‘Piece of sh*t’ controversy, ‘eye black’ experiment, and batting order relevance

Usman Khawaja has unloaded on the Perth pitch. How justified is the spicy criticism and how much is reputation management? The opener is racing to be fit, but the conversation has centred on whether Travis Head should open. The South Australian believes batting orders are overrated and Pat Cummins agrees. Steve Smith is trialling NFL style ‘eye black’ will it make a difference? One factor that will matter is the absence of English tearaway Mark Wood, the boys discuss how England could adapt their approach in Brisbane. PLUS, the team hit international cricket, Sheffield Shield and Ellyse Perry doing Ellyse Perry things in the WBBL. Across the 2025-26 Ashes series, ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of cricket banter, Corbin and Ed are here to keep you up to date on the game in Australia and abroad. Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’