In our special final episode for 2020, we bring back our favourite guest, Gaj, to discuss the best cricketers from this year's episodes. We pick a Heroes and Villains XI from all the cricketers we have discussed in 2020.  It has been a tumultuous year with many twists and turns.  Through it all we have had a lot of fun and interesting discussions, perhaps none more than this one.  What do you think of our selections ?Heroes XI:Sunil GavaskarRichie RichardsonViv RichardsDean JonesDwayne BravoBrendon McCullumKapil DevDougie MarillierMerv HughesIshant SharmaCurtley Ambrose Jonty Rhodes (12th man) Umpire: Dickie BirdManager: Asha BhosleVillains XI: Jack Hobbs Virat Kohli Ricky Ponting Steve Waugh Javed Miandad Mike Gatting Andy Flintoff Ian Botham Richard Hadlee Brett Lee Rodney Hogg Eknath Solkar (12th man) Umpire: Shakoor Rana Manager:  Monica LewinskyNo matches this week, But here is a link to confirm that Javed Miandad is related to Dawood Ibrahim by marriage

Twist in the Tail

Christmas Special: Heroes and Villains XI (with Gajanan Skandakumar)

Shourov brings in a game from the 2006 Champions Trophy with standout performances from a number of the greats of Windies and Aussie cricket - and a rare game that had a successful musician and recording artist on each team! It's a great excuse to do something a little unconventional and  intersect our love of cricket with our love of music. The boys spend an enlightening session reviewing the most memorable cricketer-musicians in history, including some (uneven) performances from Brett Lee, Dwayne Bravo, Virat Kohli and more - before launching into a reminiscence of the songs that have formed a soundtrack to our own lives. Everything from Dire Straits to Bengali folk music to Tupac Shakur to Asha Bhosle has inspired us ... what are the songs that have formed the soundtrack to your cricketing life? Brett Lee feat. Asha Bhosle - You're the One for MeCurtly Ambrose and Richie Richardson on stageSix and Out - Can't Bowl, Can't ThrowDwayne Bravo - Beenie Man and BravoVirat Kohli's ad for pimple creamToday's game - Australia vs West Indies, October 18th 2006, ICC Champions Trophy

Cricket and Music

March 6, 1971.  A revered day for Indian cricket fans. The debut of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar.  A West Indian  team in transition  still has a star studded batting line-up and a usual bowling attack.   In opposition the fabled Indian spin trio, a colourful cast of journeymen and two young batting stars on the rise.  A lot to like about this game, but Abhik has brought it in honour of one special man.  Eknath "Ekky" Solkar - enigmatic allrounder, unusual sledger, fast mover on the dance floor and perhaps the greatest short leg fielder ever.  A carnival atmosphere, a famous victory and an unusual record leads to stories of special skills elsewhere in life.Today's game:2nd Test, Port of Spain, Mar 6-10 1971, India tour of West Indies 

Special Skills

Zimbabwe vs india at Faridabad in 2002 - a nondescript ODI that was the scene of something extraordinary - one of the cricket world's first scoop shots! Douglas Marillier came in at number ten and blew away the Indian bowlers with an inventive, astonishing innings, at the same time confounding them by playing a shot they had never seen before. Our special guest Arnav Datta takes us through this game and how it changed his views on cricket to see someone who did something truly different. We segue into an entertaining discussion about Arnav's own career as a Kuwaiti cricketer on the international stage, before exchanging notes on how we have "played the scoop" (metaphorically, at least) in our own lives. Today's game - Zimbabwe vs India, Faridabad, March 7, 2002... and Arnav's cricinfo page

Imagination and Innovation (with Arnav Dutta)

Finally a game with no Australian or Indian connection.  Or is there ? This game features Sir Ian Botham and Sir Richard Hadlee, two players we loved to hate, and Dickie Bird, an umpire we loved to love. Why do we hate some players and teams more than others.  Not just a phenomenon unique to sport, do our enemies define us more than our friends ? And do we need the other side to define our own existence ?Today's game: 4th Test, Nottingham, Aug 25-29 1983, New Zealand tour of EnglandAnd a picture of the three protagonists

Love to Hate

Abhik brings another game that is obscure to many but well known in the right circles.  Perhaps the greatest Ranji trophy final of them all. In May 1991, A star studded Bombay team looking to continue their dominance of Indian domestic cricket.  Standing in their way, Kapil Dev and an upstart Haryana team looking for their first bit of silverware.  After a back and forth battle over 5 days, it comes down to one final last wicket partnership, as the two old stalwarts, Dilip Vengsarkar and Kapil Dev,  team-mates and protagonists over a generation, face off in the final stretch.  But why did this game mean so much to these storied cricketers, who had already achieved so much in their lives ?  We discuss tradition, culture and passing the torch between generations in the context of perhaps the last time when domestic first class cricket really meant something.  Today's Game: Ranji Trophy Final, Bombay vs Haryana, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, May 3-7 1991And the story from Cricket Country

Giving Back

January 1984, at the height of the apartheid regime, a team of West Indian cricketers is in the middle of a "rebel" tour of South Africa.  Fringe players unable to break into one of the strongest test teams of all time take the opportunity to play international cricket and earn a tidy sum of money.  They play good cricket, break down barriers and receive almost universal adulation wherever they go.However, when they return home, all hell breaks lose. They are banned for life, ostracised by society and many end up destitute.  But was what they did so bad ? And why was the reaction to this tour so much more visceral than those faced by English and Australian sides of the same era.  A serious discussion with a surprising denouement, this episode has resonance with a number of modern thematics on race relations, cancel culture and political polarisation.Today's game:https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/16928/scorecard/494947/south-africa-vs-west-indies-xi-3rd-test-west-indies-xi-tour-of-south-africa-1983-84The article:https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/21298477/the-unforgivenThe book:https://www.amazon.com.au/Unforgiven-Ashley-Gray/dp/1785315323

