81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

We speak to the veteran journalist and author Mike Coward, who has watched and covered cricket over six decades. Coward rewinds the clock to various points in his illustrious career and talks about the importance of journalists and players trusting each other. He also opens up on his experience of being an openly gay journalist - and how the male cricketers can take a lead from the women  on making it a more inclusive game. Note: War Minus The Shooting now available on Amazon.com, Amazon.in, Flipkart Talking Points: An Adelaide childhood - and Les Favell as a 'summer god' Working in the newspaper industry in the 1960s - the smells, sights, and sounds A dream stint in England - meeting Rod Laver, the 1972 Olympics, and Ashes The magnanimity of Richie Benaud and Ian Chappell World Series Cricket and how it polarized the game and media The importance of Allan Border for India-Australia relations Covering the 1986 tied Test from an open press box, bathed in sweat Bradman, Tendulkar, Warne and Gilchrist - genius in contrast The experience of being an openly gay sports writer Participants: Mike Coward; Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: Mike Coward's books; Collection of Mike Coward's articles for ESPNcricinfo; A boy's own idol - Mike Coward on Les Favell - Wisden Asia Cricket; The subcontinent beyond the cliches - 81allout podcast on Cricket Beyond the Bazaar; Calypso Summer - YouTube documentary on the 1960-61 series; Madras Magic - YouTube documentary on the tied Test in Madras; Calypso Summer - Mike Coward - Amazon.com; Little Master becomes mere mortal - Mike Coward - Fox Sports; The warmth of a sweltering city - Mike Coward on Chennai - ESPNcricinfo; Embracing the East: Suresh Menon on Cricket Beyond the Bazaar - ESPNcricinfo; When a tie was a victory for Border's battlers - 81allout podcast; The Final Frontier: Mike Coward - The Greatest Season That Was podcast; Mike Coward's speech at the ASC Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2015

In this episode, we chat with two journalists from South Africa - Firdose Moonda and Telford Vice. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta).  Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon. Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: South Africa's remarkable Test series win against India A victory coming after a period of turmoil for South African cricket The value of the private school system as a talent pool for South African cricket The Kolpak myth - and why South Africa didn't lose as much as it seemed The complexities of kneeling - and why it is not as binary as one would think The SJN hearings - a moment of awakening for cricket in the country The platform that the SJN offered for many non-white cricketers to be heard An opportunity lost with several leading cricketers not offering testimonies Makhaya Ntini's remarkable confession Boucher, Smith, and the possible paths forward Participants: Firdose Moonda (@firdoseM) Telford Vice (@telfordvice) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: Fidose Moonda's articles on ESPNcricinfo Telford Vice's articles on Cricbuzz Thirty years after readmission: how far has South Africa cricket come since 1991 - Firdose Moonda - The Cricket Monthly Flawed but necessary: SJN hearings reveal no heroes, no villains - Firdose Moonda - ESPNcricinfo Paul Adams: I was nicknamed 'brown s*** when I was playing' - ESPNcricinfo Many shades of grey in the Boucher battle - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz The end of SA's rainbow that never was - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz South African cricket deserves better than the SJN report - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz Bavuma stands up to the fire - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz

We review the third and final Test between South Africa and India - which South Africa won by seven wickets and rounded off a monumental series win. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta). It is also available on Flipkart now and will soon be available on Amazon as well. Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon. Talking Points: A fast bowling shootout - with South Africa's attack tailor-made for the Newlands pitch Rabada's stupendous spell, and the absorbing battle with Kohli Keegan Petersen coming of age in Test cricket Rahane and Pujara - the end of the road? Rishabh Pant's exceptional innings on a tricky pitch The Elgar DRS moment - and the outrage around the lbw decision Kohli's chat via the stump mic - and angst against the broadcaster Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd); Ashoka (@ABVan) Related: A second-innings triumph for South Africa - Kartikeya Date - A Cricketing View; The rise of Petersen, the wisdom of Elgar and a great SA victory - Firdose Moonda and Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo; South Africa needed Rabada at his best to stop Kohli - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz; Petersen the hero of South Africa's iconic home victory - Firdose Moonda - ESPNcricinfo; Temba Bavuma, a cricketer with principles - Niren Tolsi - Newframe; Why Virat Kohli is unlikely to get banned for his Cape Town outburst - Ben Gardner - Wisden; What do broadcasters have to do with ball tampering? - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo; Crime and Punishment - Alok Prasanna Kumar on penalties and breaches under the ICC's code of conduct- The Cricket Monthly 

