81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

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Talking Points:

• How does one describe a good T20 bowler?
• Is it possible to separate actions and outcomes for T20 bowling? 
• A format that offers the bowlers almost no leverage
• What is the role of bowlers in a contest designed to be between bat and bat?
• Does a great T20 bowler need any particular skills? 
• The value of bowlers with unconventional actions
• What Jasprit Bumrah does well in T20s
• Why T20 bowlers can't be viewed in the same way as Test or ODI bowlers
• Can we gauge bowling in T20s before hitting has reached its full potential?
• The future of T20 bowling - and why some rule changes can bring bowlers into the game
• The Harshal Patel problem for T20 bowlers
• Are teams being inefficient when paying huge sums for bowlers?

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Karthikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Related:

• Hitting v Batting: the choice that dictates the shape of a T20 contest - 81allout podcast
• Bowling doesn't really matter in T20 - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
• Ferociously fast and thrillingly direct: how Mayank went bang, bang, bang - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• 'If you go searching for wickets in T20, you're playing into the batsman's hand' - Samuel Badree interview by Nagraj Gollapudi - The Cricket Monthly
• ICC recommends ODI rule changes - Cricket Australia 

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Talking Points:

• The evolution of ODIs and T20s - and how both took about 20 years ago mature
• Would players like Sunil Narine have been as big a star if not for T20s?
• The West Indian legacy in terms of accelerating the T20 evolution
• Which players from the past would have thrived in this format?
• Would you have heard much more of Alistair Brown and Michael Di Venuto had T20s been around earlier? 
• Would Aravinda de Silva have continued his Mad Max avatar in T20s?
• Ricardo Powell, Atul Bedade, Robin Singh - the superstars who could have been
• Players like Lance Klusener who rigorously practiced range-hitting 
• The value of a good googly bowler in T20s

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Deepauk Murugesan (@complicateur) 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

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Related:

•  Ijaz Ahmed's 84-ball 139 v India in Lahore in 1997 - YouTube
• When Surrey smashed the 50-over World Record thanks to Alistair Brown's 268 - YouTube
• When Kapil Dev hit four sixes in a row to avoid the follow-on at Lord's - YouTube
• Atul Bedade's big day in Sharjah - YouTube

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Talking Points:

• A one-sided – and thoroughly expected – end to a Test series in India
• The Bazball delusion 
• England's inadequate bowling resources thoroughly exposed
• Kuldeep the genius - a wristspinner with both variety and control 
• R Ashwin caps off his 100th Test with signature spells
• The first morning - when Bumrah and Siraj made the ball talk
• The challenge against spin for Duckett, Pope, Stokes, and Bairstow 
• Did England Bazball enough or too much? And why it doesn't matter
• When Shubman Gill was at his fluent best
• The problem with England playing Anderson and hardly bowling him
• England not replacing the injured Leach and Rehan - and over-bowling Bashir

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

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Related:

•  IND Win By An Innings In Dharamsala, Finish Series 4-1 - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
• On Ravichandran Ashwin - India's greatest matchwinner - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview 
• Just sit back and get ready to marvel at R Ashwin, for the 100th time - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• Joe Root on facing Ashwin and Lyon - Sky Cricket podcast - YouTube
• How India Bazballed England - Himanish Ganjoo - X (formerly Twitter)

Support 81allout at Ko-Fi

Talking Points:

• The third-innings bowling that capped another brilliant third-day fightback
• India's forced accelerated transition - with a team full of youngsters
• Dhruv Jurel's expert batting with the tail
• Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep - an undecipherable trio 
• Bazball sucking all the oxygen out of the England media
• Did England miss a trick by not bowling Anderson and Robinson enough?
• How England's statements often ran opposite to their actions
• Could England have done better in India if they shelved Bazball?
• Akash Deep's dream first spell

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• Ranchi win epitomises current era of India's Test team with promise for the next one - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• India Pull Off Sensational Heist Against Negative England In Ranchi - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Substack
• Fog of post-truth Baz-chat obscures England’s progress under Ben Stokes - Barney Ronay - Guardian
• England lose series in India - Sky Cricket Vodcast - YouTube

Support 81allout at Ko-Fi

Talking Points:

• India's magnificent bowling on Day 3
• How the flat pitches in this series are neutralizing Bazball
• India's spinners - turning the ball more with greater control
• Why England's batting tactics are actually a tribute to India's great bowling
• Why India are actually relentlessly attacking while England are highly defensive
• Why England should have played an extra seamer in all three Tests
• The problem for England's spinners in India - lack of control
• Sarfaraz Khan's old-school method of lofting spinners 
• Shubman Gill's tweak to his technique
• Ashwin's 500th, Jadeja's stupendous Test
• Mohammad Siraj - non-stop relentless 

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• Craft Kuldeep undoes Bazball - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• India win by 434 runs - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Substack
• What next for Bazball after India crush England - Sky Cricket Vodcast - YouTube
• R Ashwin: the 5D chess master of modern cricket - Jarrod Kimber - YouTube

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Talking Points:

• A celebration of Test cricket
• A series with echoes of the 2016-17 home series v Australia 
• Are England really playing Bazball?
• India's decision to play five bowlers even with an inexperienced batting line-up
• Does anyone think of drawing a Test match these days?
• Jasprit Bumrah: an artist operating on a different plane to the rest
• James Anderson's spell and the mystery around how little he bowls in India
• Did England pick one spinner too many?
• Yashasvi Jaiswal's crackling double-hundred
• Shubman Gill making the most of his luck to a fine Test hundred
• Do these pitches give India the best chance v England?

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• Jasprit Bumrah press conference after Day 2 - BCCI.tv
• Sky Cricket podcast with Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain - YouTube
• India Beat England By 106 runs- Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Substack
• Jasprit Bumrah's spells in West Indies in 2019 - Antigua, Kingston - YouTube

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Talking Points:

• One of England's greatest wins
• Ollie Pope's freakish 196
• India's approach to facing left-arm spin
• Why England choose to sweep and reverse-sweep India's spinners
• Bazball and the approach to risk-taking
• India's batters getting out to unforced errors after being set
• Jasprit Bumrah's astonishing range 

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• Sky Cricket podcast with Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain - Sky Sports
• How England cracked the risk-reward equation in Hyderabad - S Rajesh - ESPNcricinfo
• England begin their series in India with a win... Again - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Substack
• Jasprit Bumrah interview with Ali Martin - Guardian
• Bharat Arun interview - 81allout podcast

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Talking Points:

