Please note: This programme contains discussions about alcoholism and references to mental health. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org Alison Mitchell speaks to South Africa wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta who went into treatment 12 months ago for alcohol abuse, to the point she said she was ‘drin...
Oct 19, 2023•37 min
How do you mentally prepare to win the Cricket World Cup? Alison Mitchell, Sunil Gupta and Jim Maxwell speak with the man who helped mastermind India’s 2011 World Cup victory on home soil – Paddy Upton. The mental conditioning coach takes us inside the psyche of the victorious team, discusses how to prepare to face your biggest rivals and outlines how he motivates some of the game’s greats, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Also this week, the team discuss how they mentally prepare for commentat...
Oct 12, 2023•29 min
Over the next 46 days, the sport's biggest tournament will showcase the world's top ten 50-over teams and with India starting their campaign against Australia, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta all look ahead to the mouthwatering clash. Plus Tim De Leede, the Netherlands most capped player with 237 appearances, joins us on the programme. He’s featured in three previous World Cups, including the 1996 tournament where India were the co-hosts. 27 years later, Tim's son, Bas is a key memb...
Oct 05, 2023•34 min
Pakistan’s Nida Dar discusses her incredible year. The 36-year-old has become captain of the Pakistan Women's team, made her 100th ODI appearance for her country and broke into the top ten of the ICC All Rounder rankings. She tells Stumped about her journey to the national team and how vital next year’s launch of a Women’s Pakistan Super League will be for the growth of the sport in Pakistan. Plus Alison Mitchell, Charu Sharma and Jim Maxwell react to India winning their first cricket gold medal...
Sep 28, 2023•34 min
Stumped’s Alison Mitchell is joined by South Africa's wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock to discuss why he has decided to retire from one day cricket after the upcoming Cricket World Cup. Plus he explains why he likes to avoid being in the limelight and his reasons for not ‘taking the knee’ with the South Africa team at the T20 World Cup two years ago. De Kock tells Stumped that players ‘are not just pawns to Cricket South Africa’ and ‘are becoming their own bosses’. Also on the programme, Alison Mitc...
Sep 21, 2023•37 min
In a month where South Africa's women's team toured Pakistan for the first time, we speak to interim captain Laura Wolvaardt about how she is adjusting to the role after a difficult period for South Africa with a number of retirements, including Lizelle Lee.and Dane Van Niekerk. She also gave her reaction to the fact that international match fees for women will match men for the first time in South Africa. Virat Kohli looked back to his very best as he hit an unbeaten century to guide India to t...
Sep 14, 2023•32 min
On Stumped this week, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma speak to 16 year-old Vaishnave Mahesh who has become the youngest player, male or female to take 50 T20 international wickets and she’s still at school. The United Arab Emirates leg break bowler is also the youngest female cricketer to represent the UAE in 50 T20 international matches. Vaishnave chats about taking the record breaking delivery whilst representing her country in the T20 World Cup Asia qualifiers in Malaysia and he...
Sep 07, 2023•36 min
Sunil Narine, the Trinbago Knight Riders spinner has made unwanted history by becoming the first cricketer to receive a red card during a Caribbean Premier League match. Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss the new rule and whether we could see this being introduced in the Indian Premier League. The legendary England bowler Anya Shrubsole joins Stumped to reflect on the perfect final match as a cricketer, winning her maiden Hundred women’s title for Southern Brave. Anya also dis...
Aug 31, 2023•32 min
A post-match football game against the opposition, a beer, and a limousine drive up a mountain. That’s how New Zealand fast-bowler Neil Wagner celebrated his side’s incredible victory over England in February. Wagner took James Anderson's wicket to beat the tourists by a single run earlier this year, and two weeks later he ran alongside Kane Williamson in their final-ball victory over Sri Lanka. He joins Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta to share what it’s like to be at the heart of t...
Aug 24, 2023•38 min
As recently as three years ago Spencer Johnson was working as a greenskeeper in Australia, supplementing his income as he recovered from a nightmare spell with injuries. Doctors had doubts over whether he would even be able to run again. Fast forward to the present day and he has just been called up for Australia’s T20 matches against South Africa, with a place at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup still a possibility should a compatriot sustain an injury. He joins Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and ...
