thefinalword

Season 7 is underway

Yes, we made it through the previous season: all 87 episodes of daily shows from the World Cup, from the Ashes, plus the longer weeklies. Now it's time to calm things down a touch as we look to the Australian summer. Essex did the double of the county champs and the T20 comp, so we chat to the always entertaining Derek Pringle about his old team. The Australian women are gearing up for a fast series, the men play the Marsh Cup (yesssss Shaun), Australia delays another Bangladesh tour, Greg Ch...

The Final Night in the UK

It's been a mammoth northern summer – so mammoth that it started in spring and ended in autumn. Geoff is heading home, although recording this podcast almost made him miss his flight. Today Adam and Geoff are joined by Cam the Cameraman Fink, to tell the tales of working with Geoff on a very shoestring Ashes tour in 2013. And later Daniel Norcross joins the show for a bit of Nerd Pledge Quiz. Join us for the end of season wind down, before the Marsh Cup begins and we have to wind up again.<...

Nerd Pledge Quiz with Andy Zaltzman

A lot of people asked for this, so we delivered: a full slab of nerding out on mystery cricket numbers with the game's premier statistical comedian. 

Holy Ground - a film from The Final Word

Introducing our very first TFW film production. We're very proud of this, made in Birmingham and Bristol around the first Ashes Test of the summer, and gorgeously shot and edited by the ace Cameron Fink. This is our pilgrimage to find the soul of cricket via its scandals. 

Old Trafford Day 4, Ashes Daily video

There was a hell of a sunset in Manchester, and we haven't seen one here before. So we thought it was time for another bonus video episode of today's Ashes Daily for those who've signed up.

The Final Word with James Pattinson

Someone forgot to put this up. You probably found it anyway because you subscribe to the podcast. But if you didn't... want to hear some stories about Dandenong? And tattoos? And being a tearaway who can also be responsible? It's the James Pattinson tale, and it's a good one.

The Final Word with Patrick Cummins

The full chat with Pat Cummins and his incredibly tight cricket jumper. 

Nerd Pledge Quiz with Andrew Samson

Don't say we never get you anything nice. We nabbed the best in the business. Cricket numbers are a big part of Final Word life these days, and no one knows them better than Andrew Samson. From provincial South African cricket to All India Radio in the 1990s and now the esteemed Test statto for Test Match Special, Andrew has seen most things on a cricket field, and written them all down. He now maintains a massive database of all first-class cricket and can use it to tell you who last made 45...

Ashes Daily on film: Edgbaston Day 3

Very excited this week to have ace videographer Cam Fink along for the week in Birmingham, who did the whole 2013 Ashes with Geoff when they were shooting the stupidest thing they could think of each day. This time, just for fun, we wandered into the middle of Edgbaston after a rain shower to film the daily podcast and leave it here for Patreon subscribers. More video projects coming, once we work out what they are. Hope you enjoy.

The Final Word with Kate Cross

It's hard to find a better conversationalist than this England fast bowler. From up Manchester way, she's blunt as you like, good turn of phrase and funny as hell. And she's learned a lot about bridge from amateur to professional sport and the difficulty of holding it yourself together under pressure. 

She's so chilled out that she kicked back with us at the ground in Hove a couple of hours before taking on Australia. Name one other team in the world that would let a player do that...

Felix White & Barney Douglas, on the best cricket movie you'll see

The Edge is a new documentary about the urge to be the best in the world, and the human toll it can take to get there. Barney Douglas toured with the England team from their humiliation in the West Indies in 2009, through their gruelling years of training before winning in Australia in 2011, then their eventual collapse in Australia in 2013. He used his trove of archival footage along with new interviews to bring the story to life. Then he teamed up with Felix White, of the Tailenders cricket...

Phil Brown takes the best photos

We didn't know this was happening, while we were recording the Ashes Daily from the Women's Test in Taunton. But it's lovely to be snapped by one of the very best.

Soft-focus World Cup montage with sad piano

We all know what happened in the World Cup final. But the day before that, before everyone was consumed with euphoria or regret, we spoke to everyone we could find about their tournament. New Zealand's voice of cricket Bryan Waddle, ESPN Cricinfo's Melinda Farrell, Wisden editor Lawrence Booth, Kiwi captain Jeremy Coney, Cricbuzz writers Vithushan Ehantharajah and Bharat Sundaresan, photographer Stu Forster, Guardian newsbreaker Ali Martin, and the World Cup's managing director Steve Elworthy...

The Final Word with Natalie Germanos

We both met Nat in 2017 working on the Women's World Cup. But it was way back in 2005 when she started covering cricket on South African radio, and the next year she was commentating as South Africa stunned Australia by chasing 434 in Johannesburg. We've loved hearing her stories: by now she's done 85 Test matches and hundreds of one-dayers, and is about to follow her World Cup with her first women's Test in the Ashes. We've been wanting to get her on the show for over a year, and got the cha...

Raise the bat, Dizzy

"It's four runs, he's got 200! Oh hoh, he's got 200. Jason Gillespie's running all the way down, he's enjoying himself. Well played Jason Gillespie, 201 not out."

That's the commentary from a certain match in Bangladesh over a decade ago. Now we're celebrating the same number, 201: the goal we set for how supporters of the pod on this page. 

A few months ago we would never have imagined this was possible. Thank you so much to all of you, we're blown away. It's the nicest thin...

The Final Word with Jos Buttler

The only man who might be able to Maxwellball alongside Maxwellball. Any time you hit a 46-ball century people tend to take notice. Jos  Buttler influencing Test cricket via a new approach to shortest forms of the game, elevating the art of hitting with a 360 degree range and a fearlessness of approach. We sat down with him at Lord's during the World Cup. This episode also features ESPNcricinfo's  England correspondent and Buttler expert George Dobell, as well as a  quick round...