• The uncertainty around the tour because of the events around 9/11
• India's eventful 2001 - epic wins, big defeats, and plenty of controversy 
• The similar (yet contrasting) narratives around the captaincy of Nasser Hussain and Sourav Ganguly 
• How England's raw bowling attack found a way to restrict India's batting line-up
• The legend of Ashley Giles bowling a negative line from over the wicket
• Tendulkar's peak - and the unrealistic high standards everyone set for him
• Craig White and Matthew Hoggard: coming of age on a tough tour
• The Bangalore Test that could have been played in Headingley
• The threat of Sehwag at No.7 
• Marcus Trescothick's dream run in the one-dayers
• When Flintoff took his shirt off

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

DP Prashant (@prashantdptweet)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Related:

• India v England, Ahmedabad Test highlights, 2001-02 - YouTube
• India v England, Bangalore Test highlights, 2001-02 - YouTube
• England divided by safety worries - Mike Selvey.- Guardian
• Playing with Fire - Nasser Hussain autobiography - Amazon
• Coming Back to Me - Marcus Trescothick autobiography - Amazon

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Talking Points:

• India's missed opportunity to finally win a series in SA
• Why the Cape Town pitch backfired on South Africa
• India's lack of fast bowling depth - a sign of more struggles in future away series
• Mohammad Siraj's dream spell on the first morning in Cape Town 
• Dean Elgar's century: a tale of plays-and-misses and cashing in on poor bowling
• Aiden Markram's astonishing attack
• Where Rabada and Bumrah showed their class: figuring out the conditions
• Rohit Sharma's comments about the pitch - and potential double-standards
• Are these short Tests harming the format? Or are they ideal for entertainment? 

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• India prove their golden age has plenty of kick left - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo 
• Mean Reversion - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview - Substack
• Newlands pitch the tip of WP’s iceberg of problems - Telford Vice - Wordpress
• On the ICC pitch evaluation system - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview - Substack
• Crime and punishment: warnings, fines, bans and let-offs - Alok Prasanna Kumar - The Cricket Monthly 

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Talking Points:

• Luck v skill - and why the two are not opposed to each other
• The traditional method of describing cricket - by ascribing reasons for outcomes
• Why it is hard for fans to accept 'luck' as a major part of a sporting contest
• The luck component in different sports - and the 'optimal' luck cricket needs
• The brief phase in each ball when neither batter or bowler is in total control 
• India's loss to New Zealand in 2020 against an attack best suited for the conditions 
• England's strategy v spin in the 2019 World Cup compared to their strategy in the 2023 World Cup
• The model of the game that views contest without the layer of chauvinism 
• The post-facto analysis that accompanies most discussions around captaincy

Participants:

Karthik Krishnaswamy (@the_kk) | ESPNcricinfo page

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• What's luck got to do with it: a control review of the World Cup - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo 
• Virat Kohli's battle with himself - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• The Virat Kohli century that was a trip back in time - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• What we talk about when we talk about pressure - Podcast with Abhinav Mukund - 81allout
• What we talk about when we talk about cricket - Podcast with Daniel Norcross - 81allout
• Are some points in Tennis more important than others? - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview substack
• Luck and skill untangled: the science of success – Michael Mauboussin interview – Wired
• Why it’s so much harder to predict winners in ice hockey than basketball – Vox – YouTube

We are thrilled to have novelist and cricket writer Rahul Bhattacharya to talk about his experiences from the World Cup.

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Talking points: 

• Cricket writing v cricket analysis - and how each is a specialised job
• Does the BCCI care for what is written about them in the press?
• The antipathy towards Indian and foreign fans throughout this World Cup
• The staggering amount of money people were willing to pay for tickets
• The experience of covering a match at Ahmedabad
• India v Pakistan - and how the discourse seems to be war minus the shooting
• Jasprit Bumrah - what can't he do?
• The electricity of India's fast bowling trio
• Maxwell's fantastical night
• Rohit Sharma - the dada batsman
• Virat Kohli's fitness - and his Djokovic-level fitness
• Australia's perfect game in the final
• Travis Head and his Gilchrist-like audacity
• The 'anyone but India' sentiment pervading much of the cricket world

Participants:

Rahul Bhattacharya

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

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Related:

• What the World Cup means - Rahul Bhattacharya - Hindustan Times
• Many shades of the Indian cricket fan - Rahul Bhattacharya - Hindustan Times
• With a skip and a stutter, Bumrah conjures up another miracle - Rahul Bhattacharya - Hindustan Times
•  They turn up to watch India bowl - Rahul Bhattacharya - Hindustan Times
• Rahul Bhattacharya's Hindustan Times columns
• Pakistan fans a glaring absence at India Cricket World Cup clash - Rahul Bhattacharya - Al Jazeera
• Indian hype for Cricket World Cup will grow but fans come off second best - Rahul Bhattacharya - Guardian

• Shiv on the Shore - Rahul Bhattacharya profiles Shivnarine Chanderpaul - The Cricket Monthly 
• Pundits from Pakistan - Rahul Bhattacharya - Amazon
• Sly Company of People who care - Rahul Bhattacharya - Amazon 
• Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon
• Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi.

Talking points: 

• Australia's remarkable achievement - and this triumph in comparison to their previous World Cup wins
• Rohit Sharma's approach at the start of the innings
• Virat Kohli and the ability to strike at six an over on any pitch
• The slowdown in the middle overs against fine Australian bowling
• Cummins, Hazlewood and their brilliant variations
• Shami opening the bowling instead of Siraj
• Bumrah's beauty to dismiss Steve Smith
• Travis Head's unforgettable assault

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo

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Related:

• Great final caps Australia's greatest year - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
• Watch out for Shami when he's running in like a horse - Bharat Arun - ESPNcricinfo
• Advance Australia, inevitably - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo
• Krishnamachari Srikkanth's analysis of the final - YouTube
• Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon
• War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast
• Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Talking points: 

• The brutal simplicity of Mohammad Shami
• Jasprit Bumrah: the bowler with the joystick
• Rohit Sharma: the ultimate problem-solver
• England's awful batting slump
• Joe Root lbw Bumrah 0
• Ben Stokes - reckless or calculated?
• Pakistan's problem with no big hitting and no quality spin
• New Zealand losing with respectability 
• The furore over umpire's call
• Bangladesh's forgettable World Cup campaign

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd) 

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo

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Related:

• World Cup weekly review - Kartikeya Date - Cricktingview Substack
• This is Mohammad Shami's World Cup - Andrew Fidel Fernando - ESPNcricinfo
• Sky Sports Cricket podcast - Nasser Hussain and Eoin Morgan dissect England's loss - Spotify
• Wasay & Iffi - YouTube
• Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon
• War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast
• Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

⁠Support 81allout on Ko-fi

Talking points: 

• The poetry of Bishan Bedi - and what he meant to a generation of fans
• New Zealand running India close in Dharamshala 
• Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra trying to hit Kuleep out of the attack
• Jadeja's discomforting pace - and his ability to calibrate it so finely
• Rohit and Gill taking their chances against a quality opening spell
• Kohli's quest for a century - and the needless uproar around it
• Afghanistan and Netherlands showing their class
• Why aren't teams looking to limit the damage with NRR?
• Will Australia sneak into the semi-finals?
• Will England's batters finally fire?
• Who will go after India's bowlers? New Zealand try but fall short? 

