The Grade Cricketer

The cricket industrial complex rolls on mercilessly, dragging our tired minds and eyes with it, so it’s a BUMPER show this week. Higgos takes an overdue breather, so Pez steps in with guest co-host Ed "Ted" Cowan. The Aussie women annihilate Pakistan, Ash Gardner speaks up about Australia Day, Smith’s doing savant stuff, Dan Christian and Steve Eskinazi join the show, Cricket NSW is a DISGRACE according to reports, Shubman Gill goes white ball daddy, David Cameron watches Alex Hales tonne up at the Sheikh Zayed, Root does something in South Africa, Bored Apes hack RCB Twitter, West Indies cricket may cease to exist as an entity, AskTGC ponders whether or not WinViz is “nonce gear”, and Michael Clarke limps his way into a story that not even a Chat GPT, super robot could produce for the Daily Mail.   We have only ever been able to cover the bizarre breadth of this strange, strange game with the support of one of Australia’s best fledgling brands – Budgy Smuggler. But this show is a fond farewell to that friend. After five years of sterling support, Budgy Smuggler and TGC bids farewell to one another. We catch up with CEO Adam Linforth to express our thanks properly, and to celebrate our fruitful association, Linny is throwing 20% off the entire range of Budgy Smuggler to the end of the month if you simply enter the code “RIG”.   On that note, if you want to chat about being this podcast’s presenting sponsor, get in touch with us at gradecricketer@gmail.com   Watto at T20 Stars is backing you, too. Sorry about the value. Get onto T20stars.com to satisfy your proclivities.   Get TGC hoodies, t-shirts, caps, and bucket hats at our brand spanking new website: gradecricketer.com/shop. Sign up to Patreon for a 10% or 20% discount using a special code at patreon.com/gradecricketer   Check out our Patreon for exclusive content every single week at https://www.patreon.com/gradecricketer including #AskTGC Fridays and the exclusive audio from all of our YouTube videos.    We are delighted to once again link up with Ponting Wines. Use the code GETAFEW at pontingwines.com.au for 20% off!   You can follow The Grade Cricketer on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/gradecricketer https://www.instagram.com/thegradecricketer/ https://twitter.com/gradecricketerEXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We get 45 minutes with “Players’ Boss” Todd Greenberg this week, to traverse the Afghanistan situation, the future of cricket, broadcast rights, Warner, and everything else other executives don’t seem to want to talk about. Elsewhere, India and Australia announce their squads, the Amazon Doc dropped with some incredible, as-yet unreported revelations, the BBL vibe remains strong-if-cartoonish, Meg Lanning’s back, and AskTGC ponders which cricketer best represents ones chop style.   Budgy has both us and you covered wherever you are the world. There’s a new drop of gear across underwear, party shirts, Christmas jumpers, golf wear, stubbies, bucket hats. All new, for you, at budgysmuggler.com(.au)   Watto at T20 Stars is backing you, too. Sorry about the value. Use the promocode xmas25 for 25% of all stock at their sterling website.   Get TGC hoodies, t-shirts, caps, and bucket hats at our brand spanking new website: gradecricketer.com/shop. Sign up to Patreon for a 10% or 20% discount using a special code at patreon.com/gradecricketer   Check out our Patreon for exclusive content every single week at https://www.patreon.com/gradecricketer including #AskTGC Fridays and the exclusive audio from all of our YouTube videos.    We are delighted to once again link up with Ponting Wines. Use the code GETAFEW at pontingwines.com.au for 20% off!   You can follow The Grade Cricketer on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/gradecricketer https://www.instagram.com/thegradecricketer/ https://twitter.com/gradecricketerEXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A drab draw closes out the Test summer, and we’re asking: what the fuck was that? Sure Australia destroyed all-comers, passing records and milestones with frightening ease - but why couldn’t they deliver this specific thing exactly as we wanted it? And why did Cummins declare on Khawaja? The reason will shock you (he wanted to win). Elsewhere, there’s a bit of money knocking about for the TV rights, but not as much as last time, and apparently CA and 7 are - in executive parlance - “all good”. The BBL is trending up for the first time in years, helped by contentious catches, Mankads, and Chris Lynn topping the charts. But he’s gone to some other league now. Normal. Pakistan and New Zealand play a riveting Test match before the umpires decided, “nah, can’t have that”, and SKY equals the Czech Republic’s Sabawoon Divizi’s 3 T20i tonnes v Sri Lanka. Congratulations, SKY. #AskTGC is about taking women on dates to an indoor cricket centre, and, frankly, drinking problems.   