In this episode of the show, the Top Order are together again to discuss a busy week of cricket from all around the world - from Sri Lanka's win against the Black Caps in Galle to India's dominant performance against Bangladesh in Chennai, before a whirlwind around the grounds to drop in on series involving England, Australia, New Zealand, South Af…

In this episode of the show, we discuss the abandoned Test in Greater Noida between Afghanistan and New Zealand, Sri Lanka’s win against England, India’s squad to face Bangladesh and a the England v Australia bilateral T20 series. We start the show with a rant about the shambles that saw no play between the Black Caps and Afghanistan, but instead f…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy, Raj and Stu are back in the same room again after a short break to discuss the cricketing week (or couple of weeks) that was, with a focus on England v Sri Lanka and the upcoming six away tests for the Black Caps. Recorded after Day 1 of the third Test between England and Sri Lanka, we begin with a conver…

In this episode of the show, Stu and Baldy discuss the Black Caps test squad to face Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, plus the contractual situation facing NZC now that Devon Conway and Finn Allen have stepped away from the security of a central contract. We also look back at the quality bowling on show in South Africa’s series win against the West Indie…

In this episode of the show, we take a break from the live cricket to discuss the most influential cricketers of the 21st century. This is Part 2 of this discussion, so if you haven't yet listened to Part 1, go back in your feed and start there to hear our definition of 'influential', and the wider group of candidates we considered. In this second …

In this episode of the show, we take a break from the live cricket to discuss the most influential cricketers of the 21st century. In Part 1 of this two-part discussion, we outline our definition of 'influential', and throw out a bunch of candidates for the Top Order Podcast's Mount Rushmore. We talk about T20 influencers like Chris Gayle and Kiero…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the three T20s between India and Sri Lanka, England's Test series sweep against the West Indies, and touch on the final of Major League that saw the Washington Freedom take out the title. We couldn't quite believe our eyes when we saw Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh among the wicket-t…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Raj and Stu look back at the second Test between England and the West Indies, as well as Gautam Gambhir taking over as Indian men's team coach and England's clean sweep of the White Ferns. The first three days of the Trent Bridge Test were very competitive - the West Indies took the lead thanks to runs from Kave…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the first Test between England and the West Indies, as well as the recent announcement of the Black Caps' contracts for the upcoming year. The first Test of the English summer was supposed to be a fairytale finish for Jimmy Anderson at Lord's, but over the course of the short time the …

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Raj and Stu share some extra thoughts on the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Final, plus the tournament as a whole, including pitches, the 20-team format & scheduling. We also look ahead to the upcoming Test series between England and the West Indies, and the first game in particular, which will be Jimmy Anderson…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at India's triumph in the Men's T20 World Cup final. We bounce around a bit during this discussion, but start the show by talking simply about what a great game of cricket it was - a game where the momentum swung back and forth throughout the match, with key players stepping up to turn th…

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at the two semi finals at the Men's T20 World Cup with one eye on the final, which will see India take on South Africa. We start the show by discussing India's win against England, which was set up by an excellent partnership from Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, then finished off by India's b…

In this episode of the show, Raj and Stu look back at the final four games of the Super 8 stage at the Men's T20 World Cup with one eye on the semi finals, which will see India take on England and South Africa vs Afghanistan. We start the show by discussing India's win against Australia, which sent the Aussies home. There's huge praise for Rohit Sh…

In this episode of the show, we look back at the latest four games of the Super 8 stage at the Men's T20 World Cup, which saw India all but book a semi-final berth while all other sides fight for their tournament lives. We start the show by discussing Afghanistan's historic win against Australia. Captain Cummins got another hat trick, but it was fi…

In this episode of the show, we look back at the first four games of the Super 8 stage at the Men's T20 World Cup, which saw Australia, England, India and South Africa record victories. We start the show by discussing Australia's win against Bangladesh - a game that included a 'Pat trick' as Captain Cummins collected three wickets from three balls …

In this episode of the show, we look back at the final group games at the T20 World Cup, which saw the USA qualify for the next round and the Black Caps limp out of the tournament. We also look ahead to the Super 8 phase, previewing the two groups and the chances of heavy hitters like India, Australia, England and South Africa, as well as the two h…

In this episode of the show, we look back at a busy week of games at the T20 World Cup, which saw India and the USA beat Pakistan, Afghanistan beat New Zealand, plus Australia and South Africa take control of their groups. We start the show by discussing the low-scoring thriller between India and Pakistan, which saw Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya an…

