Hoping it doesn't rain on our Manchester

Week 3 of July might be close to our busiest week yet. Since the last update we've squeezed in the last three TFW Daily shows from an outstanding Women's Ashes series, a couple of updates from India in Dominica, a preview and the first day of the men's Test from Manchester, a regular TFW Weekly, a Story Time episode, and an interview with one of our heroes, Enid Bakewell.

We've also planned and announced the live show with Steven Finn in London on July 26. Tickets for that are mostly gone, so grab one of those remaining if you want one. The discount code is in last week's locked post.

Fran Drescher for President

Season 14, Episode 25: Sure, it has a different title in the pod feed, but the biggest story this week was the inspiration from The Nanny leading the actors' strike in Hollywood. 

As for cricket selection, the weekly show started with the pre-Manchester questions - none more substantial than whether David Warner would open the batting for Australia. England went early on their XI and we got that right. The Women's Ashes trophy was no longer in the balance but the series was. Plus India in the Caribbean, Pakistan at the new home of Test cricket in Galle, T20 Finals Day, news from the big ICC meeting, Big Bash developments, and a strange round of the County Championship.

Your Nerd Pledge revisits for this week:
4.65 - Tobi Wilson
7.43 - Shannon Blackmore

Here's the audio.

The Final Word with Enid Bakewell

Season 14, Episode 24: You'd  better believe it. One of the legends of the women's game, someone we  talk about on Story Time every other week. She made a century on debut  in both formats, took 10 wickets and made a hundred in the same Test,  and was the key player in winning the first World Cup in 1973. All of  this with no money, little help, a job to attend and a family to  support. She is spectacular, and Enid Bakewell made time to join The  Final Word.

Here's the episode.

Photo by Thomas Melia.

Story Time 142 – "I want to hit a big one!"

After too much Ashes madness to record the show as normal, we've managed to sneak one in. Title thanks to Winnie, and we'll find out about someone else who hit a lot of big ones, maybe more than anybody in an innings. We've got a masterpiece of placement, and we have an Englishman, an Irishman, and a South African walking into a bar.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:
3.43 - Real Victor Trumper
3.23 - Hugh Kenny-Herbert
3.60 - Gary Murphy
2.25 - Jonathan Brand
2.48 - Stu G

The audio episode is here, and we did a rare video upload too. 

The Final Word Daily

Daily shows coming out of our ears, as the Women's Ashes series finished brilliantly with three ODIs that took the result right up to the last day. Geoff managed to get to Bristol for the first match with Melissa Story, Adam was on hand for the second, and as we headed for Manchester away from Taunton, the third saw Melissa host with a debut from the much-loved TMS and SEN statistician Phil Long.

Here are the shows from the first, second, and third ODIs.

And just to prove that we're mad, we used our one down day to record a daily show midway through the West Indies-India Test. Ashwin took wickets, what can we say. Here it is.

The Manchester Test is ongoing, so links from that will follow next week. But you now where to find us in the interim.

Can't stop, won't stop.