Budgy has both us and you covered wherever you are the world. There’s a new drop of gear across underwear, party shirts, Christmas jumpers, golf wear, stubbies, bucket hats. All new, for you, at budgysmuggler.com(.au)   Watto at T20 Stars is backing you, too. Sorry about the value. Use the promocode xmas25 for 25% of all stock at their sterling website.   Get TGC hoodies, t-shirts, caps, and bucket hats at our brand spanking new website: gradecricketer.com/shop. Sign up to Patreon for a 10% or 20% discount using a special code at patreon.com/gradecricketer   Check out our Patreon for exclusive content every single week at https://www.patreon.com/gradecricketer including #AskTGC Fridays and the exclusive audio from all of our YouTube videos.    We are delighted to once again link up with Ponting Wines. Use the code GETAFEW at pontingwines.com.au for 20% off!   You can follow The Grade Cricketer on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/gradecricketer https://www.instagram.com/thegradecricketer/ https://twitter.com/gradecricketerEXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is this good or is this the end? Boxing Day delight for the Aussies as we bury our head in the sand like an emu that can't walk backwards. How good's the COAT of arms? What does this mean for the SCG? Can we get a new toy to fuck around with? Something new for the eyes would be nice. Alex Malcolm is in studio to give us some actual analytics and analysis of what cricketers and high performers do. That's before we get into glory holes and how to improve the Big Bash. Matt Short joins us from Adelaide before training to tell us about Rashid Khan's sledging. Pakistan and New Zealand are both batting forever in Karachi. The IPL auction also gets a run, because money is all that matters and it's the biggest flex the IPL and BCCI can give. Fair bit of bunce kicking about to be fair. #AskTGC is about Skull and namedrops several other hall of famers.   Budgy has both us and you covered wherever you are the world. There’s a new drop of gear across underwear, party shirts, Christmas jumpers, golf wear, stubbies, bucket hats. All new, for you, at budgysmuggler.com(.au)   Watto at T20 Stars is backing you, too. Sorry about the value. Use the promocode xmas25 for 25% of all stock at their sterling website.   Get TGC hoodies, t-shirts, caps, and bucket hats at our brand spanking new website: gradecricketer.com/shop. Sign up to Patreon for a 10% or 20% discount using a special code at patreon.com/gradecricketer   Check out our Patreon for exclusive content every single week at https://www.patreon.com/gradecricketer including #AskTGC Fridays and the exclusive audio from all of our YouTube videos.    We are delighted to once again link up with Ponting Wines. Use the code GETAFEW at pontingwines.com.au for 20% off!   You can follow The Grade Cricketer on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/gradecricketer https://www.instagram.com/thegradecricketer/ https://twitter.com/gradecricketerEXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The GABBA deck, Sydney Lime all out 15, Rehand Ahmed's debut, Morne Morkel and a son on detention.   Budgy has both us and you covered wherever you are the world. There’s a new drop of gear across underwear, party shirts, Christmas jumpers, golf wear, stubbies, bucket hats. All new, for you, at budgysmuggler.com(.au)   Watto at T20 Stars is backing you, too. Sorry about the value. Use the promocode xmas25 for 25% of all stock at their sterling website.   Get TGC hoodies, t-shirts, caps, and bucket hats at our brand spanking new website: gradecricketer.com/shop. Sign up to Patreon for a 10% or 20% discount using a special code at patreon.com/gradecricketer   Check out our Patreon for exclusive content every single week at https://www.patreon.com/gradecricketer including #AskTGC Fridays and the exclusive audio from all of our YouTube videos.    