The Cricket Ultras Podcast

Cricket hits the front pages again and the Ultras are here to break it all down, from the Yorkshire racism scandal, to Tim Paine's woeful texts, Australia's T20 success and the next phase of the Shastri era. 

The Ultras are back to explore exactly what peak cricket feels like, amid a relentless viewing schedule of Test matches, IPL, T20 qualifiers and a World Cup. There's an in-depth review of T20 World Cup prospects, along with a look at the QDK controversy, India's coaching & captaincy change, and Matthew Hayden's inspiring impact on the Pakistan batting lineup. 

The Ultras are back to review the dramatic second Test between England and India, and discuss whether 'Kohlism' is a sustainable policy. They also mull over the prospects for chilled out entertainer Justin Langer, as he faces more pressure in the wake of Australia's awful form. All that plus reviews of the Hundred, Yorkshire's discouraging racism row and whether cricket can thrive at the Olympics. 

The Ultras pay tribute to the New Zealand cricket team after a superb WTC final win over a disappointing India. They also review England's discouraging Test performances & the women's series between England & India. Also under the spotlight are Ollie Robinson's tweets, Heath Streak's ban & Shastri at Wimbledon. 

Daniel Norcross of Test Match Special and Test Match Sofa fame joins the Cricket Ultras podcast to discuss his career in commentary, prospects for the summer ahead, and the changing nature of cricket broadcasting. Norcross also opens up about his early days as a pub quiz machine hustler, his favourite stump mic moments and his WTC final prediction. 

The IPL is back & the Ultras break down prospects for each of the eight franchises. There's also DRS & DLS drama, a fake fielding flap, and reviews involving series in India, South Africa, West Indies and Australia.

Prakash Wakankar is not only an experienced businessman but also a well-known cricket commentator who has graced the airwaves for the BBC's Test Match Special, ABC and All India Radio, among others. He joins the Cricket Ultras for a wide-ranging conversation that includes his days playing state cricket with Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjrekar, his thoughts on the changing nature of cricket commentary and the media environment, and his observations on the rise of the BCCI. 

With Easter in sight, the latest Cricket Ultras episode involves not just one, but two instances of egg-based 'humour', including Sachin Tendulkar's latest dreadful dad joke. There are also reviews of India's Test series victory over England, the ongoing T20 series, along with other contests involving New Zealand, Australia, West Indies and Sri Lanka. The Ultras also try to explain The Hundred, send off Martin Johnson and Joey Benjamin, and explore Ravi Shastri's viral banter renaissance. 

It's a special Ultras episode as Sir Martin Sorrell joins the podcast to discuss his cricketing life. Best-known as the executive chairman of S4 Capital and former leader of WPP, Sorrell's love of cricket and his history as an amateur player means plenty of stories featuring the likes of Boycott, Imran, Warne and Brearley, along with his views on cricketing innovation and why The Hundred cannot be saved by marketing. 

The Ultras review the 2nd Test of the engrossing India v England series, as the action shifts to the pink ball test at Motera. And there's plenty more on the latest episode, including a lament for Moeen Ali, an appreciation of Rishab Pant's poetry, a eulogy for Faf's Test career and updates from a wild IPL auction. 

The Ultras break down the biggest story rocking the cricket world — Toastiegate — before turning their attention to the rather more mundane matter of England's sixth consecutive Test win in Asia, this time stunning India in the first Test at Chennai. There's a preview of the various selection quandaries for the second Test in front of a #KnowledgeableChennaiCrowd, plus reviews of more excellent Test cricket in South Africa and Bangladesh. But, back to the big question, is Justin Langer too intense for his toastie-loving troops?

India's improbable fairytale is thoroughly examined by the Cricket Ultras pod, including the fearless performance by its emerging stars, the tactical acumen of the team's brains trust, Australia's increasingly average returns and the impressive social media performance by the Ashwins. 

