The Final Word Cricket Podcast
Adam Collins, Geoff Lemon
Covering cricket around the globe
- 1 hour 46 minutesNew Aussie contract list braces for Test overload year
Season 19, Episode 39: It’s our season finale for the Australian cricket season of 2025/26, with a cracker of a Sheffield Shield final run and won over five days, and a new Australian central contract list moving well away from white-ball formats and investing everything in the extraordinary glut of 21 Tests between this August and the following July. Also this week, separate administrator madness in both Pakistan and India, an all-time performance in the women's game, and more discontent with Brendon McCullum is part of the many stories bubbling away in England before the new county season.
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
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or get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
0:00 Award for Best Podcast 11:30 Sheffield Shield Final 23:30 CA Central Contracts 34:00 Beyers Swanepoe 43:00 Jay Shah 22nd Most Powerful Man 52:30 PSL 58:00 Bopara retires 1:00:30 IPL 1:10:00 Amelia Kerr 1:15:00 AusW v WI W 1:19:24 Bazball under fire 1:26:49 County Wrap
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1 April 2026, 3:50 pm - 50 minutes 50 secondsThe Final Word with Sam Cook - A change is gonna come
Season 19, Episode 38: It’s impossible to avoid more investment in some players’ stories. One for us has been Essex and England seamer Sam Cook. Hs Test debut was a triumph for everyone who believes that hitting the same spot while nipping it around is worthy, regardless of the speed gun. He did so in all conditions for his county and banged down the Test door. That first game at Trent Bridge audition wasn’t enough to keep him there through 2025, but he’s determined to give himself every chance of this year being his, after the season begins on Good Friday.
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a swag of Step One clothes.
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer or get 15% off Step One gear at uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
or 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Learn about Lacuna Sports - bespoke female cricket wear, created by women for women: lacunasports.co.uk
or get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
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30 March 2026, 3:00 am - 1 hour 33 minutesStory Time 264 - Wave cash at me in the Brunswick Ballroom
It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history. A fresh combo this week, as Daniel Norcross joins Geoff to discuss one of the least orthodox Nerd Pledges we’ve had - not in content, but in method of delivery. Also, how do you track down someone who has a more illustrious namesake?
Your Nerd Pledge numbers for this week
50.00 - Kamal Mann
4.21 - Handsome Hammy Goodman and Glamorous Gary Goodman
3.51 - Mathew
3.74 - Not That Steve Smith
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a swag of Step One clothes.
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer or get 15% off Step One gear at uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148
Learn about Lacuna Sports - bespoke female cricket wear, created by women for women: lacunasports.co.uk
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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28 March 2026, 4:00 am - 1 hour 11 minutesMuch review about nothing: England Ashes accountability falls flat
Season 19, Episode 37: In a necessary two-part weekly show, the first dealt with Australian matters, and now Daniel Norcross joins Geoff to look at England’s supposed review of their Ashes disaster. Also this week, the BCCI released a schedule for next year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which has surprised everyone; Pakistan’s PSL is in trouble again, and Amelia Kerr is going up yet more gears.
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a swag of Step One clothes.
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer or get 15% off Step One gear at uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148
Learn about Lacuna Sports - bespoke female cricket wear, created by women for women: lacunasports.co.uk
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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26 March 2026, 5:35 pm - 1 hour 28 minutesCricket Australia to sell the farm? The moment of truth
Season 19, Episode 36: Geoff and Adam are back together at last, after weeks of travel difficulty, and a huge news week means a two-part weekly show. Later this week will come the two-day meeting between Cricket Australia and the state associations to decide whether they should go ahead with trying to sell off the Big Bash League. Of course most involved have spent months positioning the conversation to make sure that happens. Is anyone against it, and has anyone given proper weight to the likely drawbacks? This week we get into the matter in depth, as well as more of the amateur-hour stuff we've come to expect from New Zealand Cricket, and some strange moves in the Australian women's team.
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a swag of Step One clothes.
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer or get 15% off Step One gear at uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148
Learn about Lacuna Sports - bespoke female cricket wear, created by women for women: lacunasports.co.uk
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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24 March 2026, 6:36 pm - 1 hour 31 minutesStory Time 263 – Paradise is a 1979 Lord’s final
It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history. This week, the hope of Queensland and the spirit of Somerset, as we return to happier times for domestic cricket. A tale of a Lord’s final of Daniel Norcross’ youth is told with care, as is the career of England’s big boss when he was a big boy plundering runs. Later, an old friend has a clue in for Adam, which relates to yet another book he’s written about the Golden Era of the game. In the middle of all this, a time jump followed by lengthy TV review section – maybe we do this every weekend?