We are delighted to once again link up with Ponting Wines. Use the code GETAFEW at pontingwines.com.au for 20% off!   You can follow The Grade Cricketer on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/gradecricketer https://www.instagram.com/thegradecricketer/ https://twitter.com/gradecricketerEXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was absolute boot-filling stuff against the West Indies, but now it's 1 vs 2 in the WTC table against South Africa. Brisbane is sold out, then it's Christmas and then it's New Year. David Warner's leadership ban remains, in yet another ugly chapter in the whole, sad debacle. The Big Bash starts today. Is that good? Maybe it's good. Daniel Brettig joins us in studio to discuss Mike Baird becoming the new Chair of Cricket Australia. What does that mean for the average internet user? Ali Martin joins us on a dodgy internet connection from Pakistan (or maybe that was Melbourne's fault) to tell us how amazing this 2-0 series lead has been. Jimmy Anderson is good, Stokes is good, Harry Brook is generational.... but what does it mean for the real series against 'out boys'? The Australia women lose their first match this year, so we completely disown them, as should Indian fans of their team, after yet another series loss in 2022. This time, to Bangladesh. #AskTGC comes in from a very confused father.   Budgy has both us and you covered wherever you are the world. There’s a new drop of gear across underwear, party shirts, Christmas jumpers, golf wear, stubbies, bucket hats. All new, for you, at budgysmuggler.com(.au)   Watto at T20 Stars is backing you, too. Sorry about the value. Use the promocode xmas25 for 25% of all stock at their sterling website.   Get TGC hoodies, t-shirts, caps, and bucket hats at our brand spanking new website: gradecricketer.com/shop. Sign up to Patreon for a 10% or 20% discount using a special code at patreon.com/gradecricketer   Check out our Patreon for exclusive content every single week at https://www.patreon.com/gradecricketer including #AskTGC Fridays and the exclusive audio from all of our YouTube videos.    We are delighted to once again link up with Ponting Wines. Use the code GETAFEW at pontingwines.com.au for 20% off!   You can follow The Grade Cricketer on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/gradecricketer https://www.instagram.com/thegradecricketer/ https://twitter.com/gradecricketerEXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Forget the scorecard,” advises Viru. Well, we can’t. Marnus tripled, Smudge doubled red, Gareth took six and Australia (essentially) cantered. It’s all we asked for, but is it enough? Of course not. So fresh, raw meat is mooted in Adelaide, in the form Lance Morris – all sunken eyes, Dieter Brummer salad – because we demand more. Or maybe it doesn’t matter, because Cummins took a knee. No wonder he did he quad. In Rawalpindi, the To and Froms are legitimately revolutionising the game, but will naivety cost them? And is it Test Championship 2’s? Private Equity wants The Hundred, but Thommo won’t get out of bed unless there a couple bil. Bangladesh knock over India in dramatic circumstances in some game or other, our women head to India next week, and AskTGC traverses LBW noncery via an inquisitive little cherub, as well as a two-piecer monstrosity from some wine bin stuff in South Australia.    Budgy has both us and you covered wherever you are the world. There’s a new drop of gear across underwear, party shirts, Christmas jumpers, golf wear, stubbies, bucket hats. All new, for you, at budgysmuggler.com(.au)   Watto at T20 Stars is backing you, too. Sorry about the value. Use the promocode xmas25 for 25% of all stock at their sterling website.   Get TGC hoodies, t-shirts, caps, and bucket hats at our brand spanking new website: gradecricketer.com/shop. Sign up to Patreon for a 10% or 20% discount using a special code at patreon.com/gradecricketer   Check out our Patreon for exclusive content every single week at https://www.patreon.com/gradecricketer including #AskTGC Fridays and the exclusive audio from all of our YouTube videos.    We are delighted to once again link up with Ponting Wines. Use the code GETAFEW at pontingwines.com.au for 20% off!   