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
On this week’s Stumped, our very own Charu Sharma flies out to Mumbai to visit some of the game’s biggest stars as the inaugural Women’s Premier League reaches its finale. First up is Australia captain Meg Lanning, who has just led the Delhi Capitals to the first ever WPL final. She tells us that the competition is “on another level” to anything else she’s experienced, and discusses her five-month break from sport in which she worked in a café. Charu then catches up with India all-rounder Shikha...
Mar 23, 2023•39 min
We speak to Afghanistan women’s cricketer Firooza Afghan who fled the country following the takeover of the Taliban in 2021 and now resides in Melbourne, Australia. The 18-year-old, says the team have not yet received any support from the International Cricket Council and hopes that they will take action to enable them to represent Afghanistan from their base in Australia. After scoring his first Test century since November 2019, is Virat Kohli finally returning to form? The former India captain...
Mar 16, 2023•31 min
The Women’s Premier League is finally underway. Sunil Gupta tells us what it is like in India, the stand out stars and the team discuss the tournament so far. Plus will the final Test match between India and Australia is underway. Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in attendance alongside India’s prime minister Narendra Modi who took part in a series of events before the Test. The team debate the pageantry and whether the World Test Championship is making Test Matches shorter. And we ...
Mar 09, 2023•28 min
On this week’s episode of Stumped, Jim Maxwell tells us that he believes England would not enforce a follow-on against Australia in the Ashes. England became only the second national side ever to lose a Test match having enforced the follow-on, as New Zealand won by a single run in Wellington to draw the two-match series. Would they Brendon McCullum's side be as bold against their great rivals in an Ashes series? Charu Sharma dismisses Alyssa Healy’s claims that Harmanpreet Kaur’s run-out in Ind...
Mar 02, 2023•35 min
India have retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy after thrashing Australia in the first two Tests of the series. Jim Maxwell tells Alison Mitchell where it all went wrong for the tourists, as their attempts to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy end in premature failure. Elsewhere in India, the chairman of their national selection committee has resigned following a sting operation by a local television channel. We discuss Chetan Sharma being caught on camera talking about the likes of Virat Kohli a...
Feb 23, 2023•37 min
In a momentous week in women’s cricket when the Women’s Premier League Auction took place Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss the big signings and the players that were unsold. Plus we are joined by Ben Gibson who is the Director of Financial Planning at UK based Wealth Management business Evelyn. He tells us how players should manage their newfound wealth. And we discuss where it has all gone wrong for New Zealand in the Women's T20 World Cup. Photo: Smriti Mandhana and Harman...
Feb 16, 2023•33 min
On this week’s episode of Stumped, R Sridhar takes us into the heart of the India dressing room. The former fielding coach for the men’s national side worked alongside the likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Ravi Shastri between 2014 and 2021 and in his new book, ‘Coaching Beyond: My Days with the India Cricket Team’, he reveals details of conversations between the trio which have never previously been reported. He tells us about Shastri’s integrity as head coach, Kohli’s unbeatable work rate as ...
Feb 09, 2023•34 min
India beat England by seven wickets in an exciting one-sided final held in South Africa to clinch their first world title. Could India winning the Under 19 World Cup be a landmark moment in the women's game? Alison Mitchell, Charu Sharma and Jim Maxwell all reflect on India's success. Kim Garth has played in two World Cups for Ireland but in 2020, she quit the country to pursue her dream of playing professional cricket in Australia – Kim joins us on the programme to discuss her move and how she'...
Feb 02, 2023•36 min
On this week’s episode of Stumped, Pakistan batsman Tayyab Tahir joins Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma to discuss his first call-up to the men’s national side, which he found out about when his name was read out on television. He impressed as a substitute in their One Day International series with New Zealand and is now gearing up for a debut stint in the Pakistan Super League with Karachi Kings. He tells us about his three years playing club cricket in England and sharing a dressi...
Jan 26, 2023•31 min
On this week’s episode of Stumped, Shukri Conrad joins Eleanor Oldroyd, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta for his first interview since being appointed as the coach of South Africa men’s Test side. It’s been a disappointing period for the Proteas after heavy defeats in Australia and England, and Conrad admits that it’s not going to be easy to fix their issues. We discuss their batting frailties, whether Dean Elgar will remain as captain, and we pay tribute to legendary batsman Hashim Amla after he ann...
Jan 19, 2023•28 min
Former Australia captain Belinda Clark joins Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma after a statue was unveiled of her at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the first of any female cricketer in the world. She gives her thoughts on the current state of the women’s game, including Meg Lanning’s return to the Australia side after a five month break, and the upcoming inaugural women’s edition of the Indian Premier League. With just months to go until the start of the Women’s IPL, uncertainty remains ...
Jan 12, 2023•29 min
Alison Mitchell and Jim Maxwell are at the Sydney Cricket Ground as Australia take on South Africa in their third and final Test Match of the series. They are joined by Sunil Gupta and debate how cricket should tackle the problem of bad light and ask whether a pink ball should be used? Jim is also full of praise for Steve Smith who has now scored 30 Test centuries to surpass Sir Donald Bradman. The team discuss the player's that hit the headlines and the stars that missed out at the Indian Premi...
Jan 05, 2023•31 min