There's a lot of cricket to discuss in the latest Ultras episode, including the engrossing Australia v India series, and New Zealand's march to the top of the Test rankings. Also under the scanner are South Africa's progress versus Sri Lanka, England's upcoming tour, along with digressions into bubble fatigue, knighthoods and mental torture. 

The final episode of a crazy year sees the Cricket Ultras preview Australia v India, review England's hasty exit from South Africa, ponder the meaning of clinically fit, explore the history of giant cricketers, review Parthiv Patel's career, discuss Yorkshire's ongoing racism row and, of course, cast an eye at Mushfiqur's meltdown. 

International cricket is back with a bang, and the Ultras are here to make sense of it all. Starting with the most dramatic election on the planet...for the role of ICC chair. Other key issues under the scanner are India's never-ending injury intrigue, the end of cricket teas, whether cricket can be fun, and BBL's zany new rules. Enjoy everyone!

The Ultras are back after a mid-season hiatus to review the surprising results out of the Dubai IPL. They also take in Marlon Samuels' curious influencer marketing strategy and examine the squads for the upcoming India tour of Australia. And, of course, there's a tribute to the wonderful career of Dean Jones. 

It's an action-packed episode on Cricket Ultras, starting with the England v Australia series, and a review of some illustrious international careers, including the legendary MS Dhoni. The IPL also gets a preview and some predictions, and Yorkshire's racism issues are also discussed. 

After a thrilling first Test victory for England, the Ultras preview the remainder of the series vs Pakistan. Also under the spotlight are Vivo's pullout from the IPL, the WBBL clash with the T20 Challenge and Michael Bevan's emergence from behind the mask.  

The Ultras review the successful return of Test cricket, preview the third Test between England and the West Indies, reflect on the new phenomenon of 'reverse-reverse' swing, discuss Stuart Broad's impressive tantrum, examine Jofra Archer's lapse, and sympathise with Phil Simmons' inability to remember his opponents' names. 

Cricket is back, and so are the Ultras to preview the England vs WI series inside a secure bubble at the Ageas Bowl. There's also butter knife drama involving Younis Khan, a brief investigation into Sri Lanka's 2011 World Cup loss, and an Ultras baby!

With little prospect of live cricket on the immediate horizon, the Cricket Ultras resort to that lockdown staple — a virtual quiz that pits their wits against each other on such topics as Pakistan's off-field shenanigans, the most runs scored off a single delivery, and whether Ravi Shastri said it. Tune in and take part!

The Cricket Ultras lockdown continues with wide-ranging review of our podcaster's favourite books including, Rain Men, The Art of Captaincy, Beyond a Boundary and, um, Dickie Bird's autobiography in French. There's also a cricket autobiography quiz and plenty of discussion of the worst memoirs penned by current and former cricketers. 

It's the Love Cafe lockdown on Cricket Ultras as our podcasters break down The Test, Australian cricket's latest propaganda vehicle, which features the touching bromance between Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis. On that theme, there's also favourite cricket documentaries, movies and YouTube channels, to help listeners while away the long hours of lockdown. Take care everyone, keep washing those hands and please refrain from shining any cricket balls. 

Australia dominate the Women's T20 World Cup final in front of record crowds, while India are left to rue missed opportunities. Elsewhere, the pod previews England's series against Mickey Arthur's Sri Lanka, another hapless Indian tour of New Zealand and, in the part of you've all been waiting for, run down some great moments in cricket drinking. Not that we endorse them, of course!

The Cricket Ultras review the latest from the Women's T20 World Cup, where 16-year-old Shafali Verma is making quite an impression. They also preview India's uphill task in their second Test in New Zealand, and wonder what's ailing Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. There's an emotional return for Australia to the scene of their greatest crime, some helpful advice from BCB president Nazbul Hassan, an epic whinge from Mushfique and Umar Akmal gets banned...again.

The Cricket Ultras are back and there is a lot to review, including India's tour of New Zealand, England's triumph in South Africa and Australia's return to Newlands. The trio also examine the ongoing crisis in South African cricket, shameful scenes at the U19 World Cup final, preview the Women's T20 World Cup, and explore the latest revelations from USA cricket.

