Podcasts for Cricket Tragics | Cricket Internet

Martin Chandler | 8:47am BST 26 March 2023

Realising that I’m quick approaching retirement age, and never fancying that concept in any respect, I’ve spent the final three years attempting very laborious to hold on to the nice well being I’ve been lucky to take pleasure in all by way of my grownup life. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I deal with my physique like a temple, however I’ve made a decided effort to get and keep match so, inside purpose, I stroll all over the place I’m going, after which once I get there I’m going out for one more stroll earlier than strolling residence.

The issue with strolling, after all, is that it’s basically boring. Which was an issue, however ceased to be once I found the myriad of podcasts which might be accessible to maintain me entertained while I get my each day train. A lot of my listening pleasure is derived from listening to topics aside from cricket, however like every self-respecting cricket tragic I do take heed to the occasional cricket podcast.

I’ve to say that I do discover there’s a drawback with cricket podcasts typically, partially the huge quantity that there are, which implies there are a lot of I’ve not listened to even as soon as. Extra essential maybe is that the majority appear to focus on modern points. There’s nothing incorrect with that after all, and certainly something that seeks to broaden the attraction of the sport and entice a brand new viewers is to be welcomed, however I’m afraid such discussions are of very restricted attraction to me.

However there are three cricketing podcasts that I’ve found which I discover completely compelling. Two are effectively established, and the third is a brand new one which thus far is barely 4 episodes previous, however which reveals nice promise. The one characteristic that each one three have in widespread is that they’ve a daily host(s), who interviews quite a lot of visitors within the podcast.

So I’ll begin with best, Tom Ford’s newly launched The Golden Age of Cricket. The theme is obvious from the identify, and accordingly except you are interested within the recreation between 1890 and 1914 this isn’t one for you. To this point there have been 4 podcasts, two every with regards to two of the giants of the period, Monty Noble and Wilfred Rhodes.

Ford’s visitor for each is a current biographer of his topic. For Noble fellow Aussie Peter Lloyd crammed an enormous hole within the literature of the sport together with his luxurious e-book that was revealed on the finish of final yr. For Rhodes there had been two, or extra precisely one and a half, earlier biographies however they have been revealed greater than half a century in the past and Patrick Ferriday’s meticulously researched e-book is, like Lloyd’s e-book, important studying. Each authors are, unsurprisingly, utterly on high of their topic and Ford’s considerate questions convey one of the best out of each.

For the long run there are a myriad of topics for Ford to cowl. There are nice gamers like Ranjitsinhji, CB Fry, Stanley Jackson and the legendary Victor Trumper, to not point out much less celebrated males like Len Braund, Jack Saunders and Jack Blackham none of whom, thus far, have been the topic of books. Then there are issues of historical past and literature, the sport in Philadelphia and the early South African groups, and the writings of males like Charles Moody, Tom Horan and, after all, Neville Cardus.

Subsequent on my checklist is As soon as Upon A Time In The Ashes. Sadly there are a finite variety of podcasts that Graham Barrett can produce with out tinkering together with his mission assertion, however I hope very a lot that he does, even when at that time he feels he has to alter his title to ‘Twice Upon a Time in The Ashes’.

Barrett’s podcast focuses on a number of the much less heralded contributors to the Ashes legend, these whose careers embrace only a single cap. One or two have Check caps in opposition to nations aside from England or Australia as effectively, however none are family names. For the early years Barrett engaged the help of no much less a person than Stephen Chalke to introduce these males who match the standards and are not with us.

However, with the best of respect to Stephen, who everyone knows is a superb story teller, the prolonged interviews with the lads who’re nonetheless with us are the highlights of the podcast. Barrett started with Keith Slater, whose one look got here for Australia within the controversial 1958/59 sequence, and the latest was with the Gloucestershire seamer Mike Smith who, to my shock, I discovered is definitely a Yorkshireman, not that he sounds something like one.

Barrett’s discussions together with his topics are at all times wide-ranging, and in every case he has clearly completely researched his man, the tales of only a few of whom are well-known. That are the stand outs? It’s troublesome to single out any of the themes however Aussies Tony Dell and Mick Malone, and Englishmen Arnie Sidebottom and Jonathan Agnew are as memorable as any. Maybe better of all although is the Ian Chappell particular, an enchanting dialog that does immense credit score to each interviewer and interviewee, and which amply demonstrates that, for As soon as Upon A Time In The Ashes, there needs to be loads of life past Sam Curran, a person who sooner or later may effectively disqualify himself anyway .

