Jesus, it's sandpaper again

Season 10, Ep 4: Horror movies teach us that if you don't annihilate the monster, it always comes back. Australia's ball-tampering story was never buried properly the first time around. This week we speak to Peter Lalor about the news side of the story that won't go away. Also, various squads, the county round, and a breezy chat with Australia's nearly-there cult hero Michael Neser.

Video is above, audio is here.

In other matters, we've talked a lot recently about the quality of World Series Cricket. It just so happens that this week Ian Chappell published an ode to to his WSC teammate Bruce Laird. You can read it here. The article also made Stumpy Laird a top search on Cricinfo for a couple of days, something that we presume has not happened previously. 

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:
7.70 - Eranda Jayawickreme redux
1.34 - John Trevelyan

The 44% off Wisden Cricket Monthly subscriptions is here.
The 20% off WoodstockCricket.co.uk kit happens with the checkout code TFW20.

Story Time 47 – Finding your place on the hangover scale

Audio is here.

Today: how hungover is too hungover? How to rate a big day on the field against the big night preceding it. A look at Indian royalty next to an English character who was everything but. Some very early work from Ireland and from southern Africa. And we solve a couple of recalcitrant revisits that had traps laid in the clues along the way.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers:
3.17 - Matt Smith
2.28 - Vivek Arcot
3.79 - Laksmi Govindasamy
1.24 - Eric Pritchard
5.06 - Matt May

Plus revisits and confirmations.

Still plenty happening in TFW world. Adam is off to the Roses match for Sky next week. We're keeping a close eye on borders and vaccine counts to see if we'll get Geoff over to the UK for some of the season. Working on some new sponsorship ideas to find things that will actually suit you all on the listening side of the fence, and still trying to catch Jimmy Anderson's 614 before he starts taking wickets against New Zealand. 

Those Tests aren't far away! Stick with us, on The Final Word.