thefinalword

On the wild moods of Galle

Our final Wednesday of the month has passed, though we decided against making the weekly show for it given that Adam had just arrived off a plane exhausted and that Geoff and Bharat had spent two days trying to set up the commentary position in Galle.

If you haven't visited Sri Lanka, let's give you some background. One, of course there is the major economic crisis that we've talked about in recent weeks, with very little fuel available and no supplies imminent on a sunny island whose g...

Switching horses midstream

The Daily shows from England haven't yet stopped, because the final New Zealand Test (see above) has not yet finished, but Adam has still skipped the country to get to Sri Lanka where Geoff is already in place, so they can set up the SEN radio broadcast. Just an average week in Final Word land. We'll aim to record a weekly ep for you from Galle on Tuesday.

In the meantime, here is last week's sh...

Maxwellball, Bairstowball, Aristotleball

Season 12, Ep 11: It was a big Final Word day, what with Glenn Maxwell turning on a matchwinning performance in Sri Lanka right after Jonny Bairstow did the same thing at Trent Bridge. This week Daniel Norcross joined Geoff, which of course meant that they had to talk about Aristotle and monitor lizards before getting to the cricket. There were also matters of Steffan Nero emulating The Don in blind cricket, Gaby Lewis continuing her star trajectory in Irish cricket, Moeen Al...

A window into Sri Lanka's unrest

Season 12, Ep 10: Sri Lankan writer Andrew Fidel Fernando and foreign correspondent Chris Barrett join the show for an update into what is happening with Sri Lanka's popular political unrest and economic chaos, ahead of Australia's tour there. Also this week, the wash-up from England's win at Lord's, Joe Root leaving the Former Fab Four behind, and ICC chair Greg Barclay's defeatist and deflating interview about the future of the game.

Your Nerd Pledge ...

Greetings from Salmon Arm

If your first thought in response to that title is that salmon don't have arms: correct. This has not stopped the citizens of a small town in British Columbia. Geoff is here for a little while, learning to do farm things before heading to Sri Lanka for the upcoming Test matches.

Season 12, Ep 9: World No1 bowler Sophie Ecclestone joins the show for an update on her busy career, including her recent stint in India. We have to confess that we didn't watch the men's IPL fi...

The Final Word election special

Season 12, Ep 8: Always mix sport and politics, we say, so of course we had to start today's show with a tangent on Australia's federal election. What else? An interview with journo Tim Wigmore and economist Stefan Szymanski about their new collaborative book Crickonomics. Plus the cricket as Sri Lanka tour Bangladesh and the county championship reaches its season break. Did anyone get 1000 runs before the end of May?

Your Nerd Pledge number this week:<...

The Andrew Symonds Experience

Season 12, Ep 7: Another sad week for Australian cricket with the loss of Andrew Symonds, so we dialled in Queensland's own Robert Craddock, who watched that career from when Andrew was a brilliant youngster. Also this week, England name two new coaches for their men's teams, CEO Tom Harrison belatedly sees the door, and we speak with a 40-year-old cricketer on international debut, Gabor Torok.

Your Nerd Pledge number this week:
7.27 – Hugo Connery...

Joe Clarke and cricket ethics

Season 12, Ep 6: Adam was roaming the Fairbreak International last week, bringing friends new and old onto the show: Brazil captain Roberta Moretti with her wicket-taker Laura Cardoso, Hong Kong player Mariko Hill, and Malaysian captain Winifred Duraisingam, who are all having a fine time.

On the darker side of the cricket coin, England authorities are clearly keen to pick Joe Clarke this year, despite his close link to an assault case. We look at the moral implications...

From gambling millions to the Invisible Invincible

Whoops again. It's time (for us, at least) to catch up with the last couple of weeks of Final Word. We've been busy, Adam in Dubai for the Fairbreak and Geoff zinging around the country to weddings and concerts and the rest. Even the quiet times don't stay quiet. Here we go.

Inside gambling addiction, with Patrick Foster

Season 12, Ep 5: Some books come along that command our attention, like when friend of the show Will Macpherson helped former cricketer Patrick...

The Final Word with Anya Shrubsole

Season 12, Ep 4: After 14 years wearing the national uniform, England's swing magician has decided to call it a day. Anya Shrubsole will be remembered for plenty of highlights, but is also the kind of person who is upfront about the low points as well. She joins The Final Word to look back on playing through an era of unprecedented change in the women's game.

Your Nerd Pledge number this week:
1.33 – Ed Barr-Simm

2022-04-28 06:15:22 +0000 UTC View Post

Wisden arrives, Joe Root leaves, Lou Bega is eternal

Three episodes for the price of one this week. Adam sat down for our now-traditional chat with Wisden Almanack editor Lawrence Booth about the new edition, so we've added that as an extra episode after the usual weekly. 

Also we had Final Word meetups with listeners in both London and Melbourne, which was super nice. 

Out: Root, Shrubsole, du Preez. In: McDonald, Key.

2022-04-23 11:46:11 +0000 UTC View Post

... and the start of Season 12

Season 12, Ep 1: It's another premiere! We go around for the twelfth time - can't and won't stop. What better time for it with county cricket back? Adam and Daniel will of course go long on that, as on the latest chapter of the Jimmy and Stuart saga, before doing a lap of the planet. Later, Adam talks to Justin Smith about his lovely cricketing novel, Cooper Not Out.

Your Nerd Pledge number this week:
3.46 – Keelan O’Reilly

2022-04-13 05:55:58 +0000 UTC View Post

The end of Season 11

That's right. We're catching up a bit here, with Daniel Norcross doing some swing shifts to allow Adam and Geoff each some post-Pakistan rest for body and soul. If you missed it, here is last week's weekly show, coming just after the Women's World Cup final, which makes this episode the very last for Season 11 of The Final Word.

