81 All Out

In the latest episode of the 81allout podcast we are delighted to be joined by ace sports writer Rob Smyth, who has written for the Guardian, Wisden, ESPNcricinfo and a variety of other publications. Rob is one of the most prolific over-by-over and minute-by-minute commentators, and has written multiple books on cricket – like The Spirit of Cricket and Gentleman and Sledgers– as well as on football. He talks about his journey in sports journalism, the joys and challenges of live text-commentary, and the breed of cricketers he is drawn towards. He remembers England's woeful one-day adventures in the 1990s and 2000s, and puts the achievement of the current ODI team in perspective. Also featuring: English fans' love-hate relationship with KP, Patrick Patterson's most violent spell, and England's "omnifiasco" in India in 1992-93.  Participants: Rob Smyth Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Some of Rob’s pieces: The scariest Test England ever player The joy of Kevin Pietersen The unimprovable game: Austral