Stumped

Please note: This programme contains discussions about alcoholism and references to mental health. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org Alison Mitchell speaks to South Africa wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta who went into treatment 12 months ago for alcohol abuse, to the point she said she was ‘drinking to die’. Fast forward two months and she lifted a runners-up medal in the T20 World Cup. Jafta shares her story in a powerful interview.Sunil Gupta and Jim Maxwell join Alison Mitchell to reflect on India versus Pakistan and debate if India are the favourites for the Cricket World Cup. We also discuss crowd numbers and the two shocks of the tournament so far.And last time cricket was in the Olympics was in 1900 when it was a team from Great Britain who won gold. Five players in the squad were from Castle Cary Cricket club in Somerset so, with the news that cricket will be played at the 2028 Olympic Games, Stumped will hear from Paul Stanley who is their club treasurer and historian.Photo: Nadine de Klerk of South Africa celebrates the wicket of Chamari Athapaththu of Sri Lanka with team mate Sinalo Jafta during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup group A match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Newlands Stadium on February 10, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Credit: Getty Images)

How do you mentally prepare to win the Cricket World Cup? Alison Mitchell, Sunil Gupta and Jim Maxwell speak with the man who helped mastermind India’s 2011 World Cup victory on home soil – Paddy Upton. The mental conditioning coach takes us inside the psyche of the victorious team, discusses how to prepare to face your biggest rivals and outlines how he motivates some of the game’s greats, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Also this week, the team discuss how they mentally prepare for commentating on cricket’s biggest matches.Plus, we meet the 21-year-old record breaker who just smashed a 29-ball century at the Marsh Cup to register the fastest hundred in one-day cricket. Jake Fraser-McGurk’s record eclipses South Africa great AB de Villiers' previous record of 31 balls. He joins the team to explain what it felt like to break the record and his ambitions to represent Australia in all three formats of the game. (Photo: India player Sachin Tendulkar and mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton during Indian team's practice session. Credit: Hindustan Times/Getty Images)

Over the next 46 days, the sport's biggest tournament will showcase the world's top ten 50-over teams and with India starting their campaign against Australia, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta all look ahead to the mouthwatering clash. Plus Tim De Leede, the Netherlands most capped player with 237 appearances, joins us on the programme. He’s featured in three previous World Cups, including the 1996 tournament where India were the co-hosts. 27 years later, Tim's son, Bas is a key member of the Netherlands squad and embarking on his very first World Cup.Have you ever wondered whether there is a connection that ties Mahatma Gandhi to cricket? Author Kausik Bandyopadhyay joins us to discuss his book, the story of the forgotten partnership. 'Mahatma on the pitch - Gandhi and cricket in India'.Photo: A general view of the Cricket World Cup during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023. England & New Zealand Net Sessions at Narendra Modi Stadium on October 04, 2023 in Ahmedabad, India. (Credit: ICC via Getty Images)

Pakistan’s Nida Dar discusses her incredible year. The 36-year-old has become captain of the Pakistan Women's team, made her 100th ODI appearance for her country and broke into the top ten of the ICC All Rounder rankings. She tells Stumped about her journey to the national team and how vital next year’s launch of a Women’s Pakistan Super League will be for the growth of the sport in Pakistan.Plus Alison Mitchell, Charu Sharma and Jim Maxwell react to India winning their first cricket gold medal at the Asian Games. It’s been described by Jemimah Rodrigues as one of the biggest achievements for the women’s team after they beat Sri Lanka by 19 runs in China. Also with the Cricket World Cup only a week away and the biggest names in the sport descending on India, they discuss which players will shine and who has a point to prove.IMAGE: Nida Dar from Pakistan reacts to bowling Maddy Green from New Zealand as Suzie Bates from New Zealand looks on during the 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and Pakistan at Hagley Oval on March 26, 2022 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Credit: Peter Meecham/Getty Images)

Stumped’s Alison Mitchell is joined by South Africa's wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock to discuss why he has decided to retire from one day cricket after the upcoming Cricket World Cup. Plus he explains why he likes to avoid being in the limelight and his reasons for not ‘taking the knee’ with the South Africa team at the T20 World Cup two years ago. De Kock tells Stumped that players ‘are not just pawns to Cricket South Africa’ and ‘are becoming their own bosses’.Also on the programme, Alison Mitchell, Brett Sprigg and Charu Sharma reflect on India ending their five year title drought after thrashing Sri Lanka to lift the Asia Cup title.Picture: Quinton de Kock of South Africa A looks on before the tour match between England Lions and South Africa A at New Road on June 29, 2017 in Worcester, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