In this episode of the show, the team are all in the same room to review the first few days of the ICC T20 World Cup hosted by the West Indies and USA. We discuss our early impressions, throw out a few hot takes and share our favourite performances from the opening week. Are the pitches no good? Is it already time to write off Sri Lanka? How good i…

In this episode of the show, the team are all in the same room to preview the ICC T20 World Cup hosted by the West Indies and USA. We discuss the 20-team format, what overall tournament success looks like for the ICC, the quick turnaround from the IPL and the type of cricket we might see played throughout the month of June. We then look at the 4 gr…

In this episode of the show, the team are all back in the same room to discuss the IPL 2024 final, which saw a dominant performance from the Kolkata Knight Riders that reflected their dominant season. We discuss Mitchell Starc’s magic delivery to Abhishek Sharma, and how his best performances of the season came in the biggest games. There’s praise …

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at the final week of the IPL 2024 regular season before previewing the upcoming knockout fixtures. Recorded on 20 May, we talk about a week that saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru storm into the playoffs, Sunrisers Hyderabad snatch second place, Kolkata Knight Riders watch some rain fall, Rajasthan…

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 13 May, we rank all 10 teams into 3 tiers, as we unpack the key themes emerging from this tournament as a whole as during the lead-in to the playoffs. Are the Kolkata Knight Riders in a tier of their own now? The Rajasthan Royals keep losing! Abh…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 6 May, we review all 10 teams, handing out the power rankings along the way, but with a much bigger focus on the top half of the table this week. Is the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling attack now good enough to win the competition? And has S…

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Raj review the past two days of IPL 2024 action - Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings - as well as discussing the India and England provisional T20 World Cup squads that were named this week. We'll be back again early next week with more news and views in the nex…

In this episode of the show, Raj, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 30 April, we review all 10 teams, handing out the power rankings along the way. In a topsy-turvy week, the Rajasthan Royals march on thanks to big contributions from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sandeep Sharma, Dhruv Jurel & Sanju Samson The Kolkata Kn…

In this episode of the show, Stu and Raj review the past three days of IPL 2024 action - Rajasthan vs Mumbai, CSK v LSG and the most recent game between the Gujarat Titans and the Delhi Capitals = which saw 3 hundreds, a couple of thrillers and some results that could be hugely impactful come playoff time. Recorded on 25 April, we discuss hundreds …

NOTE: The introduction of this episode was cut off from our recording, so the show jumps straight into team number one to start this podcast and there's odd sound glitch. In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 22 April, we review all 10 teams, handing out the power rankings alo…

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Baldy review the past three days of IPL 2024 action - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals and the Gujarat Titans v Delhi Capitals. Recorded on 18 April, we discuss the record-breaking runfest at the Chinnaswamy, which saw a Travis Head century, plus ex…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy, Raj and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024. Recorded on 15 April, we review all 10 teams, awarding the turquoise cap and handing out the power rankings along the way. Is the biggest threat to the Rajasthan Royals actually the Rajasthan Royals? Will the Kolkata Knight Riders ever slow down?…

In this episode of the show, Stu and Baldy provide a midweek IPL update to discuss CSK's win against KKR and two final-over thrillers that saw points go to Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Gujarat Titans. We discuss standout performances from Rashid Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shashank Singh, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Shubman Gill as wel…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy, Raj and Stu review the week that was in IPL 2024 with another instalment of the power rankings. Recorded on Monday 8 April, we discuss all 10 teams and the key questions facing all of them as we pass the 20-game mark of the tournament. Can anyone stop this Rajasthan Royals side? Is the KKR bowling lineup,…

In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu review the recent IPL 2024 games between LSG and RCB, and KKR v Delhi Capitals. Recorded on 4 April 2024, we start by discussing Kolkata's huge win against Delhi: Are we about to live in a world where scores of 270 in a T20 become the norm? Sunil Narine's boundary-fest at the top of the order Angkrish Ragh…

Back by popular demand, the Binksy, Raj, Baldy and Stu gathered in the same room to run through the second instalment of the IPL 2024 Power Rankings. We discuss all 10 teams and how they are travelling after the first 14 games of the tournament. Are the Rajasthan Royals the real deal? KKR are flying, but how worried should they be about the form of…

In this episode of the show, Raj and Baldy discuss the past few days of IPL action. Recorded on 29 March 2024, we look back at the highlights from the first full week of the IPL, including: Sunrisers Hyderabad's record total, which kept pre-tournament favourites Mumbai winless from their first two games. Is 277 in 20 overs a good thing? Is it time …