It's time for the Ultras to break down the Test XI of the decade. But before that, they review all of the latest goings on from the cricket world, including the strange four-day Test proposal, England's engrossing series with South Africa, and Australia's continued good form. 

The latest episode of Cricket Ultras reviews the ongoing Australia v NZ series, finding the Black Caps unable to live up to the pre-series hype. The podcast also explores South African cricket's latest crisis and Pakistan's strange selections. There's also an obituary of legendary English bowler Bob Willis and a preview of the BBL and IPL auction.

The Cricket Ultras are back to review three big Test series in Australia, New Zealand and India, including a new 16-year pace bowler from Pakistan and Ben Stokes triumphant return home. They also review a depressing turn of events for Bangladeshi cricket, with the news of Shakib Al Hasan's ban. Last but not least, they examine a ranking of the world's top cricket grounds, and find that Headingley comes last.  

This episode's whistle-stop tour around the cricket world takes in India's commanding performance against South Africa, Chris Silverwood's appointment as England coach, The Hundred's upcoming draft, BCCI machinations and much more, including Ravi Shastri's tabla. 

The Ultras mark their 50th episode by breaking down the Ashes, in particular Steve Smith's wondrous performance and Dave Warner's horror show. They also discuss England's squad selection and coaching conundrum, take a look at India's results and cannot avoid mentioning Geoffrey Boycott.

Ben Stokes lights up the cricket world in the latest episode of Cricket Ultras, delivering an Ashes performance for the ages. The Ultras break down the remarkable third Ashes Test, preview the fourth — and explore the the dramatic emergence of Jofra Archer. Elsewhere, there's Test series in Sri Lanka and West Indies, a familiar name returns as India coach, and match fixing bans in Hong Kong.

Cricket Ultras breaks down the first Ashes Test, tries to get inside Steve Smith's head and avoids doing the same with Moeen Ali. They also look Prithvi Shaw's drugs ban, the beef between Virat & Rohit, India's next coach and much more.

It's time for the big World Cup review as the Cricket Ultras break down England's thrilling 'victory' over a desperately unlucky New Zealand team. The trio also select their highlights and lowlights from the lengthy tournament, including fantasy Super Over selections, favourite players, best catches, biggest disappointments and facepalm moments to remember. 

As the World Cup finally reaches its business end, the Ultras are back to review all the action, including Shakib Al Hasan's heroics, Steve Smith's shadow batting and young Jonny Bairstow's approach to media training. There's also predictions for the knockout stages, when they eventually arrive, and selections for the tournament's best catches so far.

Offspin podcast co-host Simon Day joins the Ultras from New Zealand to review the first week of the world cup, including the AB de Villiers debacle, the difficulty of staying awake for the Black Cap matches, and Shakib Al Hasan's curious disciplinary record. There's also discussion of the burning topics from the World Cup, including those pesky bails, Saurav Ganguly's baffling commentary, Pakistan's resurgence and South Africa's disintegration. Finally, the Ultras pay tribute to the one and only Yuvraj Singh on his retirement.

The World Cup is here! The Ultras are an excitable trio as they break down the latest squad updates, make a bunch of unfounded predictions and explore cricket's curious relationship with music. 

Under the fierce glare of the Cricket Ultras spotlight this week is a new skincare ad from India cricket stars, possibly the finest of it genre. The pod also reviews Mumbai's IPL triumph, the latest World Cup news, Shahid Afridi's autobiography and more. 

The Cricket Ultras trio review the latest from the IPL, focusing on the tournament's highlights so far — including Dhoni's infamous walk-on and Dinesh Karthik's description of Shubman Gill as a "novelty". There's also an in-depth look at most of the World Cup squads, along with discussion of Alex Hales' controversial removal, Afghani captaincy intrigue and more.