You can follow The Grade Cricketer on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/gradecricketer https://www.instagram.com/thegradecricketer/ https://twitter.com/gradecricketerEXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isn’t it beautiful when blokes just care? Once again our golden generation bails us out of cricketing dystopia in ways “everyday” Australians understand. Forget our systemic sleepwalk into decline, what we really want to know is: who is the alpha? The answer is neither Cummins nor JL, and may surprise you. Elsewhere, blokes continue the eternal quest for social capital, but this time they’re thieving real capital (allegedly), according to Victoria Police. In the old days, focused work on the chest and triceps would do the trick. Nowadays you apparently need bulk sheets to be loved. Separately, Chris Gayle made 95 red in some wheelie bin shit in Dandenong. The PMs XI played, numbers were ascribed to names, and we refuse to know anything about the West Indies. The Strikers are WBBL champions after the Sixers crumbled, begging the question: was there simply too much sun? At least the Sixers still engender safety - the NSW men are weaker than ever and we argue the nation should be concerned. Other countries are playing some cricket, too, and they’re given due respect on this show (about 90 seconds), before the show eventually gives way to material that matters: what strategies exist for minors in team tubs when there’s a bloke called “Felly”? Get TGC hoodies, t-shirts, caps, and bucket hats at our brand spanking new website: gradecricketer.com/shop. Sign up to Patreon for a 10% or 20% discount using a special code at patreon.com/gradecricketer Check out our Patreon for exclusive content every single week at https://www.patreon.com/gradecricketer including #AskTGC Fridays and the exclusive audio from all of our YouTube videos.  For the first time ever, Budgy Smuggler will be hosting a site wide discount. ● 20% off all orders of $200 or more ● Runs from 9am Monday 21st of November and ends Midnight Monday 28th November ● 5x $100 Golden Ticket Vouchers drawn randomly each day. The Smuggling Community is going to be all over this - so get on board while it’s hot. The team at T20 Stars is offering a Black Friday sale with 30% off on all of the T20 Stars range online at t20stars.com. The promo to use is BlackFriday30. Unbelievable value! Also, for every order over $100 the customer will receive a complimentary Shane Watson signed cricket ball. We are delighted to once again link up with Ponting Wines. Use the code GETAFEW at pontingwines.com.au for 20% off! The boys are of course dressed by Budgy Smuggler, too (in some way, shape or form). You can follow The Grade Cricketer on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/gradecricketer https://www.instagram.com/thegradecricketer/ https://twitter.com/gradecricketerEXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A special day in the annals of TGC as we sit down with an all-time great: Wasim Akram. The man of such prodigious and electrifying cricketing ability spends just over 30 minutes with us and we cover some ground: being spotted in the streets, circuiting with Imran, playing in England, hooping it, partying, addiction, and much more. The chat coincides with the release of his memoir: Sultan. Wasim teamed up with Gideon Haigh to produce it, and it’s a tome befitting the stature of the man. It’s published through Hardie Grant, and is available wherever Hardie Grant publishes books.EXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TGC lands another white whale, without question, the one with the best obliques and leanest body mass. Faf du Plessis joins us to discuss nearly every sordid and amazing achievement of his glittering career. From being told to sit in a bathtub from his idol, Daryl Cullinan, to taking us into the showers of the Durban dressing rooms during Sandpaper-gate, Faf bares all for TGC. We hear stories of Australian abuse, second only to Brendan McCullum's New Zealand apparently, playing with AB de Villiers with fire in his belly and what it's like to captain RCB while Virat Kohli is in the dressing room.If you get the chance, watch this on YouTube as well because he looks absolutely unbelievable. Even Stoinis raves about his calves.You can get Faf's new book, Faf: Through Fire wherever you buy your books from, wherever you are in the world. You know how to use the internet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesEXTRA HOUR of AskTGC EVERY WEEK: https://patreon.com/gradecricketerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.