There are 23 podcasts so removed from Barrett and, sadly for me, I’ve listened to all of them, and certainly a few of them greater than as soon as. For that purpose alone my present favorite is Oborne and Heller on Cricket, of which there are as many as 115 editions and, solely having listened to round forty of them, I’ve a protracted method to go even when, at my present fee of binge listening, I’ll most likely have gotten to the top earlier than the 2023 county season is a month previous.

Peter Oborne is a famend political journalist, however in the case of his writing I’m fairly extra acquainted with his prize profitable biography of Basil D’Oliveira and his historical past of cricket in Pakistan. Richard Heller can be a journalist, and is the creator of two cricket novels. He additionally assisted his co-podcaster within the analysis for his historical past of Pakistani cricket, and co-authored one other splendid e-book on Pakistan cricket with Oborne, White on Inexperienced.

Oborne, virtually at all times from Wiltshire, and Heller from South East London clearly know one another very effectively, and there could be little doubt that each are extraordinarily effectively learn, typically in addition to in relation to cricket. Each clearly love the sport deeply and, at membership degree, have performed an awesome deal themselves.

Once more their energy is their visitors, and so they cowl an enormous vary of subjects. Those that they most often share their platform with are writers, and that little doubt is a part of the explanation I take pleasure in listening to them as a lot as I do. Company I’ve thus far listened to incorporate Stephen Chalke, John Broom, Arunabha Sengupta and Mike Coward.

Any cricket podcast can be going to speak to former cricketers. There’s not a lot of that with Oborne and Heller on Cricket, however these gamers who’ve been visitors are amongst the very best to have performed the sport. Lately the good West Indian quick bowler, Wesley Corridor, featured and, within the thirty second of the sequence Ted Dexter. Just some months earlier than his demise Dexter was on wonderful type and if it was apparent that each Oborne and Heller had at all times been big followers of their interviewee they did handle to take care of their objectivity all through a fairly magical hour from which I learnt infinitely extra about Dexter the person than I did from any of the not inconsiderable variety of books on my cabinets which might be by or about him. 

Not unnaturally abroad cricket options occasionally, and I’ve a lot loved listening to Pakistani commentator/author Qamar Ahmed and the curator of the Lahore museum Najum Latif. Wanting ahead there are others I’ve but to take heed to, together with an intriguing trying podcast that focuses on the sport in Lebanon.

Different podcasts characteristic broadcasters, umpires, journalists, analysts, a bookseller and lots of different author/authors. It’s price making the purpose, in case I’ve inadvertently advised in any other case, that while Oborne and Heller on Cricket does spend a great deal of its time trying again, it is vitally a lot ‘of the current’ and Oborne and Heller, while they might be traditionalists at coronary heart, will not be afraid of trying into the long run or on the recreation’s shortest codecs.

And within the case of Oborne and Heller on Cricket I feel ought to do two issues, the primary being nominate a favorite podcast, and the second to make just a few solutions as to future visitors for them. The primary of these duties is definitely comparatively simple, and is the podcast that lastly persuaded me to write down this piece. Their most up-to-date providing featured Australian author Russell Jackson, a person who’s presently engaged on a biography of that almost all outstanding of cricket historians, Rowland Bowen.

For the long run I do hope that we’d hear Oborne and Heller with David Frith, Gideon Haigh, Duncan Hamilton, Graham Barrett and Tom Ford, however not all on the similar time!

Having talked about my three favorite podcasts I will even, regardless of not having been invited to do an encore, point out another that I do take heed to, seasonally. Like Oborne and Heller I’m an awesome fan of English county cricket, so throughout the Northern Hemisphere summer season County Cricket Natters is a necessary pay attention and, I’m happy to report, the great Annie Chave has had the Oborne and Heller therapy when she assisted them in mentioning their half century.

And at last, my mentioning simply the 4 podcasts shouldn’t be taken as criticism of the myriad of others who’re on the market in our on-line world and, on condition that for the explanation I’ve talked about there may be prone to be a niche in my life from the start of June, I’ll await suggestions for future listening.