“TFW remains the gold standard of cricketing podcasts” - Wisden

Season 18, Episode 7: Call it a mutual admiration society: given the way we respect Wisden, it's nice to get an observation back. More importantly this week, the kind of wild net-run-rate ending that we've been anticipating for some time came to pass in the women's World Cup qualifiers. The new English women's domestic system got started, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh played a stunner in their Test series, and Bangladesh's 10 and 11 remain the most entertaining batters in world cricket. Jason Gillespie tackles the Pakistan board, and there are moments worth looking at in a county round dampened by rain. Then, Ben Jones in the IPL warns against the rise of our robot overlords. Your Nerd Pledge revisit for this week: 5.30 - Claire Danny Daniel Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword We have 47 runners in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival. ⁠⁠ Donate to get us to our £30k fundraising target⁠⁠ for The Lord's Taverners. Tickets for our Wormsley match, August 18: uk.emma-live.com/WormsleyFinal2025 Get your big NordVPN discount: nordvpn.com/tfw Sort out expat finances with Odin Mortgage & Tax: odinmortgage.com/partner/the-final-word Maurice Blackburn Lawyers - fighting for the rights of workers since 1919: mauriceblackburn.com.au Get 10% off Glenn Maxwell's sunnies: t20vision.com/FINALWORD Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan’s rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠https://tide.co/savings⁠ Claim your £100 cash back (for a £5k deposit) at: ⁠https://tide.co/offers/tfw⁠ Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices