The Final Word with Dennis Amiss

It's Week 1 of May, a month before Test season in England fires up, and time for another interview after Peter Handscomb last week - that's video version up top if you'd like a visual. This week we spent some time with an undersung great from an earlier era: Dennis Amiss. 

When it comes to the second half of the 20th century, few figures had a bigger influence on English cricket. But those born in recent decades might not know much of him, as a player and a personality defined by understatement even with the height of his achievements. 

Aggressively opening the batting when possible, resolutely defending when necessary, and going large in a way that pre-dated Graeme Gooch's theory of 'daddy hundreds', he took on the best fast bowlers of his era - Holding, Roberts, Lillee, Thomson - and found a way against the best spin - Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar. 

Later he ran Warwickshire cricket, signed Brian Lara, was a national selector and held senior positions at the English board. Quite the CV for a Birmingham lad who grew up working at the family tyre shop around the corner from Edgbaston. Just after his 80th birthday, in the Midlands sunshine, Dennis is as chipper as ever.

The episode is here.

Wait... is England ditching The Hundred?

Speaking of England administrators, there are noises from the new occupants at the top of the ECB about abandoning the new format and league that their predecessors spent the last few years arguing for. In Season 14, Episode 8, Nick Hoult from the Telegraph takes us through it. 

Other stories include England players becoming likely to refuse national contracts in favour of T20 franchises, and a masterful week of needling from Stuart Broad. 

Also this week, Kohli squares off with Gautam Gambhir to become a Champion of the Proletariat, Sri Lanka make history against Ireland, Nepal offers a mixed bag during its Asian Premier Cup win, Steve Smith arrives in Sussex, and the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy rolls on alongside the County Championship.

Your Nerd Pledge number this week:
4.63 - Tim Andrews

The episode is here.

Image: Komrade Kohli, via our friends at Daisy Cutter cricket zine.

Story Time 134 – King George is dead

This week, with a coronation coming up, let's go back to the last time one was necessary. In step with that, we have England's most ineffective captain, Australia's selectors trolling Wally Hammond, another rare record for Vinoo Mankad, another appearance for Henry Olonga, the end of our search for a bowler who took 10 and none, and a tale of Adam's first date... in Bay 13.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:
4.65 - Tobi Wilson
4.50 - Aravind
3.43 - Shawn Rajanayagam, Stuart Akers, Real Victor Trumper
10.20 - Matthew Davies

The episode is here.

Archive ep: When they sacked half the Australian team

Season 3, Ep 2: Reloading lost episodes from the early Final Word.

Amazing coincidence - just after speaking to Peter Handscomb about when half the Australian team was sacked and he debuted, following the Australia's Got Talent round of the Sheffield Shield - our latest archive episode goes back to exactly that Adelaide Test match in November 2016. 

Faf du Plessis plays smarter, not harder, to set an all-time Test record, Usman Khawaja demonstrates that him opening the batting might just be a great idea, Adam suffers a case of delirium, we talk about "hardness" and cliches of masculinity, and The Quiney Nine is joined by the Renshaw Ten.

The episode is here.

Four episodes in a week - pretty good going?

See you on the chat page.