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo

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Related:

• The Art of Bedi: Our conversation with Suresh Menon - ⁠81allout podcast
• Previous 81allout episodes on World Cups - 2011, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003

• Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon
• War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast
• Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

Support 81allout on Ko-fi

Talking points: 

• India's enviable bowling attack for the conditions
• Jasprit Bumrah - the magician
• Kuldeep and Jadeja keeping Pakistan quiet
• Siraj and the cross-seam attack
• Rohit Sharma's evolution as an ODI batter
• Shreyas Iyer's approach to playing spin
• The joy of the Australian collapse
• New Zealand's deceptive dominance in the early stages of the World Cup

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Related:

• India demonstrate their all round strength, hammer Pakistan - Cricketingview substack
• India's bowling unit: Gods of small things - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• 81allout preview of the 2023 World Cup
• Previous 81allout episodes on World Cups - 2011, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003
• Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon
• War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast
• Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Talking points: 

• India's threat with their seamers as well as spinners
• How this World Cup is rewarding Test-quality spinners
• Australia's lack of depth in the spin department
• Pat Cummins' problem at first-change
• The Kohli-Rahul partnership
• Bangladesh, South Africa, New Zealand, and India - the early favorites
• How is 2 for 3 different from 80 for 3 when chasing 200?

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Related:

• KL Rahul's cut de grace - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• 81allout preview of the 2023 World Cup
• Previous 81allout episodes on World Cups - 2011, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003
• Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee - Amazon
• War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast
• Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward - Amazon

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Related:

• Previous 81allout episodes on World Cups - 2011, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003
• War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Talking Points:

• The roundabout connection between the hosts of the 2011 World Cup and India taking part in the 2007 World T20
• How India had turned into a feisty ODI side leading up to the World Cup
• The close ODI series in South Africa before the World Cup
• Sehwag and Kohli trouncing Bangladesh in the opening game
• The pulsating tie against England in Bangalore
• Australia's first loss in a World Cup since 1999 - against Pakistan
• Steyn leading South Africa to a thrilling win in Nagpur
• Sri Lanka thriving in their home conditions - throttling the opponents
• Sri Lanka's thumping of England in the quarter-final - and echoes of 1996
• India's bowling attack - dealing in cutters, slower ones and knuckle-balls
• An unforgettable night at the Motera - when India overcame Australia
• The hype before Mohali - and the eventual anti-climax of India v Pakistan
• Mahela's silken grace in the final - an innings for the gods
• The riveting partnership between Gambhir and Kohli  
• Dhoni... finishes off in style

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

DP Prashant (@prashantdptweet)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Related:

• Previous 81allout episodes on World Cups - 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003
• On Board Test, Trial, and Triumph: My Years in BCCI - Ratnakar Shetty - Amazon
• The Test of My Life: From Cricket to Cancer and Back - Yuvraj Singh - Amazon
• 'I wanted to hug him and hit him at the same time till he confirmed we'd won the World Cup' - India's players look back on their triumph - The Cricket Monthly 
• BJP's Control of Cricket in India - Sharda Ugra - Caravan
• Kevin O'Brien's record century against England - ICC - YouTube
• War Minus the Shooting - Revisiting the 1996 World Cup through a classic book - 81allout podcast

Support 81allout via Ko-Fi

Talking Points:

• How profound has the impact of the ODI Powerplay rules been since 2015?
• Is there clear evidence that introduction of two new balls at both ends has skewed the contest more in batters' favour?
• Has the elimination of the middle overs stalemate resulted in a diminishing role for part-time bowlers?
• How relevant are the middle-order accumulators since the new Powerplay rules came into being?
• Are teams fielding deeper bowling attacks than they did in the past?
• Is there scope for touch players under the new order?
• How have different teams responded to the change in Powerplay rules over the years?
• Given the competitive nature of teams in this format, can there be an overwhelming favourite at this World Cup?
• Has the elimination of stalemate resulted in bowlers attacking more in the middle overs or are batters scoring more runs at a faster clip? Can both be true?
• Has the Powerplay rule change enhanced the parity between bat and ball. Or has it diminished it?

Participants:

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Related:

Rule  changes in ODI cricket over the years - Lalith Kalidas and VS Aravind - Sportstar

How to watch ODI cricket - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview

How the ODI rule changes have affected run-scoring - S Rajesh - ESPNcricinfo

What we talk about when we talk about selection - 81allout podcast

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Talking Points:

• How does one have a meaningful debate about selection? 
• Does the selection (or non-selection) of one player have a big impact on results? 
• Will it help us understand the process better if selectors explain the rationale for their choices?
• What was the cricketing logic behind Vijay Shankar's selection for the 2019 World Cup? 
• What are selectors looking for when they earmark a player as an India prospect?
• Is there anything that can be termed an 'outrageous selection' ?
• Does Sarfaraz Khan know why he is not being picked for India? Does it matter?
• Are selection debates essentially about 'who are the 11 players I like the most'?
• Pre 2011, should Yuvraj and Raina played more Tests than Badrinath and Rohit?
• The difference between Karn Sharma over Ashwin, Shardul over Ashwin, and Jadeja over Ashwin
• Is Shardul Thakur an extraordinary Test selection - or merely a lucky one?

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

Ashoka (@ABVan)

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Australia (paperback, e-copy)

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Related:

• Why selection in India is not illogical or capricious, contrary to popular opinion - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
• What more can Sarfaraz Khan do to get selected for India? - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• R Ashwin opens up on WTC drop and on being ‘traumatised’ in the past - Venkata Krishna B - Indian Express 
• ‘Batting is now less artistic, more power-based’ – 81allout podcast with Amol Muzumdar
• Watching, studying, writing, talent-spotting: a life in cricket - 81allout podcast with Makarand Waingankar

https://ko-fi.com/81allout

Talking Points:

• A neutral view of the Ashes - and how it is hard to pick a team to support
• The limits of Bazball - and why England's recent success stems from their bowling depth
•  Australia's bowlers adjusting to the flat pitches and England's risk-taking
• Why did England not want to prepare seamer-friendly pitches at home and capitalise on their big strength?
• Stokes v Starc on the final morning at Lord's
• The cult of Bazball - and how it fits in well with the English cricket establishment's exceptionalism
• Mark Wood's pace and Nathan Lyon's absence
• The effect of Bazball on England's bowling attack
• Stuart Broad's cinematic goodbye
•  England's chances in the five-Test series in India next year