Our seasons move with the cricket, changing over as northern and southern hemispheres pass the baton back and forth between them. From here for the coming month...

The Shoaib Akhtar seatbelt method

Most of you would have heard that Adam was a passenger in a bad car crash on the way to the airport in Lahore. Thanks to everyone for the good wishes that have been sent our way. He's recovering at home in London and will be ok. And was still keen to prop up on some cushions and record:

Season 11, Ep 22: Can't stop, won't  stop. The story of that particular night starts the show, so be aware if that sort of subject makes you nervous. After that, we look ahead to th...

Our trip to Pakistan is over

As you'll see from the video still, our final Pakistan Daily pulled in everybody from our touring group on the last day of the Test series, along with some clobber we souvenired from the television broadcasters. Three of the hardy souls are staying on for the one-dayers but the rest of us are heading home. It has been a special and memorable thing to be a part of in an off-field sense, and the cricket itself had a grandstand finish too.

A special thanks to all of you reading, because th...

The many marvels of digestion

Season 11, Ep 21: Coming live from the lush city of Lahore, it's another Final Word. The Karachi epic is done with and there is one Pakistan-Australia Test to come. We talk about the experience of this tour - the pleasant and the decidedly less palatable. 

Also this week, the Women's World Cup so far, and what West Indies and Sri Lanka have been up to against England and India.

We'll try to collate some good Pakistan photos for a post soon. 

Story...

2022-03-19 12:21:20 +0000 UTC View Post

The Final Word on Shane Warne

It's been a huge week, a strange week, and we're sure that some of you will be entirely Shane Warned out by now. But we wanted to take some extra time to take a breath, then think about someone important to both of us. And yes, he often gave us the irrits in the later years. He created magic on the field in a way that nobody else has done. He was one of us, and he was our cricketing childhood.  

This was Season 11, Ep 20. Also, an excellent first week at the women'...

The Final Word with Paul Kelly

This show has given us the chance to do some absurdly fun things, and this is right up there. An hour sitting down with one of the musical greats to talk about the game. 

Season 11, Ep 19: "His voice - sly and warm, laconic and sometimes frail - may be the closest thing we have to a national one." According to Robert Forster, that is Paul Kelly, whose music is well into its fifth decade of capturing audiences. He is associated with a complex national identity in a ...

The super-chic European cricket revolution

Hello team. A few bits of news. One, we're off to Pakistan on Monday, which has very much been made possible by the support here on Patreon, so thanks again. We'll be sending back daily shows and other bits and pieces from there.

Two, we're shifting host platforms away from Acast and back to Omny. Tried it out but it wasn't a good fit. That means old URLs that link to Acast episode pages may stop working, but most of you use your own podcast apps anyway.

Three, get warmed up becau...

The endless weirdness of IPL auctions

Season 11, Ep 17: Most importantly, Winnie turned two! Big news. Aside from that, when big things happen in T20 franchise cricket, we turn to Ben Jones. Because he watches more of it and remembers all of it. This time Ben breaks down what went on in the mega auction with two new teams involved, and the points of difference with this season's concurrent Pakistan Stuper League. Before that, we have Broad and Anderson dropped by England, the women's World Cup al...

The inevitable exit of Justin Langer

Season 11, Ep 16: Over a year ago, Cricket Australia knew they had an issue with Justin Langer. Instead of working out a respectful, dignified solution, they put off doing anything until the whole thing fell in a heap. It has been bruising for Langer, for Patrick Cummins, and for anyone else invested in the issue. Goodwill has given way to bad faith. We try to unpick the disaster. Also this week, England's women fall apart to end the Ashes, England's men sack their own coache...

The magic of Canberra

We're running a week behind with the Patreon posts, so this week's new episode is about to publish, and here was last week's. The good news is that our talk with Tom Morris has turned out to be accurate.

Season 11, Ep 15: After the wild Test finish in Canberra, it's time to celebrate the goodness and look at what it might mean for women's cricket from here. Deandra Dottin goes big in South Africa's one-dayers, and the Windies men sneak past England in their T20s. And jo...

The Final Word with Heather Knight

It turns out that both of your hosts recorded the show with covid this week, so forgive the scratchiness, but we got there. And didn't want to miss this opportunity.

Season 11, Ep 14: Given this recording happened shortly before the women's Ashes Test, we were very lucky to chat for an hour with England's captain Heather Knight. About leadership, personal development, and the wide world outside cricket. She's a wonderful guest, have a listen. 

Also, Ireland's...

Kohli hands back the crown

Lots happening in Final Word world. Adam has landed back in London to tackle Winifred. Geoff is sitting in Hobart doing the covid thing, well timed after the fifth Test and before the women's Test in Canberra. Before all that, we managed to record our last show together until Pakistan, which will be here before we know it.

TFW XI match in Sydney

With live shows off the table, outdoor things can take their place. We are going ahead with our match against Peter Lewis' team on the ...

Farewell Ashes, farewell Ross, hello Tigerland

A few things going on at the moment, with the Ashes Daily wrapping up in Hobart with customary earliness. See the final clip above.

TFW XI playing at Birchgrove

This is going ahead. Turf pitch, cold beers, good times, against Peter Lewis' team. Outdoors in Sydney and thus relatively safe. January 26, without the flag-waving. Hit us up on the Discord page if you want to play or attend. 

Aotearoa is Tigerland as Rossco says goodbye

Season 11, Ep 12: 2022-01-19 05:24:26 +0000 UTC View Post