Your Nerd Pledge numbers for this week:
2.71 – Darren Wright
6.40 – Hugh Carson
5.45 – Jeremy Nash
6.37 – Pat Rodgers
Get yourself a copy of Pat Rodgers’ book on Bert Folkard by emailing him at: [email protected]
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a swag of Step One clothes.
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer or get 15% off Step One gear at uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148
Learn about Lacuna Sports - bespoke female cricket wear, created by women for women: lacunasports.co.uk
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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22 March 2026, 3:26 pm - 1 hour 19 minutesDeano's World XI stunner: 30 years to the day, with his son Koby
Season 19, Episode 35: It was on this day, 21 March 1996, that Dean Jones stepped out in front of his adoring MCG crowd to play against the Australian team that he was so unlucky not to be picked in for the World Cup. The century that followed, in most challenging of conditions, was a marker of just how good he had been since selectors dropped him. Two true believers who were there that afternoon, Adam Collins and Shannon Gill, are joined by Deano’s teenage son Koby Hamilton-Jones to discuss what the innings meant to the man himself, and to those so invested in his trailblazing career.
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a swag of Step One clothes.
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer or get 15% off Step One gear at uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148
Learn about Lacuna Sports - bespoke female cricket wear, created by women for women: lacunasports.co.uk
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
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20 March 2026, 3:29 pm - 1 hour 3 minutesThe Final Word with Asa Tribe
Season 19, Episode 34: It takes a bit to wear the Next Big Thing tag in English cricket, which is what Asa Tribe has quickly become. A breakout 2025 for Glamorgan and Jersey, with whom he’s played internationals since he was a teenager, saw him vaulted into an England Lions squad, which he made the most of rattling off a classy ton against a strong Australia A. Also earning franchise opportunities overseas, this 21-year-old has the cricketing world at his feet in 2026, with the next stop championship action in division one with his promoted county. He spoke with Adam about all this and plenty more.
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a swag of Step One clothes.
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer or get 15% off Step One gear at uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148
Learn about Lacuna Sports - bespoke female cricket wear, created by women for women: lacunasports.co.uk
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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18 March 2026, 3:53 pm - 1 hour 31 minutesPlayer auctions are absolutely bonkers
Season 19 Episode 33: Does anyone understand how players end up valued in auctions, like what we saw for The Hundred last week? Daniel Norcross has a crack at explaining it to Adam. They’re on more comfortable ground talking all things Shield and debating controversial dismissals. Later, will the BBL be privatised? Sounds like we’ll know by Easter. Which is when the county championship returns, which will warm us inside and out as the IPL begins its marathon.
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a swag of Step One clothes.
Get 15% off Step One men’s or women’s underwear at
uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer, or decide whether buying part of Stomping Ground's business is right for you. https://onmarket.com.au/offers/stomping-ground-eoi
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit https://cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
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16 March 2026, 3:33 pm - 1 hour 20 minutesStory Time 262 – A megastar footballer’s weird Shield cameo
It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history. This week, a detailed analysis of every Adam to turn out in a first class game, with the most interesting tale of them all the guy who played only once, yet had time to run into a Final Word fave. Speaking of them, a double from a former guest is featured by Daniel Norcross, who is with Adam this week in the co-host seat. To finish, The Great Barrie Robran’s unexpected Sheffield Shield cameo.
Your Nerd Pledge numbers for this week:
14.29 - Niall Taylor
2.07 – Chris68
8.88 – Richard L
7.00 – Robran Cock
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a pack of Step One jocks
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer
Or learn more about buying shares in Stomping Ground is right for you https://onmarket.com.au/offers/stomping-ground-eoi
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit https://cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
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14 March 2026, 4:00 pm - 42 minutes 14 secondsClare Connor's exit interview
Season 19 Episode 32: Three months from the start of the Women's T20 World Cup, there's nobody better to chart the rise of the women's game in the nine years since England last hosted a global tournament. Clare Connor's fingerprints are all over the transformation ; her ambition, in so many ways, now realised. She speaks with Adam about nearly two decades as managing director of the women's game at the ECB, after announcing she's finishing in the role at the end of this huge summer.
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
and win a case of Stomping Ground or a swag of Step One clothes.
Browse the beers at stompingground.beer or get 15% off Step One gear at uk.stepone.life/discount/TFW148
Learn about Lacuna Sports - bespoke female cricket wear, created by women for women: lacunasports.co.uk
Stop snoring with 10% off a Zeus device: use code TFW2026 at zeussleeps.com
Get 10% off BIG Boots UK boots and socks at bigboots.co.uk/?ref=thefinalword
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au
CBUS Super - Build your something. Visit cbussuper.com.au to sort your superannuation.
Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw
Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD
Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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12 March 2026, 4:00 pm - More Episodes? Get the App