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

Ashoka (@ABVan)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Australia (paperback, e-copy)

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UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

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Related:

• Why did Bazball fail to regain the Ashes - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview Substack
• Stokes and McCullum want to save Test cricket but we must look beyond Big Three - Jonathan Liew - Guardian
• England 'wanted to pick Wood' but settle for Tongue in all-seam attack - Matt Roller - ESPNcricinfo
•  Bazball: a cult of bruised masculinity where you win even if you lose - Barney Ronay - Guardian
• Mark Wood and the primal theatre of pure pace - Ben Gardner - Wisden

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Talking Points:

• The problem with gauging the quality of a Test based on crowds and pitches
• Does Test cricket have to conform to a template?
• Mohammad Siraj's terrific spells
• West Indies' curious decision to field first on a benign pitch
• Virat Kohli's near-flawless hundred
• Ashwin and Jadeja tightening the screws on Day 3
• Mukesh Kumar's debut - and India's transition over the next few years
• West Indies' improved batting performance 
• The challenge for India's bowlers in tougher conditions

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

Ashoka (@ABVan)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Australia (paperback, e-copy)

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Related:

• Mohammad Siraj takes 5 for 60 - Windies Cricket - YouTube
• Fazeer Mohammed reviews the second Test - SportsMax TV - YouTube
• Let West Indian cricketers play in first-class cricket in India - Deep Dasgupta - ESPNcricinfo
• When India collapsed for 81 all out - Windies Cricket - YouTube
• How West Indies became a fast bowling paradise again - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo

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Talking Points:

• A 'perfect storm' for West Indies on a pitch favouring spinners
• The media obsession with the 'death of Test cricket' 
• Ashwin's 12-wicket haul on his return to the side
• Ashwin and Jadeja's deadliness: control + variations + drift + turn
• Cornwall's economical action with few moving parts
• The challenge when facing Ashwin when he is bowling round the wicket
• The power of Jadeja's action - repeatability 
• Jaiswal's debut hundred - and why the India A system is so valuable
• Alick Athanaze's assurance against spin
• India's transition - and the case for Ishant and Saha
• Multi-format players and the future of Tests

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack | ESPNcricinfo page

Ashoka (@ABVan)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

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Related:

• Ashwin remains India's constant in the face of constant change - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• Ashwin's first innings spell - West Indies Cricket Board - YouTube
• Caribbean Cricket Podcast review of the Test - YouTube
• Bumrah and Co. lead the rout - 81allout review of India's Test series v West Indies in 2019

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Talking Points:

• The challenges (and privilege required) to access a cricket ground
• The ordeal of watching a game in an Indian stadium
• The improved quality of television coverage that takes you close to the action
• The complications of a televised game that is carefully directed and packaged
• The distractions during a broadcast: advertisements, crowd shots, sponsor logos
• Experiencing the conditions at the ground and understanding flight and length
• The appreciation to be gained from watching the entire field of play
• The democratic nature of TV - and how it introduces the game to new fans
• The influence of commentary on one's interpretation of the game

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Australia (paperback, e-copy)

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Related:

• ‘A TV producer needs to catch the pulse of where the game is going’ – Ajesh Ramachandran - 81allout podcast
• ‘In some ways, a TV director plays God’ – Hemant Buch - 81allout podcast
• What about the fans? BCCI could have avoided the Dharamsala mess - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• Why do spectators get a raw deal - Gideon Haigh - ESPNcricinfo
• Fly Lara Fly - Rahul Bhattacharya - The Cricket Monthly
• A handy rule to have in sports - Osman Samiuddin - The National

You can buy tickets to the play here.

What the play is about:

It’s the summer of 2005, and Ismail – ‘Smiley’ to his friends – is about to become the youngest-ever player in his elite public school’s First XI cricket team. He sets his sights on immortality – breaking the school batting record and getting his name into Wisden. But at the start of the season, new coach Mr. Eagles takes a particular dislike to him, threatening to derail Ismail’s historic moment. Worse still, no one seems to get what he’s going through. Set during England’s famous Ashes victory and the events of 7/7, Ismail discovers that cricket might not be able to take care of everything as it once did.

Talking Points:

• The impetus to write the play and how closely it resembles Maatin's childhood
• The challenges of being an outsider in the British public school system
• The memories of the 2005 Ashes when seen along with the 7/7 bombings
• Azim Rafiq's testimony and what it meant for minorities in English cricket
• The burden of needing to be a 'good immigrant' in England
• The obviously visible Muslims who have been integral to England's recent rise
• Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid: what wearing their faith on their sleeves has meant
• The backlash Moeen got when he wore an armband in support of Palestine
• The infamous 'Tebbit Test' that questioned people's loyalty to their country
• The complexities around fandom - and how it is hard to explain one's support
• How easy it is to fall in love with the game - and also fall out of love with it

Participants:

Maatin (@maatin)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

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Related:

• Watch Duck - details here.
• Anyone But England - Mike Marqusee  - Amazon
• ‘Cricket in England is held back by its own mythology’ – interview with author Duncan Stone - 81allout podcast on 'A Different Class' 
• British Muslim experiences in English first-class cricket - Daniel Burdsey - International Review for the Sociology of Sport
• Moeen - Moeen Ali autobiography - Amazon
• It Isn’t an Easy Time to Be a British Muslim. Cricket Helps - Moeen Ali profile - New York Times
• Stokistan - Scott Oliver on how Pakistani players have lit up the north Straffordshire leagues - The Cricket Monthly
• The rainbow beauty of Hashim Amla - Niren Tolsi - The Cricket Monthly

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Prashant DP (@prashantdptweet) | Prashant's cricket posts on Medium

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Kartikeya's Substack

Ashoka (@ABVan)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

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Related:

• The story of the WTC final - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
• Boland and Cummins unleash on India - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo
• Beware, England: Steve Smith looks like a batting immortal again - Geoff Lemon - Guardian
• Ajinkya Rahane, India's quiet hero - Nagraj Gollapudi - ESPNcricinfo
• Ashwin's preparation list for the WTC final - Venkata Krishna - Indian Express

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Participants:

Karthik Krishnaswamy (@the_kk)

Saurabh Somani (@saurabh_42)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Australia (paperback, e-copy)

USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

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Related:

• Karthik Krishnaswamy's articles on ESPNcricinfo
• 'Hard for journalists today to probe serious issues in cricket' - Pradeep Magazine  - 81allout podcast
• A Cop in Cricket - Neeraj Kumar - Amazon
• Will IPL franchise owners swallow international cricket whole? - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo
• Is there too much cricket? - Cameron Pononsby - Wisden
• Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution - Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde - Amazon
• Hitting against the Spin - Nathan Leamon and Ben Jones - Amazon
• IPL, basketball and the tamasha paradox - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - sidveeblogs

