The Analyst Inside Cricket

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

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

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

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jarrod Kimber, a writer and broadcaster known for his insightful analyses of cricket, joins to discuss his book, The Art of Batting. He distinguishes between 'batting' and run-making, exploring the intricacies of what makes a top Test batter. Kimber delves into how players like Lara and Bradman were shaped by their environments and identifies factors that define successful batters. The conversation also touches on the evolution of batting techniques and the impact of equipment, providing a fascinating look at the art and science behind scoring runs.

The 14 year old wunderkid Vaibhav Suryavanshi has just assaulted four international bowlers for a 35 ball hundred in the IPL: Its the second fastest IPL hundred of all time after Chris Gayle's 30 ball effort in 2013, and earned him the nickname Boss Baby. After trying to digest this astonishing performance, Simon Hughes and Simon Mann talk to Leicestershire's Ian Holland, the leading wicket-taker in Division 2, about being top of the table, who are the best all-rounders in the county game and who has the silliest nicknames. Final week of entering the free Test match tickets competition by subscribing to The Cricverse at https://cricverse.substack.com/p/test-cricket-the-next-phase?r=lo2wd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Simon Hughes and Simon Mann are joined by Daily Telegraph cricket writer and author Tim Wigmore to discuss the backstory, the current state and the future prosperity of the Test format as examined in Tim's new book Test Cricket: A History. The conversation ranges from the origins of the Test match idea, with just three countries involved, how it expanded, chronicling key matches, turning points and characters, how the great 1970s West Indies and 1990s Australia were formed, and why Australia are consistently so much better than everyone else. Finally we consider if India can dominate in the same way and how the Test format can survive and prosper. To buy Tim's book visit https://amzn.eu/d/1QrtofkTo enter our free competition for Lord's Test tickets subscribe to THE CRICVERSE at https://cricverse.substack.com/p/county-crickets-saviour?r=lo2wd CHAPTERS - 00:00 The Brutality of Test Cricket01:40 Exploring the History of Test Cricket04:34 The Evolution of Test Match Selection07:22 The Global Expansion of Test Cricket10:40 Key Moments and Shifts in Test Cricket13:18 The Impact of Prejudice in Team Selection16:17 The Competitive Landscape of Test Cricket19:11 Looking Ahead: The Future of Test Cricket21:05 Cricket's Golden Age: A Historical Perspective23:55 The Evolution of Test Cricket and Key Matches28:24 The Rise of India in Test Cricket32:05 Australia's Dominance and Cultural Impact on Cricket34:47 The Future of Test Cricket: Challenges and Opportunities41:39 Preserving Test Cricket in a Changing Landscape Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Simon Hughes and Simon Mann review the action in the weekend's county championship matches, highlighting the disputed catch to give Essex victory over Worcestershire. The discussion focusses on whether DRS should be brought into county cricket, with now every match available on YouTube which celebrates its 20th anniversary this week. Also a debate about the points system in county cricket, Zak Crawley battles to a fifty and how our 10 to follow got on last weekend. For our regular cricket blog subscribe to The Cricverse at https://cricverse.substack.com/p/boots-on-the-ground?r=lo2wd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Three gnarled veterans of the bowling brotherhood - Simon Hughes, Angus Fraser and Derek Pringle - jovially reflect on the hardship of the fast bowlers' lot, but are thankful for the craftsmanship that went in to their hand-made boots. They sent down more than 170,000 deliveries between them, putting at least six times their bodyweight through their knees and ankles every ball. Read Derek Pringle and Simon Hughes on The Cricverse and enter the competition for free tickets for the Lord's Test at https://cricverse.substack.com/p/these-boots-are-made-for-bowlin?r=lo2wd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices