81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

We talk to Michael Wagener about New Zealand's impressive Test results over the last 3 years and get a rundown of their strengths & weaknesses ahead of their series against Australia. Talking points: The pitches used for the England series Is Tom Latham a bully? The unYoutubable B J Watling How Colin de Grandhommme found himself alongside the legendary Aubrey Faulkner And the most fascinating bowler in the world - Neil Wagner Participants: Michael Wagener (@mykuhl) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: Michael Wagener's super geeky cricket blog  And his Firstpost columns From extreme to mainstream: How Neil Wagner has wanged his way to the top - Sidharth Monga in ESPNcricinfo.com Black Caps make convincing case as New Zealand's best test side in history - Ian Anderson in stuff.co.nz

We are living in a golden age of Indian fast bowling.  Pitches, conditions, match situation - nothing seems to matter. India's bowling attack is ruthlessly targeting the opposition, and summoning magic deliveries at will. What better time to talk about our favorite quick bowling performances in Indian conditions - from Malcolm Marshall's devastating spell in Kanpur in 1983-84 to Javagal Srinath's 13-wicket-haul in a losing cause to Jason Gillespie's lionhearted effort in Chennai in 2001 to Dale Steyn's spell-of-a-lifetime in Nagpur in 2010. And let's not forget the splendid feats of swing bowling from the likes of Roger Binny, L Balaji and Tim Southee – sussing up Indian conditions and knocking out batsmen on largely benign surfaces. Participants: K Balakumar (@kbalakumar) Vijay Arumugam (@vijayarumugam) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: When Marshall Law was declared in Kanpur - Clayton Murzello in Mid-Day India v West Indies series review by Tony Cozier - YouTube video Dale Steyn spell at Nagpur 2010 - video from BCCI website Javagal Srinath 8-86 spell v Pakistan in 1999 - Youtube video West Indies rattle India after Kapil Dev's historic spell - Arunabha Sengupta in Cricketcountry.com India v Australia, Chennai Test, 2001 - Youtube video Umesh's spell of pace and fire - Karthik Krishnaswamy in ESPNcricinfo.com How Southee outsmarted India - Aakash Chopra in ESPNcricinfo * Lead image from here.

Between 1947 and 1971, only one Pakistani cricketer from the east of the country was picked in the Test team. Then Bangladesh was born, and there were far more important matters to attend to than worrying about cricket. But the passion survived in pockets and slowly, through schools and club cricket, the game made its way into the public consciousness. By the early 1990s, several foreign stars were taking part in club cricket in Dhaka. And the Bangladesh national team gradually improved, before being granted Test status in 2000. ESPNcricinfo's Mohammad Isam and BCB senior manager (media and communications) Rabeed Imam tell us how cricket survived through the '70s and '80s before finally dethroning football as the most popular sport in the late 1990s. They talk us through some of Bangladesh's famous wins and introduce us to cricketers who sustained the passion through the trying times. Participants: Mohammad Isam (@isam84) Rabeed Imam (@rabeedi) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related reading: The original premier league - Mohammad Isam Reliving the 1999 miracle - Mohammad Isam The defeat that launched Bangladesh's World Cup ambitions - Mohammad Isam Javed Omar, no, yes, sorry - Hate to Love - Mohammad Isam The unassuming hero - Mohammad Rafique Victorious in Dhaka - revisiting the first Champions Trophy 81allout interview with Mohammad Isam from May, 2019

We preview the upcoming 2-Test series between India and Bangladesh – which will include the first ever day-night Test to be held in India. Talking Points: Bangladesh's tumultuous lead-up to the series The Shakib Al Hasan shocker Why would Bangladesh's greatest-ever cricket overlook something so fundamental? How public sentiment fluctuated over the hectic few days between the players' strike and Shakib's ban Mominul Haque's big challenge as captain The novelty around the day-night Test, and how that could actually give Bangladesh a small opening in Kolkata Will Taizul Islam and Mehidy Hasan fancy their chances against a batting order that is likely to go after them? Participants: Sakeb Subhan, sub-editor at Daily Star in Dhaka (@SakebTS) Ashoka Rao (@abvan) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: 'What Shakib is going through is hard to explain in words' - Mohammad Ashraful interview Bangladesh's steep learning curve against legspin - Mohammad Isam Time for introspection - Sakeb Subhan on Bangladesh's Test loss to Afghanistan * Lead image from here

