

The Analyst Inside Cricket
Simon Hughes
Daily analysis, opinion and great stories from the Ashes in Australia. Presented by Simon Hughes, aka The Analyst and the BBC's Simon Mann. This is the place where you really find out what happened on the field, and off it, with the two Simons worldwide experiences and their famous guests.
Find us on the Sport Social website: https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/podcast/the-analyst-inside-cricket/
Find us on the Sport Social website: https://podcast.sport-social.co.uk/podcast/the-analyst-inside-cricket/
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 5, 2025 • 49min
Its All in the Mind
A deep dive into the mental side of cricket (and sport) with former Lancashire player Nathan Wood, son of Barry Wood, who has set up Cricket Mind to help players deal with the mental side of the game. We explore what stresses and strains modern players of all ages and abilities experience and how to establish coping mechanisms with Mindset Coaching. If you are someone who plays superbly in the nets but can't convert it into runs in the middle, or are desperate to take that first five-fer or suffer from concentration lapses, this pdocast is for you. For more information or to set up a consultation visit cricketmind.online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 3, 2025 • 47min
Windies Whitewashed; Virat Victorious
England batter the West Indies bowlers at The Oval to complete an emphatic 3-0 series win, as England successfully reboot their one day approach. Meanwhile Virat Kohli helps Royal Challengers Bangalore to a first ever IPL triumph in Ahmedabad. Simon Hughes and Simon Mann discuss. Also a reminder of our live podcast evening on 18 June in aid of Syd Lawrence's MND fund. Tickets here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-analyst-inside-cricket-podcast-live-tickets-1353264403259?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 27, 2025 • 27min
One Man, One Day, Two Continents
A crazy weekend with one player playing two top class cricket matches on two different continents in the space of 24 hours, while one English club side win a match by 424 runs in half an afternoon. Simon Hughes and Simon Mann report on the madness of cricket and look at a slightly more sane weekend of county cricket action. Our live podcast in aid of Syd Lawrence is in Bristol on June 18. Please join us - tickets here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-analyst-inside-cricket-podcast-live-tickets-1353264403259 victor now on the post! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 24, 2025 • 36min
Job Done
England polish off brave and plucky Zimbabwe by an innings. Shoaib Bashir took six wickets and benefitted from a good workout but the real stars of the show were Ben Stokes potent bowling after a long lay off and Harry Brook's incredible slip catch. Simon Hughes and Simon Mann report and assess the strength of the just-announced India squad for the main fare in a month's time. For the last few tickets for our live podcast show on June 18 visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-analyst-inside-cricket-podcast-live-tickets-1353264403259 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 22, 2025 • 28min
England's Boot Fillers
Simon Mann and Simon Hughes report on the first day mismatch between England's eager batters and Zimbabwe's hapless bowlers as England's feast on a liberal diet of 'help-yourself' deliveries. For a match report read Derek Pringle at the Cricverse at https://open.substack.com/pub/cricverse/p/england-batters-fill-their-boots?r=lo2wd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true For tickets for our live podcast in Bristol on June 18 visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-analyst-inside-cricket-podcast-live-tickets-1353264403259 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 22, 2025 • 46min
QUESTION TIME - Episode 4
Following Ben Stokes declaration of an alcohol-free year so far, we discuss what is, and what is not, the best diet for a professional cricketer. Also why do Durham produce so many pace bowlers and other counties do not, which famous commentator prompted the old bouncer war between Middlesex and Leicester and who is the best overall cricketing package - Joe Root or Virat Kohli? To join our live podcast evening in Bristol on June 18 with Vic Marks in aid of the Syd Lawrence MND cause, click on this link - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-analyst-inside-cricket-podcast-live-tickets-1353264403259?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 13, 2025 • 1h 2min
The Rebuild Begins
Simon Hughes and Simon Mann consider England's newly announced odi and T20 squads, the first under new captain Harry Brook, and assess their chances of rejuvenating an ailing brand. In the second half of the show we hear from Roland Butcher - the first black cricketer to play for England - about his life , richly detailed in his newly published autobiography Breaking Barriers. For tickets for our live podcast show on June 18 in aid of Syd Lawrence, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-analyst-inside-cricket-podcast-live-tickets-1353264403259 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 12, 2025 • 27min
King Kohli Abdicates
Virat Kohli today announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket. Simon Hughes and Indian commentator Deep Dasgupta discuss the significance of this decision - this is the man who is a global brand with over 300m social media followers - the amazing legacy Kohli has left behind and who will be the next Indian Test captain now that Rohit Sharma has also retired. Be part of our special live podcast show on June 18th in Bristol - details here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-analyst-inside-cricket-podcast-live-tickets-1353264403259 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 8, 2025 • 1h 13min
The 50 Greatest Test Batsmen
Part 2 of our conversation with Jarrod Kimber, author of a new book The Art of Batting, counting down the fifty greatest Test batsmen of all time. Using scrupulous statistical analysis and exhaustive research, Kimber has identified some unexpected high rankers, and while Number 1 is no surprise, he has also eliminated some surprising stars for well explained reasons. Never before has such a meticulous evaluation of the greatest players been conducted and it makes for lots of excellent talking points. For instance, is it fair to rank modern batters higher than those brave souls who played in the pre-helmet era? The Art of Batting is available here - https://amzn.eu/d/7md9ktV
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction to the Greatest Batters
01:02 Criteria for Ranking Batters
03:01 The Case of Graham Gooch
05:53 Comparative Metrics in Batting
09:01 The Unlucky Barry Richards
11:58 The Mental Approach to Batting
18:02 Exploring the Top 50 Batters
22:18 Controversies in Rankings
28:28 The Top 10 Batters Discussion
31:42 The Impact of Helmets on Batting Greats
34:30 Courage and Technique in Fast Bowling
37:36 Top 10 Batters: A Deep Dive
43:41 The Top Five Batters of All Time
52:00 Analyzing Bradman, Tendulkar, and Hobbs
59:46 The Legacy of Don Bradman
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May 7, 2025 • 43min
Pulsating Finishes
Simon Hughes and Simon Mann review the latest round of county championship matches which resulted in some nerve-tingling run chases. They also discuss England's squad for the Zimbabwe Test and hear from Australia's Jason Gillespie how Australia consistently win more cricket matches than any other country and why the idea of Sheffield Shield final would work for the County Championship.
Details of our live podcast in Bristol on June 18th and tickets are here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-analyst-inside-cricket-podcast-live-tickets-1353264403259
For more cricket features and revelations subscribe to The Cricverse at https://cricverse.substack.com/p/so-who-is-the-greatest?r=lo2wd
Visit www.betterhelp.com/INSIDECRICKET to get 10% off your first month – as heard on the podcast.
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