Aug 17, 2023•30 min
Four-time Ashes winner Lydia Greenway joins us to discuss how she’s been working on the design of the first performance shoes for women cricketers in the UK. Due to be launched in January, Greenway says it’s a much needed development for the women’s game and may help with the prevention of injuries. With under two months until the start of the Men's Cricket World Cup in India, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma react to Australia's preliminary squad with some surprise selections inclu...
Aug 10, 2023•34 min
The England vice captain Ollie Pope joins us to reflect on a dramatic Ashes series. Pope was ruled out of the contest after dislocating his right shoulder in the second Test. He discusses his recovery and the influence of Stuart Broad on his career. Plus, he reacts to England being docked World Test Championship points for a slow over rate during the Ashes series. Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma all reflect on a pulsating Ashes series which finished all square at 2-2 after Stuart B...
Aug 03, 2023•39 min
Is the two-match ban given to India captain Harmanpreet Kaur by the International Cricket Council sufficient? Jim Maxwell doesn’t think so. On this week’s Stumped, Jim states that her behaviour following her dismissal in a One Day International against Bangladesh brought the game into disrepute and he advocates for a year-long ban in addition to her being stripped of the national team captaincy. Harmanpreet hit her own stumps with her bat after being dismissed and criticised the umpires in the p...
Jul 27, 2023•29 min
We’re heading to America to meet the co-owner of a Major League Cricket franchise. Anand Rajaraman is an entrepreneur who has sold businesses to Amazon and Walmart, as well as being an early investor in Facebook. His latest start-up is the San Francisco Unicorns and he aims to make cricket a mainstream American sport. The first question is: Why has he named his team after a mythical creature? Plus, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma are joined by England fast-bowler Kate Cross followi...
Jul 19, 2023•37 min
Alison Mitchell is joined by Clint Wheeldon and Sunil Gupta to reflect on an exhilarating Ashes series across both the men’s and women’s game, with more thrills still to come. England looked down and out in the women’s multi-format series after losing the one-off Test at Trent Bridge, but they have rallied and inflicted three consecutive defeats on the reigning world champions Australia. One win from the remaining two one-day internationals would be enough for the tourists to retain the urn, but...
Jul 13, 2023•32 min
Where has it all gone wrong for West Indies? Charu Sharma, Jim Maxwell and Nikesh Rughani discuss the decline of a once-great cricketing nation as they failed to reach the World Cup in India later this year. The two-time champions were beaten by Scotland, Netherlands and Zimbabwe in qualifying matches and won’t appear at a men’s 50-over World Cup for the first time ever. The third Ashes Test between England and Australia is under way at Headlingley but the controversy of Jonny Bairstow’s dismiss...
Jul 06, 2023•35 min
Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma all react to the landmark review into cricket in England and Wales, which says racism, sexism, classism and elitism are "widespread" throughout the sport. We also ask, how England can find a way back against a dominant Australian team in the Women's Ashes. With the second Test coming from the Home of Cricket at Lords, Alison Mitchell speaks to Australian legend Merv Hughes and former England pace bowler Angus Fraser on their favourite Ashes memories ...
Jun 29, 2023•35 min
Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss the drama of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston - from Ben Stokes’ shock first-innings declaration, to Pat Cummins’ match winning performance with the bat to what’s next for England’s bowlers. Plus Australia’s Usman Khawaja tells Alison Mitchell just what it was like being in the away dressing room when Cummins’ scored the winning run. And with the Women's Ashes series underway, we hear from former England cricketer Katherine Sciver Brunt on w...
Jun 22, 2023•36 min
Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta meet at Lord’s to look back on the World Test Championship final and preview the upcoming Ashes series. We’re joined at the home of cricket by former Australia opener and coach Justin Langer, who reveals the player he thinks will be the key in the men’s Ashes, what it’s like facing the very first ball of the series, and how he’s finding life after coaching. Plus, ex England captain Clare Connor discusses her experience of being the first female presid...
Jun 15, 2023•41 min
On this week's Stumped, Jim Maxwell and Alex Hartley are at The Oval where the ICC World Test Championship Final is taking place between Australia and India. They are joined by Charu Sharma and reflect on a dominant batting display from Australia including an unbeaten 146 from Travis Head. They also debate the decision made by India to drop Ravichandran Ashwin and whether it was the right one. The team react to the return of Moeen Ali to Test cricket for the Ashes after Jack Leach was ruled out ...