The World Cup Daily

If you're not up to date, we've been doing our World Cup Daily on – surprise surprise – every day of the World Cup. That's just the kind of crazy naming structure that we like to get going here at The Final Word. 

This means that sleeping Australians can wake up each morning with a handy summary waiting for them, and those elsewhere without time to watch every game can catch up, or those who've watched and loved a game can relive it with us.

We've been recording an episod...

Transform technology with technology transformation

The daily show has been occupying our attention but some topics can't be dealt with in 15 minutes. For instance, meet Cricket Australia's new corporate buddy.

"HCL leverages its global network of integrated co-innovation labs and global delivery  capabilities to provide holistic multi–service delivery in key industry verticals..."

Tune in for a dramatic reading of HCL's mission statement. Also the World Cup's format limitations, and we grapple with time travel (that would...

Jimmy Neesham interview

Not many international cricketers are more famous for their internet jokes, but maybe there's one. Jimmy Neesham sat down with us to talk over the nature of humour and whether to tweet like Sachin. He's one of the funniest and most personable people we've met. But there's also a much more serious side, one that made him hate himself when his cricket wasn't perfect. It's been a tough few years for a player who has fought his way back to form in time for a World Cup. Conflicting ideas can rage ...

Glenn. Maxwell.

We've talked about him. We've dreamed about him. We've answered dozens of Nerd Pledge quiz numbers about him. Now, at long last, the patron saint of the Final Word has made a visitation. Glenn Maxwell, on the eve of a World Cup in which he's one of the biggest names, sat down with us in a Bristol garden to take a breath and take stock.

Here are some of his lines.

"You want to show people that you're a real person, and not just a 20-foot flag outside the MCG."

"If my career e...

Virat Kohli, the Acne Balladeer

(No Patreon folks were charged in the making of this film.) Ten World Cup captains gathered in a disused warehouse to announce their joint billing in a gritty new crime drama. Ben Stokes leapt around his own disused warehouse on an SAS cricket course. But the real attention this week went to Virat Kohli's musical crusade for clear skin, as he embarked on a public awareness campaign about the dangers of face spots. Geoff joins Adam in London ahead of cricket's global showdown, for what was sup...

Ode to Shaun Marsh

As promised, here it is: Geoff's heartfelt dedication to the game's greatest riddle. Re-recorded and mastered in the Final Word studio for high-fidelity sound. You'll catch every tremor.

Matthew Renshaw interview

We were going to publish this next week but it was too good to wait. It turns out that Matt Renshaw is a very entertaining individual. He had a dream start to Test cricket and some later struggles, but hasn't lost his head. We talked about surviving the spotlight at the age of 20, and what it was like flying into Johannesburg to replace Steve Smith. But his most forthright moment came with his detailed account of what it's like getting gastro in front of an international audience. Enjoy.

World Cup song launch with Greg James, Bradman v Packer with Dan Brettig

World Cup theme songs can capture a moment in time or be absolute disasters. We still don't know where this one falls, because it hasn't been released. But Adam heard it at a secret screening with Radio 1 breakfast presenter Greg James, who's going to flog it on the radio. Will it hit No.1? "It's very complex," he reckons. More importantly, he's interested in cricket cutting through to a new audience in Britain via the tournament.

In the second half we talk to Cricinfo's Daniel Bretti...

The Issues Edition

Sexuality, drugs, gender politics and criminal convictions. It was a heavy week in cricket. James Faulkner caused a stir when people thought he'd come out as gay. Australia's best women players became a casualty of negotiations over the men's team. County cricketer Alex Hepburn was sentenced to five years in prison, while England booted Alex Hales from their World Cup squad for drug use. None of these are easy subjects, but we did our best to untangle what we could. 

Ian Chappell interview

We've been wanting to get this one in the bag for a long time. One of the most influential characters in Australian cricket, Ian Chappell was a captain, a catalyst, an author, an agitator, a commentator and an antagonist. He led the Test team's most iconic era, of Lillee and Thompson. He took on Don Bradman and blew up the establishment. He rejects being associated with on-field aggression, and his sense of compassion led him to some unexpected post-career political action. Never afraid to sa...

Your first Hotmail address

Episode 18 comes to you from Lord's again, as Geoff and Adam have one more day to record together after the MCC Book of the Year announcement. (Not included: the sweaty post-podcast rush to collect bags, return a tuxedo, and get to Heathrow.) With England's World Cup squad announced at Lord's this same morning, writer Vithushan Ehantharajah joins us to examine the result, including the nearly-there situation of Jofra Archer, then sticks around for a game of Nerd Pledge. Then it's time to look...

Book launch photos

A few shots from Geoff's launch, by Jess Vovers and Dan Toomey.

2019-04-22 07:29:58 +0000 UTC View Post

Geoff's book launch (audio)

On March 28, the last day of the playing bans for Steve Smith and David Warner, we launched Geoff's book at the Commercial Club Hotel in Fitzroy. Sure, it was five months after Steve Smith's Men was first released, but that's the way we do things. It was one of those warm and excellent nights.

Here's the audio recording of the welcome from publisher Pam Brewster, the launch address from Greg Baum, and a reading from Geoff to round things off. Humorous technical mishaps come standard.&nb...

An otter in a golf cart: the Wisden dinner

Your hosts don't normally wear tuxedos to record – sorry to disappoint. But the black ties are on for the annual Wisden dinner to celebrate the launch of another mighty Almanack. For 156 years Wisden has been cricket's authority, and for the first of those years, editor Lawrence Booth sits down with Geoff and Adam to talk through the new issue, including the news that Geoff was awarded Book of the Year for his publication Steve Smith's Men. This episode comes with bonus live reports of Glen...