The Cricket Ultras are back to break down an eventful IPL season, including Ashwin's controversial run-out of Joss Butler, the Dre Russ phenomenon and a discussion of whether RCB are the worst IPL team ever. There's also a look at David Warner's resurgence, Kagiso Rabada's brilliance and CSK's impressive approach to cricket and life. And more, including Umar Akmal's ill-fated decision to attend an Akon gig.

The Cricket Ultras are reintegrating this week, with a big IPL preview that covers all eight franchises. Who will win? Who will lose? Who will get a Netflix series? The trio also discuss Afghanistan's maiden Test win, Australia's one-day revival, India's selection conundrum, World Cup ticketing woes, songs and more.

Cricket Ultras reviews new Netflix series Cricket Fever, finding an enthralling mix of the sublime and ridiculous. There's also discussion of Duanne Olivier's decision to turn his back on South Africa in favour of a Kolpak, Jofra Archer's England prospects, and resurgence of Chris Gayle. Meanwhile, Kane Williamson is poised to take spot among Test batsmen, while India and Australia hone their WC squads.

The latest episode of Cricket Ultras reviews the latest from around the world, including the fast bowling rejuvenation of Mark Wood, Dale Steyn, Kemar Roach and Mitchell Starc. There's also time to blame the Big 3 for more of humanity's ills, a sighting of Shoaib Akhtar in Dubai, the BBL fan experience reviewed, and the World Cup run-up begins.

Plenty of cricket under the scanner in the latest edition of Cricket Ultras, including Australia's dominance of Sri Lanka, which finally featured some centurions for the home team. The Ultras trio also discuss Sri Lanka's continued descent into shambles, Tim Paine's new tossing method and India's ODI victory in NZ, before Toby Doman arrives to break down England's calamitous display against a resurgent West Indian cricket team. Thanks for listening!  

The Cricket Ultras welcomes back Toby Doman to join Arun Sudhaman and Darren Burns as the trio round up India's historic series win over Australia, and Ravi Shastri's even more historic press conference. They also look at Australia's selectorial shenanigans, England's new coach, South Africa's thrashing of Pakistan and the Hardik Pandya scandal. 

Our first episode of 2019 features a review of three big Boxing Day Test matches, as India, New Zealand and South Africa all triumph, leaving Australia and Pakistan — in particular — with plenty of questions to answers. There's also a discussion of Kerry O'Keefe's blundering comments on Fox Sports. To wrap up 2018, meanwhile, the Cricket Ultras unveil the inaugural Elite Honesty Awards, featuring recognition for the best players and teams of the year along with — of course — Muppet of the Year, and the best quotes from the 'Shastri-verse'. 

Under the bright glare of the Cricket Ultras scanner this week are Test matches from Perth and Wellington, which saw Australia fight back to square their series, while Sri Lanka pulled off a famous match-saving effort. The duo also discuss the latest stump mic flashpoints, the Indian selectorial 'brains trust', the Steve Smith greenhouse tomato, Shanghai's curious win over Hong Kong, and much more. Happy Christmas everyone!

A seminal week in cricket saw India win the first Test against Australia while New Zealand clinched a famous series victory over Pakistan. The Ultras review both in detail while also delving into Ravi Shastri's latest musings on life and sport, Tendulkar's sophisticated Twitter trolling, the relative merits of commentary on Fox Sports vs ABC and, indeed, a comparison of Nathan Lyon's brother vs Usman Khawaja's. And much more! 

Cricket Ultras reviews a dramatic couple of weeks highlighted by the war of words that has broken out among ex-Australian cricketers and, separately, betweeen Mithali Raj and Ramesh Powar. The duo also preview the upcoming Aus-Ind Test series and review Pakistan's unsurprising Yasir-inspired turnaround, along with England's rather more rare whitewash.

Cricket Ultras previews the women's World T20 semi-finals before discussing the curious dynamic between Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli. They also review Pakistan's epic collapse against New Zealand, and England's excellent series win vs Sri Lanka, before turning their attention to the upcoming Australia v India series.