Jun 08, 2023•35 min
Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma reflect on arguably the greatest Indian Premier League final ever and ask whether MS Dhoni should retire now after winning his fifth title with Chennai Super Kings? The final spanned three days after heavy rain on Sunday meant the final was held on Monday which was the reserve day. It finished at 1:35 on Tuesday morning. Plus after Alison Mitchell’s trip to Uganda we are joined by Consy Aweko who captains the Uganda women's team to hear how cricket w...
Jun 01, 2023•35 min
On this week's Stumped we are joined by one of the fastest bowlers in the women's game, Shabnim Ismail who has just retired from international cricket. South Africa made it to the 2023 World Cup Final at home in Cape Town but were narrowly beaten by Australia. In a revealing interview Ismail says that if players like Lizelle Lee, Mignon Du Preez, Trisha Chetty and Dane Van Niekerk were playing in the final, then they could have won the World Cup. All four of the players have retired from interna...
May 25, 2023•36 min
Jim Maxwell catches up with Marcus Harris, who has been named in Australia’s squads for the World Test Championship final against India and the upcoming men’s Ashes series in England. Harris discusses competing with David Warner and Usman Khawaja for an opportunity to open the batting, explains why Steve Smith’s stint in the County Championship is of benefit to England just as much as it is to Australia, and rebuffs Stuart Broad’s claim that Australia’s win in the 2021 series is “void”. We also ...
May 18, 2023•33 min
Following crunch talks in the United Arab Emirates, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Najam Sethi tells Alison Mitchell that there is still hope of holding the Asia Cup in Pakistan. The location of the Asia Cup has been in doubt for some time. Pakistan are due to host the tournament in September, but last year the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Jay Shah said that it would need to be held in a neutral venue, stating “we can't go there and they can't come here.” ...
May 11, 2023•31 min
Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss the volume of short format cricket. While the Indian Premier League continues to flourish, there is speculation that the ECB could be about to axe The Hundred in the UK in favour of a more sustainable T20 competition. Cricket Australia have increased its salary cap in the Big Bash League to lure the top talent to the league, due to a number of overseas players quitting the league mid-season for the T20 tournaments in the UAE and South Africa....
May 04, 2023•27 min
It's been a rollercoaster of a journey for Ireland since securing Test status back in 2017. Ireland have lost all five Tests they have played but this week, made history by posting their highest Test score of 492 against Sri Lanka. Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta react to this achievement with Ireland's head coach Heinrich Malan. Following Mickey Arthur's appointment of Director of Cricket for Pakistan, we discuss how it will work combined with his current role as coach of Derbyshir...
Apr 27, 2023•30 min
Alison Mitchell, Brett Sprigg and Charu Sharma are joined by Lawrence Booth, the editor of the Wisden Almanack. As the 160th edition is published he discusses the Wisden awards and how the book is still relevant in a digital age. Plus Sachin Tendulkar turns 50 this week. We hear from the man himself on his career highlight and the team share some of their stand-out memories of the Indian legend. His son Arjun Tendulkar made his debut in the Indian Premier League this week meaning that the Tendul...
Apr 20, 2023•33 min
Charu Sharma, Brett Sprigg and Nikesh Rughani are joined by New Zealand umpire Kim Cotton. Kim became the first female on-field umpire to stand in a men’s international between two full-member nations. She tells us how this historic moment felt, her journey to becoming an umpire and how she is paving the way for the next generation. Plus, with the Indian Premier League in full swing, the team discuss how the tournament has unfolded. And one of Australia’s most influential player agents, Neil Max...
Apr 13, 2023•33 min
We hear from West Indies captain and WPL winner Hayley Matthews. She tells us that playing for her country is still her ‘number one priority’ and she speaks about the Fairbreak Invitational and the calibre of associate players in the competition. We discuss a landmark week in Australia where Cricket Australia have announced an increase in payments for all centrally contracted cricketers, with female players now set to become the nation's highest paid women's athletes in Australian team sport. An...
Apr 06, 2023•35 min
Please note: This programme contains discussions about mental health and references to suicide. For more support, go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1NGvFrTqWChr03LrYlw2Hkk/information-and-support-mental-health-self-harm On this week’s Stumped, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma speak with WPL winner and New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr. She tells us why she thinks Mumbai’s success in the inaugural competition is a pivotal moment for the women’s game, and explains why ...
Mar 30, 2023•43 min
