Wisden Cricket Weekly vs The Final Word

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1. 

   31 Jul 2026 · 53 min

   What actually makes a good franchise cricket league?

   With The Hundred well underway, Katya & Lauren Winfield-Hill assess what actually makes a good franchise league, considering tournament length, overseas player limits, auction timing, and much more. 0:00 Intro 0:30 Metro Bank 0:52 Positives of The Hundred 10:15 WBBL standard & length of competitions 16:00 Overseas player limits 25:00 Auction timing 32:43 FairBreak T20 & what attracts players to leagues? 42:27 Em Arlott to Yorkshire The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in collaboration with the ECB aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating…

2. 

   30 Jul 2026 · 23 min

   Stephen Fleming & Joe Root named as England Test head coach and captain

   Cameron, Ben & Phil react to today's breaking news that Stephen Fleming is the new England Test head coach, and that Joe Root will once again captain the side. SOUTHALL TRAVEL ✈️ Southall Travel are offering up to 35% off this cricket season: https://www.southalltravel.co.uk/holidays/turkey/ 📒 WISDEN CRICKET MONTHLY OFFERS Digital: https://pktmags.com/wisdensummer26 Print: https://forwardpress.imbmsubscriptions.com/WCMBEDTIME26 👀 PATREON For bonus podcasts and daily episodes after every England game, sign up to our Patreon! http://patreon.com/WisdenCricket 👉 SUBSCRIBE:…

3. 

   28 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 26 min

   Joe Root to return as captain? 2027 Ashes schedule, The Hundred begins & illegal gambling in cricket

   Cameron, Ben, Katya and Butch discuss reports that Joe Root is set to captain England again, 2027 Ashes scheduling, the start of The Hundred and the first week of the One-Day Cup. Also on show, West Indies' Test against Pakistan in Tarouba, the possibility of England and Australia playing a Test in India, and a chat with investigative journalist Steve Menary about the rise of illegal gambling companies operating in cricket. 0:00 Intro / 1:05 Mark Butcher / 18:53 Southall Travel / 19:56 Joe Root as England Test captain / 29:16 West Indies vs Pakistan / 37:21 Ashes / 41:28 An Ashes Test in…

4. 

   24 Jul 2026 · 57 min

   How new ownership has changed The Hundred, Blast Finals Day & Danni Wyatt-Hodge joins the show

   Katya & Lauren Winfield-Hill discuss the early signs of change as The Hundred gets underway this week, with teams now under new private ownership. Wisden Cricket Monthly editor-in-chief Phil Walker then speaks with the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup top run-scorer Danni Wyatt-Hodge, about the disappointment of England falling short in the final against Australia at Lord's, as well as her enduring ambitions to play all three formats. 0:15 Intro 0:42 Metro Bank 1:03 Lauren's positive start in The Hundred 5:35 How has The Hundred changed? 10:50 Dani Gibson as captain & the lack of English captains…

5. 

   21 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 26 min

   Remembering Sir Garfield Sobers, England's impressive ODI series win & who will be the next Test coach?

   Cameron, Phil and Butch begin the show by paying tribute to legendary West Indian all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers, who passed away last week at the age of 89. Also on the pod, they discuss England's ODI series victory against India, the race to become Test coach after Andy Flower ruled himself out of contention and a huge change to the structure of the 2027 World Cup. All that and loads more, including a chat with one of England's hottest uncapped prospects, Henry Crocombe. 0:00 Intro / 1:33 Sir Garfield Sobers / 13:42 Southall Travel / 15:02 England's next Test head coach / 31:59 England vs…

6. 

   15 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 34 min

   Lord’s Test review! Why were India so much better than England? And Meg Lanning joins the show!

   Katya sits down with Lauren Winfield-Hill to go over the first-ever women's Test at Lord's, in which England were on the receiving end of a dominant Indian performance, losing by 270 runs. Lauren & Katya are then joined by former Australian great Meg Lanning, to discuss her storied career at the top of the game & what makes the elite Australian sporting mentality. 0:15 Intro 0:57 Metro Bank 2:00 Lord's Test reaction 9:55 Why were India so much better? 21:18 Heather Knight retirement 32:00 Other retirements in the women's game 37:55 Timing of McCullum sacking 42:26 Roasting Party 43:00 Meg…

7. 

   14 Jul 2026 · 26 min

   "It's all a bit of a mess" | Butch reacts to Brendon McCullum's sacking as England's Test head coach

   Butch gives his take on Brendon McCullum being stood down from his role as England's Test head coach. 👀 PATREON For bonus podcasts and daily episodes after every England game, sign up to our Patreon! http://patreon.com/WisdenCricket 👉 SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/@WisdenCricket?sub_confirmation=1 #Cricket #EnglandCricket #BrendonMcCullum #Bazball Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8. 

   13 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 22 min

   Brendon McCullum sacked as England's Test head coach! Assessing Bazball's legacy, and who could replace him?

   Cameron, Ben and Phil react to the big news that Brendon McCullum has been stood down as England's Test head coach. They discuss Bazball's legacy, potential replacements, the decision to keep him in the white-ball jobs and more. 0:00 Intro / 1:28 Brendon McCullum / 11:05 Bazball legacy / 20:15 Potential replacements / 38:06 Rob Key / 45:58 Timing of the announcement / 50:06 Keith Prowse / 51:31 T20 Blast / 56:25 Tammy Beaumont & Heather Knight / 1:03:40 Gambling sponsors allowed in The Hundred / 1:11:04 ECB block Euro Nations Cup final at Lord's / 1:14:18 Southall Travel / 1:15:33 ICC board…

9. 

   9 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 13 min

   100 years in the making – previewing the first-ever women's Test match at Lord's

   Katya sits down with the Guardian's Raf Nicholson to preview the historic first-ever women's Test match at Lord's against India. 0:15 Intro 1:12 Metro Bank 1:32 Scheduling of Lord's Test 8:10 England's historic Test form & squad 17:45 What XI will England pick? 29:22 How are India shaping up? 33:25 Relationship between domestic red-ball competitions and Test cricket 38:10 Mithali Raj on women's Test cricket 48:33 Relationship with Lord's/MCC 1:01:05 Declining volume of women's Test cricket 1:05:50 What can the ICC do to push for more women's Test cricket 1:10:40 Metro Bank Outro The Metro…

10. 

    7 Jul 2026 · 39 min

    Documentary: What does the future look like for the Afghanistan Women's Refugee team?

    Ahead of an ICC AGM which could determine their future role in world cricket, Katya leads a break down of the past, present and future of the Afghanistan Women's Refugee team. This episode pulls together a number of voices from the Wisden stable. Ben speaks to Mel Jones, Katya talk to Clare Connor & Shafiqa Khan Noorzai, and Phil & Anjali spoke to Firooza Amiri. 0:15 Intro 3:30 Clare Connor & Valkerie Baynes 16:19 Shafiqa Khan Noorzai 23:20 Firooza Amiri 30:17 Mel Jones 36:10 Outro England is about to experience women's cricket like never before: bigger, bolder and better than ever. This is…