Support 81allout on Ko-Fi

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Prashant DP (@prashantdptweet) | Prashant's cricket posts on Medium

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Related:

• Talking fandom: love, loyalty, and a sense of belonging - 81allout podcast
• That special whistle: the phenomenon called CSK - 81allout podcast
• Conversation with veteran journalist Pradeep Magazine - 81allout podcast
• Whatever happened to Ravi Shastri 1.0 - Sharda Ugra - ESPNcricinfo
• History’s witness: The IPL final, as Ravi Shastri saw it - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - Yahoo Cricket
• Ishant Sharma interview with Gaurav Kapoor - Breakfast with Champions - YouTube
• Ian Chappell on captaincy and much more - 81allout podcast
• The inscrutable craftsman - Rohit Brijnath - ESPNcricinfo
• Like father, like son - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo
• Out of my Comfort Zone - Steve Waugh autobiography - Amazon
• Captain courageous, like Tendulkar, vs Rihanna - Mukul Kesavan - NDTV

We discuss the major themes of his books - Not Quite Cricket and Not Just Cricket – and talk about the lessons from the match-fixing epidemic in the late 1990s and how the player-journalist relationship has altered over time. Journalists of the 1990s had enough access to the inner circle to get an inkling of the shadiness, says Magazine, but journalists of today are sadly in the dark.

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Talking Points:

• A chance-meeting with a bookie in 1997 that opened up the world of fixing
• Writing about match-fixing before the big story broke
• Interviewing Sachin Tendulkar about match-fixing in 1997
• Kapil Dev accusing his players of being distracted by money in 1983
• Magazine's relationship with Kapil Dev over time - from fan to critique
• The two sides of Mohammad Azharuddin and how it was hard to separate both
• The problem for investigative journalists today cut off from the inner circle
• A new book that casts light on the corruption that could engulf the game
• The nexus of politics and cricket - and propaganda taking over the game

Participants:

Pradeep Magazine (@pradeepmagazine)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

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Related:

• Pradeep Magazine's books - Not Quite Cricket and Not Just Cricket
• Neeraj Kumar's book - A Cop in Cricket
• A T20 tournament that wasn't - how fixers fabricated the UvaT20 League - Guardian
• It is far more than a game, this cricket - Conversation between Pradeep Magazine and Rahul Bhattacharya - Kolkata Literary Meet - YouTube
• With sports becoming so commercialized, sports journalism has become more challenging: Pradeep Magazine - Times of India

We focus on the book that Olonga published in 2010 - Blood, Sweat, and Treason - and revisit the highs and lows of his career. We also look back on Olonga's and Andy Flower's iconic black armband protest at the 2003 World Cup, and how it would change his life forever.

Talking Points:

• Growing up in Zimbabwe in the 1980s - and recognizing his cricketing potential
• A bittersweet Test debut against Pakistan- when he was called for chucking
• The purple patch - beating India and Pakistan in Test series, and shining in the 1999 World Cup
• The tumultuous early 2000s - within the team and for the country as a whole
• The racial tension  in the backdrop of unrest over Zimbabwe's land reforms
• The push for 'targets' to have more black players and administrators
• The political build-up to the 2003 World Cup - and the decision to speak out
• How Olonga's life turned upside down in a matter of a few weeks
• The divine intervention in the Zimbabwe v Pakistan league match in Bulawayo
• Escaping to England thanks to some generous benefactors
• Writing the book - and ruminating on the value of speaking one's mind

Participants:

Henry Olonga (Twitter: @henryolonga)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

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Related:

• Henry Olonga's book: Blood, Sweat and Treason - Amazon
• Standing up for their principles - Martin Williamson - ESPNcricinfo
• Andy Flower & Henry Olonga: the 'death of democracy' remembered - BBC
• Andy Flower, inspiring cricketer – and protestor - Oborne & Heller podcast
• Sachin super angry on Henry Olonga - YouTube
• Blind Audition: Henry Olonga - This Is the Moment - The Voice Australia 2019
• Risk - Janet Rand - Orwell Today

We talk to ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent Mohammad Isam on his decade-long career covering cricket and his recent anthology On the Tigers Trail.

Isam touches on the culture of cricket media in Bangladesh and offers a number of personal nuggets  - bowling to Kevin Pietersen in the nets, talking to Javed Omar about a 'Hate to Love' piece, prompting a Mohammad Ashraful breakdown, following Mashrafe Mortaza on his election trail... and much more. 

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[podcast_subscribe id="1595"]

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Talking Points:

• The culture of cricket coverage in Bangladesh
• The journey from being a club cricketer to a journalist
• Hearing of Mustafizur Rahman's potential - and helping his rise
• Bowling to Kevin Pietersen in the Dhaka nets in 2010
• The hopes invested in Mohammad Ashraful, and the eventual disappointment
• The Dhaka Premier League and its role in the cricketing fabric of Bangladesh
• The cottage industry of left-arm spinners in Bangladesh
• The journalist-player relationship and retaining one's journalistic objectivity
•  The brutal honesty of Mashrafe Mortaza
• The fateful day in Christchurch in 2019: when the team escaped from terrorists

Participants:

Mohammad Isam (@isam84)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Related:

• For those within Bangladesh, order Isam's book here
• The day I helped KP confront his spin demon - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo
• Javed Omar, no, yes, sorry - Mohammad Isam - The Cricket Monthly
• The original premier league - Mohammad Isam on the Dhaka Premier League - ESPNcricinfo
• Red Sun Rising - Sidharth Monga and Mohammad Isam - The Cricket Monthly
• Left-arm revolutionaries - Mohammad Isam - The Cricket Monthly
• A mountain of hope, a pile of Ash - Mohammad Isam - The Cricket Monthly
• Mashrafe's tale - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo
• On the campaign trail with Mashrafe Mortaza - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo

We talk to journalist and historian Gideon Haigh about The Summer Game - his classic book recently republished by 81allout Publishing.

Gideon talks about the largely forgotten 1950s and '60s, and fascinating stories he heard from many who nourished the game – at a time when the financial rewards were minimal and when the game itself saw some fallow times.