It was a year when everything came together... until it fell spectacularly apart. There was something magical about Pakistan in 1999... till they time they crumbled. For a generation of Pakistan fans, the year 1999 meant much. Shoaib Akhtar emerged as a force of nature. Shahid Afridi provided a glimpse of his otherworldly powers. Wasim Akram was poised to turn into leader of the stature of Imran Khan. Saqlain Mushtaq spun a web around the world's best. Saeed Anwar scaled new heights. Abdul Razzaq was one of the most versatile cricketers around. The team won two Tests in India. They claimed the Asian Test Championship. They won ODI tournaments for fun. They reached the World Cup final. And they had the team to challenge that great Australian side. They were pounded in the World Cup final. They lost the Test series in Australia 3-0. The team were never the same again. And for many fans, it spelt a loss of innocence. Ahmer Naqvi (@karachikhatmal) and Hassan Cheema (@mediagag) were two such fans. They join Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) to chat about the hope that the year brought... and the disappointments that left deep scars. * Related: Documentary on Pakistan's tour to India in 1999 The Haal of Pakistan - Osman Samiuddin The Unquiet Ones - Osman Samiuddin The most important sociopolitical trend in Pakistan in the 2010s - Ahsan Butt

We review India's dominating win over South Africa in the recently concluded home series. Talking Points: The superlative performance of the Indian fast bowlers South Africa's inability to retain control while bowling, and the fierce test their batsmen failed to pass Rohit Sharma's stellar start as a Test opener The inspired decision to opt for the specialist wicketkeeper A bold call on Mayank Agarwal Kohli's cruise mode Participants: Subash Jayaraman (@cricketcouch) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: Saving the Test - Mike Jakeman On the difficult of watching Kohli when he is cruising along - Karthik Krishnaswamy * Lead image from BBC

We are thrilled to bring you the 50th episode of the 81allout podcast. Our special guest for the occasion is Clayton Murzello, group sports editor of Mid-Day in Mumbai. We chat with Clayton about his journey - from running a bookstore, managing a cricket club, and covering local sports... before turning into one of the most recognized names in the field of cricket journalism. Talking Points: The charm of the Kanga League tournament in Mumbai The stories and legends around Dadar Union Sporting Club Tendulkar's arrival on the club and first-class scene Schools cricket in Mumbai and the unreasonable expectations it puts on young men The legacy of Sunil Gavaskar The heyday of corporate and university cricket 'Airport duty' and a big scoop How a quiz helped a Mumbai cricketer get his pension The great storyteller – Raj Singh Dungarpur The thrill of collecting cricket books and memorabilia Etc Participants: Participants: Clayton Murzello (@claytonmurzello) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: Mumbai's cricket cradle - Clayton Murzello A plateful of biscuits, and an unforgettable car-ride Kanga League was Madhav Apte's most-loved tournament How a Facebook quiz won an ex-Mumbai cricketer his MCA pension

We preview the upcoming 3-Test series between India and South Africa – where points count for the World Test Championship. Talking Points: A rivalry that often goes under the radar South Africa's historically impressive record in Asia An inexperienced batting line-up coming up against the world's best side A chance for Markram, Bavuma and de Kock to step it up The Rabada threat The prospect of Maharaj and Muthusamy spinning India out Bumrah's absence Rohit's presence at the top of the order Unlucky Umesh, unluckier Bhuvi And can Kohli raise his game to Smithesque levels? Participants: Rohit Sankar (@imRohit_SN) Ashoka Rao (@abvan) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: Interview with South Africa's performance analyst Prasanna Raman - Rohit Sankar India v West Indies series review - 81allout podcast Deconstructing Rohit Sharma - Aakash Chopra Maharaj hoping to learn from "best in the world" Herath - Andrew Fidel Fernando

In the latest 81allout podcast we look back at South Africa’s tour of India in 1996-97. India continued their winning run at home, pulling off a close win at Ahmedabad. South Africa came back with a dominating win in Calcutta. And India rounded off the series with a resounding victory in Kanpur. We talk about the all-too-familiar orientalist attitudes of visiting teams of that era, the revolving-door of openers for India, the Test debuts of Laxman and Klusener, of Indian cricketers whose careers met an unlikely end in this series, Kumble’s perfect cover drive, Srinath’s breathtaking spells, and the singular thrill of watching Azhar counter-attack. Participants: Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Aftab Khanna (@aftabkhanna) Deepak Rao (@RaoDepk)

In our latest episode we chat with ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent – and one of the finest cricket writers in the world – Andrew Fidel Fernando. Highlights: A brief review of the recent Sri Lanka v New Zealand Test series Three great Test innings in the last five years - by two Kusals and one Dinesh A streak of 26 straight Tests that have yielded results in Sri Lanka The soundtrack of Test cricket in Sri Lanka (as well as the sounds that are being missed) Fidel's favorite moments from Test cricket in Sri Lanka in this decade Is it time to rename Galle as the 'home of cricket'? Participants: Andrew Fidel Fernando (@afidelf) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related pieces and podcasts: 'I try and give voice to the fans' emotions'- 81allout podcast with Andrew Fidel Fernando Mendis' triumph over improbability  Kusal Perera bats with body, heart and soul in innings of a lifetime Chandimal's anarchic mayhem lifts Sri Lanka Dale Steyn, the greatest fast bowler of the century Galle revels in perfect day