In a month where South Africa's women's team toured Pakistan for the first time, we speak to interim captain Laura Wolvaardt about how she is adjusting to the role after a difficult period for South Africa with a number of retirements, including Lizelle Lee.and Dane Van Niekerk. She also gave her reaction to the fact that international match fees for women will match men for the first time in South Africa.Virat Kohli looked back to his very best as he hit an unbeaten century to guide India to their biggest win over Pakistan in one-day internationals. Alison Mitchell, Brett Sprigg and Sunil Gupta all reflect on the Asia Cup clash and the surprise decision to add a reserve day.Photo: Laura Wolvaardt of the Strikers bats during the Women's Big Bash League match between the Sydney Thunder and the Adelaide Strikers at North Sydney Oval, on November 20, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (CREDIT: Mark Evans/Getty Images)

On Stumped this week, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma speak to 16 year-old Vaishnave Mahesh who has become the youngest player, male or female to take 50 T20 international wickets and she’s still at school. The United Arab Emirates leg break bowler is also the youngest female cricketer to represent the UAE in 50 T20 international matches. Vaishnave chats about taking the record breaking delivery whilst representing her country in the T20 World Cup Asia qualifiers in Malaysia and her old teammate Mahika Gaur, who swapped her international status from the United Arab Emirates to England. With less than 4 weeks to go until the start of the Cricket World Cup we react to hosts India announcing their squad, with the inclusion of KL Rahul, despite not playing a competitive cricket match since May due to injury. Will this squad help India win a third world title with only one recognised spinner? The panel discuss. We’ll discuss the weather affected Asia Cup and why the world should be scared of Pakistan's pace attack. Plus, we’ll hear from Lydia Carrington, Edgbaston Sustainability Manager in charge of the Go Green game. Last weekend’s T20 match between England and New Zealand was the ground’s first international match run solely on renewable energy.

Sunil Narine, the Trinbago Knight Riders spinner has made unwanted history by becoming the first cricketer to receive a red card during a Caribbean Premier League match. Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss the new rule and whether we could see this being introduced in the Indian Premier League.The legendary England bowler Anya Shrubsole joins Stumped to reflect on the perfect final match as a cricketer, winning her maiden Hundred women’s title for Southern Brave. Anya also discusses the lack of female coaches in the game and whether they should have more support. Anya also reacts to The England and Wales Cricket Board’s decision to ensure that England women’s cricketers will receive the same match fees as the men.Photo: A red card (Credit: Getty Images)

A post-match football game against the opposition, a beer, and a limousine drive up a mountain. That’s how New Zealand fast-bowler Neil Wagner celebrated his side’s incredible victory over England in February. Wagner took James Anderson's wicket to beat the tourists by a single run earlier this year, and two weeks later he ran alongside Kane Williamson in their final-ball victory over Sri Lanka. He joins Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta to share what it’s like to be at the heart of two of the greatest ever finishes to a Test match. Plus, with England and New Zealand set to face off in a warm-up series for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, we’ll get Wagner’s views on who the favourites are for the tournament.We preview the Asia Cup, which finally gets under way next week following months of doubt over its location. The tournament was originally scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan, but last year the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Jay Shah said that it would need to be held in a neutral venue, stating “we can't go there and they can't come here.” As a result, four matches are taking place in Pakistan with the rest hosted by Sri Lanka, including next week’s match between Pakistan and India.Plus, Alison Mitchell speaks to the captain of the England Women’s Visually Impaired team, Kathryn Jelfs-White. Kathryn is currently leading her country in the team’s debut appearance at the IBSA World Games.Image: New Zealand's Neil Wagner celebrates taking the final wicket of England's James Anderson to win during day five of the second cricket test match between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on February 28, 2023. (Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP) (Photo by MARTY MELVILLE/AFP via Getty Images)

As recently as three years ago Spencer Johnson was working as a greenskeeper in Australia, supplementing his income as he recovered from a nightmare spell with injuries. Doctors had doubts over whether he would even be able to run again. Fast forward to the present day and he has just been called up for Australia’s T20 matches against South Africa, with a place at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup still a possibility should a compatriot sustain an injury. He joins Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta to share his story and hopes for the future. Having played in the inaugural Major League Cricket series in America, could a stint in the Indian Premier League be on the cards?The team react to England men’s Test captain Ben Stokes’ decision to end his one-day international retirement and play for the reigning champions at the World Cup later this year. We also discuss the impact of his return on Harry Brook, who has been left out of the England squad for their matches against New Zealand as a result of Stokes’ inclusion.Plus, we learn about the man with the highest first-class batting average in cricket history. Norman Callaway played one match for New South Wales in 1915 and scored 207 runs, but he went to fight in World War I shortly after and died in battle at the age of 21. Australian historian Ross McMullin has told Callaway’s story in his book ‘Life So Full of Promise: further biographies of Australia’s lost generation’, and he joins us to share more details about his life.Image: LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: Spencer Johnson of Oval Invincibles in action during The Hundred match between Oval Invincibles Men and London Spirit Men at The Kia Oval on August 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson - ECB/ECB via Getty Images)