India (hardback) | India (paperback) | India (e-copy)

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Talking Points:

• The idea for The Summer Game - an outgrowing from The Cricket War
• How post-war period opened up Australian cricket to the rest of the world
• The tragic end to Ian Meckiff's career - and what he recalled of it many years on
• Robert Menzies' role in Australian cricket through his primership
• The discontent of the '50s and '60s setting the stage for World Series Cricket
• The poignant story of Pat Crawford - who disappeared from the face of cricket
• The staggering popularity of the West Indies tourists in 1960-61
• Richie Benaud's punctilious image management - and his precise writing
• The ebullient Benaud who ruffled feathers as a player and journalist
• Neil Harvey's legacy in Australian cricket
• Australia's tours to South Africa in the 1960s - and their attitude to discrimination
• Bill Lawry's reaction to the news that he was dropped from the Australian side

Participants:

Gideon Haigh

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Books Discussed:

• Gideon Haigh's books - gideonhaigh.com
• Cricket War - Gideon Haigh - Amazon
• Bowler non grata - Brydon Coverdale meets Ian Meckiff - The Cricket Monthly
• The Lucky Country - Donald Horne - Amazon
• Beyond a Boundary - CLR James - Amazon
• The Summer of '49 - David Halberstam - Amazon
• The Fifties - David Halberstam - Amazon
• The Tale of Two Tests - Richie Benaud - Amazon

In episode 156 of the 81allout podcast we are joined by former India Test cricketer and Ranji Trophy colossus Abhinav Mukund - who has now turned into an astute analyst on TV. Abhinav is piqued by Kartikeya Date's latest article in ESPNcricinfo (Do India choke in high-profile ODIs) and shares his perspective on how a player approaches (and talks about pressure), and weighs in on the question: is pressure a good parameter to explain the result of a match?

 Talking Points:

• The times when a player feels he is in the 'middle of a volcano'
• How players talk about the game and their part in it
• What players mean when they talk about 'pressure'
• Does pressure affect performance in a sustained manner?
• Talking about skill v talking about mental faculties
• Is it fair for strangers to make assumptions about players' mental abilities?
• The problem with attributing the result to mental strength/weaknesses
• What happened to South Africa in the 2015 World Cup semi-final?
• The value of finding a mindspace when 'nothing matters' 

Participants:

Abhinav Mukund (@mukundabhinav)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Buy War Minus Shooting - Mike Marqusee | Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar - Mike Coward

Related:

• ‘I have found my love for the game in the last couple of years’ – 81allout podcast speaks to Abhinav Mukund on his career and challenges
• Do India choke in high-profile ODIs? Here's what the numbers say - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
• Why there's no such thing as a finisher in ODI cricket - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
• What pressure does to cricketers - Aakash Chopra - ESPNcricinfo
• The mother of all myths - The Cricket Monthly - Tom Eaton on the narrative of South Africa choking in World Cups
• What Is Clutch? A Look at the Most Overused Term in Sports - Rob Goldberg - Bleacher Report
• Cognitive Biases in Sports: The Irrationality of Coaches, Commentators and Fans - Samuel McNerney - Scientific American

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Talking Points:

• The value of Axar Patel as a bowler and batter in this series
• Has any Indian team had as much batting and bowling depth as this one?
• The pitch laid out for the final Test - flat and slow
• Australia's batters finishing off on a high note
• Ashwin's masterful spell in the first innings
• What Ashwin and Lyon do really really well
• Virat Kohli's defensive flourishes
• Will Kuhnemann play another Test?
• The political event on day 1 - and the questions cricket fans need to ask

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Ashoka (ABVan)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee |

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

*

Related:

• 81allout podcasts from the series: 3rd Test | 2nd Test | 1st Test | Preview | Throwback to 2004
• Rahul Dravid interviews Virat Kohli after his century - BCCI.tv
• Nanbaa, ellaam konja kaalam - R Ashwin review of series - YouTube
• Artistry and attrition combine in Ashwin spell for the ages - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• 81allout podcast with Amol Muzumdar 
• The Modi Stadium metaverse: half full or just half empty? - Sharda Ugra - Mojo Story
• Cult over cricket - Mukul Kesavan - Telegraph

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Talking Points:

• Did Australia do anything differently in this Test than in the previous two?
• Jadeja's rare off-Test in recent times
• India's collapse on the first morning - and all the pitch talk
• Did the pitch rage enough? Was the match referee justified in rating it 'poor'?
• The problem with variable bounce (as opposed to lateral movement)
• Khawaja v Labuschagne: a contrast against spin
• Nathan Lyon's masterful spell - from around the wicket, cramping the batters
• Lyon's evolution as a spinner for Indian conditions - and his battle with Pujara
• Pujara's half-century in the second innings - and the partnership with Shreyas

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Ashoka (ABVan)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee |

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

*

Related:

• Chasing Wickets Instead Of Control - Kartikeya Date - A Cricketing View
• The last grand battle between Pujara and Lyon - Kathik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• Nathan Lyon proving to be Australia’s unglamorous linchpin in India - Geoff Lemon - Guardian

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Talking Points:

• In search of the memories of India's first great cricketer - Palwankar Baloo
• Does the Bombay school of batting begin with the remarkable P Vithal?
• How the city of Bombay is a main character in Corner of a Foreign Field
• The Parsee influence in the history of Indian cricket
• CK Naydu's epochal 153 against the MCC team in 1926-27
• The evolution of the game in post-independence India
• Race, caste, religion, and nation - the fissures around Indian cricket
• The India v Pakistan match in Manchester in 1999 - with their soldiers at war

Participants:

Ramachandra Guha (@ramguha)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee |

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

Books Discussed:

• Corner of a Foreign Field - Ramachandra Guha - Amazon; Spin and Other Turns - Ramachandra Guha - Amazon; Cricket, Public Culture, and Making of Post-Colonial Calcutta - Souvik Naha - Cambridge University Press; A Stroke of Genius - Gideon Haigh - Amazon; On Warne - Gideon Haigh - Amazon; Beyond a Boundary - CLR James - Amazon; Cricket Country - Prashant Kidambi - Amazon; Pundits from Pakistan - Rahul Bhattacharya - Amazon; Fire in Babylon - Simon Lister - Amazon; Cricket: the game of life - Scyld Berry - Amazon; Late Cuts - Vic Marks - Amazon

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Talking Points:

• Australia's tactic to sweep against spinners on a pitch keeping low
• Batting in India in the third innings - a most perilous task
• The Smith sweep to Ashwin, and Labuschagne playing the ball off the pitch
• Ashwin and Jadeja - and the subtle variation in lengths across innings
• Could Australia have used their feet and lofted more in the second innings?
• Ashwin's mesmeric spell on the first morning
• Nathan Lyon's drift and turn from around the wicket
• How the Axar-Ashwin partnership tilted the scales

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Ashoka (ABVan)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee |

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

*

Related:

• Jadeja's seven-wicket haul - BCCI.tv video
• If Jadeja doesn't get you, Ashwin must - 81allout podcast review of the 1st Test
• R Ashwin and the story of a most magical over - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• Ashwin-Jadeja combo a nightmare for any touring team to India - Dinesh Karthik - Cricbuzz
• India get the better of Australia, one flick at a time - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• The Plan: How Fletcher and Flower Transformed English Cricket - Steve James - Amazon
• Batsmen could learn from the Hayden way - Andrew Ramsey - cricket.com.au