We review the second Test between South Africa and India - which South Africa won by seven wickets. This was India's first loss at The Wanderers ground, and South Africa's first Test win against India in six Tests. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta) Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon. Talking Points: South Africa's fast bowlers more suited for the conditions than India's India's lack of height in the fast bowling department Olivier's lack of pace and what he brings to the attack India's fast bowlers offering lessons in the nuances of fast bowling Shardul's terrific spell and his ability to hit the cracks Elgar v Pujara - similar batsmen who chose different methods in this match Did Kohli's absence hurt India? Making sense of Pant's approach and shot selection Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Related: Looks fast, feels faster - why the speed gun is only part of the story - Cameron Ponsonby - ESPNcricinfo How South Africa won the pace-bowling battle at the Wanderers - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo Here comes Elgar's moment of truth - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz Resolute van der Dussen plays forgotten hero - Firdose Moonda - ESPNcricinfo 'The hardest part is to leave out a senior player' - Trevor Hohns interview - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo Javagal Srinath on Jasprit Bumrah - Sandip G - Indian Express 

We review the first Test between South Africa and India - which India won by 113 runs. This was only South Africa's third defeat in Centurion across 27 Tests. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta) Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon. Talking Points: KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal - and adjusting bat-speeds across formats India's bowlers adjusting to the conditions - and finding the right length to bowl Bumrah's trick-shots, Shami's consistency, Siraj's relentlessness Temba Bavuma's strokeplay - and how his Test record is similar to KL Rahul's Rahane's 48 - an innings in keeping with his style of attack Pujara and Kohli - and the expectations from each Playing Ashwin v playing an extra fast bowler Quinton de Kock's sudden retirement from Tests Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Related: The Wrong Model - Kartikeya Date on the contest between bat and ball - A Cricketing View substack Javagal Srinath on Jasprit Bumrah - Sandip G - Indian Express  Leave it to KL - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo Could de Kock retirement breathe new life into CSA-players' relations - Firdose Moonda - ESPNcricinfo The Ashwin interview - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo The open-chested predator - Sriram Veera - Indian Express The fast bowler's snarl ft. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo

We preview the three-Test series between South Africa and India - a golden chance for the Indian team to win their first Test series there. Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta). Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon.  Talking Points: Kohli v Ganguly - and the controversy vacuum in Indian cricket Can a tree stump captain India (and other philosophical questions) Is this saga the new Chappell-Ganguly? Will it have lasting implications? Memories of India's past tours to South Africa - Kapil, Amre, Prasad, Sreesanth... The panelists pick their favourite Indian innings in South Africa A battle of the bowling - and which batting line-up can resist best? Shreyas or Vihari or Rahane? Ashwin or no Ashwin? Can we expect pitches like we saw in 2018? Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Correction: Apologies for confusing two Test matches that came under discussion. Sreesanth dismissed Kallis in both the 2006 Johannesburg Test as well as the 2010 Durban Test. Kohli's century on the 2018 tour was in Centurion and not Cape Town. We will be more careful in the future. Related: Virat Kohli calling out Sourav Ganguly and the clashing storylines - Sharda Ugra - Hindustan Times Virat Kohli's biggest gamble yet - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo Was India's hardness forged at the Wanderers? - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz.com Tendulkar and the totemic number - Mahesh Sethuraman - Medium India v New Zealand series review - 81allout podcast Couthtalk with WV Raman - Subash Jayaraman's interview - Couchtalks VVS Laxman's 32 at Bloemfontein in 2001 - YouTube Sreesanth 8-99 in Wanderers in 2006 - YouTube

We review the recent two-Test series between India and New Zealand - which India won 1-0. Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: Is India v New Zealand a major rivalry? Or a filler between marquee series? New Zealand's decision to pick Will Sommerville for both Tests India's immense depth - winning comfortably despite so many of their first-choice players out Ajaz Patel's freakish ten-for Tim Southee's exceptional spells in the subcontinent Mohammad Siraj's ability to stay in the fifth gear Is Rahane out of form or in decline? Kohli's lean trot and his atypical nature of playing spin Which Indian batsmen played spin the best? Participants: Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Ashoka (@ABVan) Related: The boy from Mumbai - Ajaz Patel on his long journey - After The Whistle Tim Southee and a five-for of rare mastery - Sidharth Monga on Southee in Kanpur - ESPNcricinfo 10 and then gone? What could be Ajaz Patel's Black Caps fate on return home - stuff.co.nz The Perfect 10 and cameraman Taqi Raza - Devendra Pandey - Indian Express Ajaz joins Laker and Kumble in all-ten club - S Rajesh - ESPNcricinfo Kandy Test 2002, Murali 9/51 - via @cric_archivist - Twitter