Black and White

**BONUS episode with Special Guest**Everyone loves a list, and most of all our special guest Gajanan Skandakumar ('Gaj'). Not only a handy left-handed batsman, Gaj is also a student of the game, and today he brings in his special "Impressionist" list of his most memorable cricket players (one from each Test-playing nation). From the expected candidates such the great Viv to more obscure choices such as Kris Srikkanth, there is plenty of passion and argument in this episode - everything from cricket to political wrangling over the monarchy to a comparison to Monica Lewinsky. Many of these players aren't necessarily the best on paper - which leads us into a more philosophical discussion on the value of data itself. Do we rely too much on data to make decisions, and have we forgotten that there is more to life than what can be captured in the numbers? Join us in our special bonus length episode - and send us your own impressions via social media!

Beyond the Numbers (with Gaj Skandakumar)

Perth 2008 - after the bitter acrimony of the "Monkey-gate" affair, two fired up teams face off on a unusually placid WACA track.  Australia brings one of the fastest bowling attacks ever assembled, but a lanky young fast bowler from Delhi turns heads by shaking up the legendary Ricky Ponting.Shourov brings a classic game full of surprises, including a characteristically execrable spell from Shaun Tait and an uncharacteristic brain-fade from Rahul Dravid.  But Ishant Sharma vs Ponting is the real game within a game, leading to tales of other young firebrands from our lives.Today's game: 3rd Test, India tour of Australia at Perth, Jan 16-19 2008

Impetuous Youth

Before Kohli and Tendulkar, there was one man who single-handedly carried India's hopes with the bat.   In this week's family special, Abhik's brother Shomik comes on to discuss an uncharacteristically swashbuckling innings from the one and only Sunil Gavaskar against the mighty Windies of the eighties.The discussion soon turns to the blind hero worship that characterises Indian cricket.  But are all of our heroes worthy of our adulation and what happens when our heroes don't live up to our expectations ?

Hero Worship (with Shomik Sengupta)

1984 was a tough one by the high standards of the Australian cricket team.  As well as a string of losses home and away against the West Indies, they lost their captain and were on the verge of losing their dignity, and perhaps hope for the future.  Enter a fiery red-headed fast bowler from Ipswich.But was Craig McDermott really the messiah or a very naughty boy ?  As Brian is overwhelmed with gushing admiration and Abhik manages to offend everyone from Sri Lankan cricket fans to Rodney Hogg, Shourov keeps some sense in the discussion by asking whether waiting for a saviour really is that good for either party involved.

The Saviour

This week the boys are joined by Australian podcast royalty.  Andrew (Menners) Menczel from the Cricket Unfiltered Podcast reminisces about a formative time of his life, as he travelled around England following the Australian team during the 1999 Cricket World Cup.After a patchy start, Steve Waugh's team had to win every game to lift the Cup. After a come from behind victory against South Africa in the Super Sixes, the same two teams met for this iconic game in the Semi-final. Both sides struggled to take their opportunities in this game, leading to lots of reminisces about missed opportunities in our life.  From failed business ventures to bitcoin and hash cookies in Amsterdam, the discussion ranges widely before landing back home in cricket.

Missed Opportunities (with Andrew Menczel)

In this episode, Shourov brings another famous game and an iconic image.  Edgbaston, August 2005 - England haven't won the Ashes for 16 years and are one Test down once again.  Glenn McGrath misses with a freak injury.  Ricky Ponting wins the toss and puts England in.  A five day rollercoaster ensues, as an outgunned England team, led by the  shrewd Michael Vaughan and inspired by Freddie Flintoff's heroics, takes it up to the Aussies.The Aussie tail take it to the wire on the final day, but fall at the final hurdle.  In a famous image of sportsmanship, Flintoff consoles a devastated Brett Lee.  The boys discuss the game, the photograph, examples of grace in victory and defeat, the best way to deal with disappointment and, perhaps most memorably, Brian's infallible ability to forget Australian defeats.Today's game - England vs Australia, Birmingham, August 4-7 2005

Dealing with Disappointment

This week the boys look back an another time when cricket was interrupted by pandemic. Almost exactly a century ago, a group of English cricketers toured Australia. Amongst them were legendary players like Jack Hobbs and others who had been through the trauma of the World War. Though the cricket was one-sided, the games brought the joys of Test cricket back into the lives of a weary public. There is a special moment that we can look forward to soon when a batsman will again lift an enormous six into a stand packed with spectators. A moment of triumph over adversity. We've been through this before (and much worse), but we'll came back and keep on playing.  Today's game - England vs Australia, January 14-21st, 1921

Coming Back

This week we are joined by New Zealand cricketer Bradley Scott who brings in a game from his own career, the NZ domestic cricket final between Auckland and Otago in 2008. Brad leads us through the game, reminisces on his time playing with legends such as Brendan McCullum and Daniel Vettori and gives the boys an inside perspective on the players and teams, life after cricket and how data and technology is changing the game. The victory in the final was sweet for Otago after a long premiership drought. We discuss other times in our lives when we have to wait years or even decades for success - whether in our careers, as sport fans or our personal lives. Brad reminds us that sticking at it eventually pays off - even the longest wait is worth it in the end!  Today's game - State Shield Final, Auckland vs Otago, March 2nd 2008

The Long Wait (with Bradley Scott)

A podcast about cricket games and life by Brian, Shourov and Abhik. Each episode, one of us picks an old cricket game and leads a conversation about why it is significant. Somewhere along the line there is a twist, which takes us away from cricket and into more weighty matters of life.