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Talking Points:

• Rohit Sharma's exceptional ability to suss up the conditions and bat accordingly
• Ravindra Jadeja's mesmeric control on the first morning
• The outrage over the selective watering of the pitch
• Which team doesn't doctor its pitches to give the home side an advantage?
• The Smith-Labuschagne partnership on Day 1
• Todd Murphy's impressive debut - speed, control, and accuracy
• The Pujara sweep - and how rare it was for him to get out that way
• Nathan Lyon's problem on slow Indian pitches
• The Jadeja ointment - and the connection with Sandpaper-gate

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Ashoka (ABVan)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee |

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

*

Related:

• Why have visiting bats stopped having big series in India? - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
• What's happening with the Napur pitch - Venkata Krishna - Indian Express
• India's cheat code: lower-order muscle - Karthik Krishnaswamy - ESPNcricinfo
• Forget conspiracy theories and whingeing, there’s only one way to win in India - Mark Taylor - Sydney Morning Herald
• Couch Talk 81 with Sunil Subramaniam - Subash Jayaraman - Couch Talks
• Rohit's zen, Pujara sweeps, Murphy's five and Ravi's improvement - Jarrod Kimber - Jarrod Kimber's Sports Almanack

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Talking Points:

• Australia's attitude towards cricket in India over the years: from apathy to obeisance
• The role played by Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Mike Coward and a few others in embracing India and her passion for cricket
• The 2017 India v Australia series, and the gripping Bangalore Test
• Can Pat Cummins replicate Glenn McGrath's success in India?
• The current Australian bowling attack v the 2004 attack that won in India
• India's fast bowling potency in home conditions (even without Jasprit Bumrah)
• Ashwin v Smith: a rivarly with a layer of deep technical insight
• Are we about the see the new new Virat Kohli?
• Can Australia's batters (especially the left-handers) tackle Ashwin?
• The flexibility Jadeja offers this Indian line-up
• Pant's absence and an opening for Axar to bolster the batting
• Our wishes for the pitches in this series: green tops and raging turners

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Ashoka (ABVan)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee |

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

*

Related:

• When Australia conquered the Final Frontier - 81allout podcast rewinds to 2004
• ‘It struck me that you can score 574, declare twice, and still lose a Test’ – Allan Border - 81allout podcast
• How Smith's grip is linked to tennis - Daniel Brettig - Sydney Morning Herald
• R Ashwin: 'I've always been good at assessing batsmen, but now I think I've taken it to another level' - Sidharth Monga interview - The Cricket Monthly
• Umesh Yadav's spell v Kerala in Krishnagiri - Hotstar (access on in India)
• How will Smith and Labuschagne bat against Ashwin and Co.? - Sridharan Sriram column - Indian Express 

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Talking Points:

• How 2004 was in many ways the sequel to 2001
• If McGrath won't get you, Gillespie must
• Shane Warne's finest hour in India
• The emergence of Michael Clarke - and a special Bangalore hundred
• Adam Gilchrist's measured brutality
• Damien Martyn's expertise against spin
• When Kumble rocked Australia on day 1 in Chennai
• Virender Sehwag's unforgettable 155 - and the match that promised so much
• A curious case of 'greenwicketitis' in Nagpur
• Was Nagpur really an outlier pitch? Or was it just magnificent bowling?
• The most exciting Test of that series - on a raging turning in Mumbai
• Murali Kartik's moment, and the liberating Tendulkar-Laxman partnership
• Do the current Australian team have a bowling attack to win in India?

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Prashant DP (@prashantdptweet)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee |

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward

Related:

• True colours - Adam Gilchrist - Amazon
• The balls of the century - Shane Warne to VVS Laxman - Sharda Ugra - The Cricket Monthly
• Anatomy of a classic - Virender Sehwag on his 155 in Chennai - ESPNcricinfo
• Once upon a twinkle-toed debut - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo
• Wisden Reports - Australia in India 2004-05 - ESPNcricinfo
• John Wright's Indian Summers - Amazon
• India lose 35-year-old home record - Sharda Ugra - India Today
• Justin Langer chats with Gideon Haigh and Peter Lalor - Part 1, Part 2

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Talking Points:

• 2022: a momentous year for Indian women's cricket both on and off the field
• Mithali Raj: colossus nonpareil
• Jhulan Goswami: a torchbearer who inspired a generation
• The physiological challenges for a woman to bowl fast
• How Kolkata toasted Jhulan during her last match
• The lack of transparency with the Indian selectors
• Shikha Pandey's comeback - and her ingenious practice videos
• India's march to Commonwealth Games final - and the eventual heartbreak
• The sizzling Harmanpreet-Jemima partnership at the final
• How does any team beat Australia? What is the secret sauce
• The allround options in the Indian lower order
• Deepti Sharma's running out Charlie Dean at the non-striker's end
• The incredible potential of the women's IPL
• The BCCI's historical apathy towards women's cricket

Participants:

Annesha Ghosh (@ghosh_annesha)

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting | Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar

Related:

• 2023 could be India Women’s all-at-once year, after everything, everywhere in 2022 - Annesha Ghosh - Moneycontrol
• Jhulan Goswami: A swansong of Indian cricketer who inspired millions of women - Annesha Ghosh - BBC
• The girl who took women's cricket to the next level - Annesha Ghosh - The Cricket Monthly
• The Fire Burns Blue - Karunya Keshav and Sidhanta Patnaik - Amazon
• Cameroon bowler Maeva Douma effects four mankads in two overs - Wisden
• Why is there stigma involved in running out a non-striker? Because it's all about power - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• Viacom 18 bags women's IPL media rights for $117 mln - Reuters

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Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Cricketingview Substack

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting | Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar

Related:

• Why Does The Umpire Get To Decide? - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
• Television killed the umpiring star - Kartikeya Date - The Cricket Monthly
• On Umpire's Call - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
• The new lbw rule in DRS - Kartikeya Date - Cricketingview
• A Conversation with Warren Brennan About Hotspot, RTS and other Technology in Cricket - Cricketingview podcast
• The DRS and Technology in Cricket - Channel 7 video
• Accepting the umpire's decision has become a date concept - Gideon Haigh - Twitter
• Simon Taufel podcast - Subash Jayaraman - Couchtalk

Support 81allout on ko-fi

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

*

Buy War Minus the Shooting | Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar

Related:

• Is the DRS a good thing? Yes if you're a fingerspinner, no if you're a left-hand batsman - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
• Training the Hawk-Eye on Axar Patel: Angular, Anomalous - Himanish Ganjoo - Substack
• 'Phenomenal' Shreyas Iyer calms the panic down with assured batting - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• All-rounder Ashwin, second only to Richard Hadlee, rescues India again - VS Aravind - Sportstar
• Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Litton Das stride towards becoming Bangladesh's next batch of match-winners - Mohammad Isam - ESPNcricinfo