In the latest episode of the podcast we talk about how and why we set up 81allout Publishing - and the first book we released: Mike Marqusee's War Minus the Shooting. ESPNcricinfo's senior editor Osman Samiuddin joins us to discuss the classic work. Buy War Minus the Shooting in: India (e-copy only); USA (paperback and e-copy); UK (paperback and e-copy); Australia (paperback and e-copy); Other (paperback and e-copy) Participants: Osman Samiuddin (@osmansamiuddin); Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) Related: 81allout podcast on War Minus the Shooting - Part 1; 81allout podcast on the 1996 World Cup; War Minus the Cliches; Mike Marqusee's website Other books discussed: The Unquiet Ones: A History of Pakistan Cricket; Anyone But England; Pundits From Pakistan; Not Quite Cricket;  

In this episode, we revisit Mike Coward's book about Australian tours to the subcontinent through the 1980s: Cricket Beyond the Bazaar. Joining us to dissect the book – and its importance for Australian cricket literature – are two contemporary journalists - Russell Jackson and Daniel Brettig. They tell us about the effect the book had on them and how it continues to be a guiding beacon for Australians reporting on the subcontinent. Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: The history of India-Australia relations and the blossoming of cricketing ties in the 1980s Mike Coward's love for India – and how he intuitively grasped how big the game would become in the subcontinent A delightful mess of a book - journalism, travelogue, observations, rumination, history, culture.. it has it all The cult status that Allan Border, Dean Jones, David Boon and so many others of that generation enjoy among Indians of a certain generation The 1986 tied Test and the start of the Australian renaissance How writers like Mike Coward helped several Australians grasp the complexities of the subcontinent Australia's triumphant World Cup in 1987 - and the historic win in Lahore Australia's controversial tour to Pakistan in 1988 - and the effect it had for the next decade How Mike Coward stayed true to his profession despite having such unbridled access to the players and team management The relevance of the book today and how young Australian readers can benefit from it Participants: Daniel Brettig (@danbrettig) Russell Jackson (@rustyjacko) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: Embracing the East: Suresh Menon on Cricket Beyond the Bazaar - ESPNcricinfo When a tie was a victory for Border's battlers - Michael Sexton on his book about the tied Test in Madras - 81allout podcast The Final Frontier: Mike Coward - The Greatest Season That Was podcast Collection of Mike Coward's articles for ESPNcricinfo 'It long irked me that sports writing, in this country, has been devalued' - Mike Coward's speech at the ASC Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2015 Clueless Australia need a cultural shift - Daniel Brettig - ESPNcricinfo Daniel Brettig: Books on Amazon.com Russell Jackson - articles on ABC Sport

Our special guests this week – Hassan Cheema, the strategy manager at Islamabad United, and Ahmer Naqvi, a freelance writer on pop culture – analyze Pakistan's performances in their first three games of the T20 World Cup. Click here to support 81allout on Kofi Talking Points: Why the T20 World Cup is virtually a home tournament for Pakistan The emotional reaction to watching Pakistan win three in a row The importance of the Pakistan Super League A new generation forging a new identity and narrative for Pakistan cricket What Babar Azam has meant for Pakistan cricket as a whole Shaheen's stupendous opening burst versus India Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez - the stalwarts guiding the middle order The versatility of Imad Wasim Comparing this tournament and the 2017 Champions Trophy Pakistan winding back the clock by playing two anchors as openers The joy of watching a team do as you expect Participants: Hassan Cheema (@mediagag) Ahmer Naqvi (@karachikhatmal) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) Related: Why the PSL matters - Ahmer Naqvi - Dawn Reflections from the Faysal Bank T20 - Ahmer Naqvi and Hassan Cheema - ESPNcricinfo Rohit ball or Rahul ball: which Shaheen Afridi dismissal was better? - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo How Mohammad Hafeez has been a T20 giant in 2020 - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo The Shoaib Malik problem - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo Understanding T20 - a conversation with Hassan Cheema - 81allout podcast Pakistan in 1999: the allure, the magic, and the heartbreak - 81allout podcast  The Old Trafford blowout - 81allout podcast Conversation with Ahmer Naqvi and Hassan Cheema - Couchtalks with Subash Jayaraman