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu cast their eye over the first few days of IPL action and unveil the first power rankings of the 2024 tournament. Recorded on Monday 25 March, after each of the 10 teams had played one game, we look back at the big moments and key players from the 5 matches so far, including: CSK debuts for Rachin Ravindra…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Stu and Raj preview the IPL tournament, covering Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Wall-to-wall T20 cricket is about to begin, with the IPL followed by the T20 World Cup and in this episode (part 2 of 2) we focus on five teams, discussing squad news, why each team can win, potential …

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy, Stu and Raj preview the IPL tournament in two parts, starting with CSK, DC, GT, KKR and LSG. Wall-to-wall T20 cricket is about to begin, with the IPL followed by the T20 World Cup and in this episode (part 1 of 2) we focus on the first five teams (by alphabetical order) to discuss squad news, why each tea…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu discuss the second Test between the Black Caps and Australia, as well as some parting thoughts on the India v England series. Fresh from day 4 at Hagley Oval, we give our initial reaction to a see-sawing Test that saw Australia win by 3 wickets and secure at 2-0 series victory. We talk about a matc…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu discuss the 5th and final Test of England's tour to India, which saw the home side record a dominant victory to celebrate Ravichandran Ashwin's hundredth Test. We start the show by discussing the English reaction to a heavy defeat, and which players might face questions leading into their home summ…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the first two days of the final India v England Test, and day one of the Black Caps v Australia at Hagley Oval. Ravichandran Ashwin took 4 wickets in the first innings of his hundredth Test, but it was Kuldeep Yadav who stole the show with 5 delightful dismissals as he ripped out Engla…

This week on the show, we're all back in the same room to discuss the Black Caps' demoralising loss to Australia at the Basin Reserve, as well as a preview/review of the 4th and 5th Tests between India and England. We start the episode with some initial thoughts from the Kiwi contingent about the pain of another Test loss to Australia - a game wher…

In this episode of the show, Stu and Baldy look ahead to one of the most anticipated Test series of the year - at least here in New Zealand - the Black Caps v Australia. We also discuss the Neil Wagner's retirement from international cricket in the lead up to the first Test, which starts on Thursday at the Basin Reserve. We start the show with a tr…

In this episode of the show, there's plenty of ground to cover as the cricket calendar continues apace. We recap India's big win against England in the third Test and look back at the Black Caps' first-ever series win against South Africa - with one eye on the upcoming Tests against Australia. There were many impressive performances during the thir…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Stu and Binksy discuss the recent Test matches between India and England, and New Zealand against South Africa. India levelled the series, and the pitches so far have made for two excellent Tests - but why are England proving such a tough opponent for the home side and their star-studded spinners? There's plenty …

In this episode of the show, Binksy and Baldy look back at 2 epic test matches. Starting at The Gabba we discuss Shamar Joseph’s heroics in an historic win for the West Indies, which brought both Baldy and Brian Lara to tears but for different reasons. We then crossover to Hyderabad to review an amazing 1st test between India and England, which saw…

In this episode of the show, Stu and Baldy journey from Hyderabad to Adelaide and East London before we return to Aotearoa New Zealand while we review the week that was and look ahead to a full schedule of Test cricket just around the corner. We start the show with the recent news from the India v England series, which has seen the withdrawal of bo…

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Stu and Baldy look ahead to the five-test series between India and England, which starts on 25 Jan and takes us right through to March. We open the show by discussing how much has changed since the previous series between these two sides in India in 2021, when a struggling England side won the first Test convinc…

In this episode, Baldy, Binksy and Stu look back at the week that was, including the T20 action between the Black Caps and Pakistan, and India v Afghanistan. They also share their thoughts on Day 1 of the Australia v West Indies Test match, which saw the first glimpse of Steve Smith as an opener. After three games of the T20 series between New Zeal…

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy and Stu look back at the Australia v Pakistan Test series, as well as the Black Caps white ball squad to face Pakistan with one eye on the T20 World Cup later in the year. David Warner's long farewell to Test cricket came to a conclusion with at least some parts of the fairytale playing out as scripted at …

In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu get together for an unscheduled review of the South Africa v India Test series, which featured five days of fascinating cricket despite the short finishes and the 1-1 scoreline. Ball dominated bat throughout the two Tests, and pitches have stolen the limelight after the series ended with India winning the …