner and CricViz's Ben Jones preview the 2025 IPL, discuss the tools England need to win in Australia, reflect on The Hundred draft and more. Elsewhere in the show there's Mark Butcher on Mark Wood's injury and some comments from David Warner, before Yas' fascinating interview with exciting young Hampshire and England Lions seamer Sonny Baker. 0:00 Intro / 1:34 England's next captain / 9:43 Mark Butcher / 19:26 What England need in Australia / 28:44 Sonny Baker interview / 1:02:22 Wisden survey / 1:02:52 IPL 2025 preview / 1:23:52 The Hundred draft / 1:38:31 T20 double headers / 1:41:07 Saudi T20? / 1:47:01 Outro

We've got loads in store for you on this week's episode. Yas Rana, Ben Gardner, Katya Witney and Lauren Winfield-Hill discuss The Hundred draft, England's squads for their 'A' tour of Australia and the latest from the WPL. Elsewhere in the show we hear from West Indies superstar Chinelle Henry, and Yas is joined by Kate Cross to chat about the rapid rise in pay in the women's game as well as the Ashes. 0:00 Intro / 1:20 Lauren Winfield-Hill / 24:26 Women's Premier League / 28:24 Chinelle Henry / 44:05 The Hundred / 59:37 England A squads / 1:05:25 Kate Cross / 1:17:03 Outro The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces. Help transform the game, head to https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/cricket/ to champion the future of girls’ cricket.