Gideon Haigh

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

*

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar and War Minus the Shooting (both books republished by 81allout)

Related:

The wonder that was Waz - Gideon Haigh - ESPNcricinfo

'The match-fixing rumours were like a trauma... no one trusted each other' - Wasim Akram interview - Guardian

At 56, Wasim is turning his thoughts to his legacy - Osman Samiuddin - ESPNcricinfo

'He made you believe the impossible' - Gideon Haigh on Shane Warne - 81allout podcast

On Warne - Gideon Haigh - Amazon

The Unquiet Ones - Osman Samiuddin - Amazon

Pakistan in 1999: the allure, the magic, the heartbreak - 81allout podcast with Ahmer Naqvi and Hassan Cheema

Support 81allout on Ko-fi

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

*

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Related:

• The line of greatness - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - The Cricket Monthly
• Wisden 100 - Wikipedia
• Who are the greatest T20 players of all - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
• Who are the best batsmen of each decade - Anantha Narayanan - ESPNcricinfo
• The Richards standard for ODI batsmen - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
• A new measure for cricketing greatness - Andy Bull - Guardian
• An all-time world Test XI, according to ICC rankings - Rupin Kale - Wisden

India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Talking Points:

• The difficulty of getting cricket updates in the early 1990s
• Chatrooms, IRC, and begging for score updates
• The aggregation of cricket fans across North American universities
• The idea for building a database that would store all cricket information
• The early pioneers such as KS Rao and Murari Venkatraman
• The evolution of the Cricinfo scorecard
• Sending live updates from Malaysia, Kenya, and Bangladesh
• Travis Basevi - the man who built a wonder-tool called statsguru
• Vishal's memories from the 1996 World Cup - when live scoring took off
• The day cricinfo's server crashed in Oregon

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Simon King

Vishal Misra (@vishalmisra)

*

Related:

• ESPNcricinfo at 20 years - ESPNcricinfo
• One night in 1996 - Vishal Misra - ESPNcricinfo
• The wizard Elz - Siddhartha Vaidyanathan - ESPNcricinfo
• Travis Basevi, my friend who changed the way cricket was consumed - Vishal Misra - ESPNcricinfo
• Travis Basevi: the Statsguru visionary who transformed cricket - Tanya Aldred - Guardian
• Cricinfo - How it all began - Rohan Chandran
• A bot called Cricinfo - Badri Sheshadri - ESPNcricinfo
• The Cricinfo story -  Hosted by Gautam Govitrikar - YouTube

Talking Points:

• A World Cup full of memorable upsets
• Navigating the conditions across Australia - and the effect it had on teams
• Batting against length v batting against the field
• Why some great batters are misfits in the format
• India's problem at the top - and KL Rahul's T20 v Test fortunes
• The Nasim Shah over to Jos Buttler in the final
• The big difference between batting in an ODI and in a T20

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview); Ashoka (@ABVan)

*

Related:

• England's approach may lead other teams into the T20 era - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• The England white-ball machine - Jarrod Kimber - YouTube
• The 'rationally irresistible' rise of Jos Buttler, T20 opener - Matt Roller - ESPNcricinfo
• Who was to blame for India's defeat - Cricviz
• Why T20 hitting is not just a more risky version of batting - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo

In the latest episode we talk to author and journalist Nicholas Brookes about his recent book An Island's XI: The Story of Sri Lankan Cricket.

We talk about Nicholas' journey in learning about different aspects of Sri Lankan cricket and touch upon some of the key themes in the book - the early 'whistle-stop tours', yearning for Test status, the massive victory against India in 1979, the aura of Satha, Opatha and the rebel tourists, Arjuna, Aravinda, Sanath, Murali - and the politics that has never been too far from the game in Sri Lanka.

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Talking Points:

• The class structure in Sri Lankan cricket and how school's cricket is so fundamental to cricket on the island
• Grace, Hobbs, Bradman, Sobers, Worrell - just some of the illustrious early visitors to Ceylon
• M Sathasivam - the charm of the cricketer, the mystique around the man, the tragedy of an accusation
• The 'rebels' who visited South Africa and the cloud that hung over the tourists
• The chaotic years leading up to the 1996 World Cup triumph
• Aravinda de Silva - everyman one minute, spectacular artist the next
• The evolution of Sanath Jayasuriya leading up to 1996
• A conversation in Peshawar: when Saqlain spoke to Murali about his doosra
• The complexity of the Murali story - the politics, the cricket, and the man himself

Participants:

Nicholas Brookes (@brookeswites); Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Related:

The story of De Saram and Satha: batting geniuses who went to jail - Nicholas Brookes - The Cricket Monthly; In Colombo, three is not a crowd - Nicholas Brookes and Benjamin Golby - The Cricket Monthly; A Murder in Ceylon: The Sathasivam Case - Prof Ravindra Fernando - Amazon; Growing up with Murali - Andrew Fidel Fernando - The Cricket Monthly; When Murali bared his soul - Vithushan Ehantharajah - The Cricket Monthly; War Minus the Shooting - Mike Marqusee - Amazon; The lost boys of Jaffna - Andrew Fidel Fernando - The Cricket Monthly

You can order the book here.

Buy Cricket Beyond the Bazaar (recently republished by 81allout)

India (hardback) | India (paperback, e-copy); Australia (hardback, paperback, e-copy); USA (hardback, paperback, e-copy); UK (hardback, paperback, e-copy); Canada (hardback, paperback, e-copy)

Talking Points:

• The Spirit of the Game and why English cricket is its own enemy
• The pivotal decision to take cricket off free-to-air television in 2005
• What the Azeem Rafiq revelations teach us
• Outlawing of competitive cricket in the south of England for several years in the early 1900s

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee); Duncan Stone (@StoneDunk)

Books discussed:

Anyone But England - Mike Marqusee; Beyond A Boundary - CLR James; Willow Wand - Derek Birley; Rowland Bowen's history of cricket;

Related:

English cricket has always been a people's game, but that's not what the elitists will have you believe - Duncan Stone - ESPNcricinfo; The class and culture war at the heart of English cricket - David Hopps - ESPNcricinfo; ECB's South Asian Action Plan fell short - Duncan Stone - The Cricketer; Law (19.8) and Order - 81allout podcast discussing the 2019 World Cup final; The toxic side to the Australian way - 81allout podcast with Jarrod Kimber; Why is there stigma involved in running out a non-striker? Because it's all about power - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo; Spirit of Cricket & the Mankad - Pakistan Cricket Podcast;