This Week in Cricket #137 - The Ashes 4th Test preview, Yashasvi Jaiswal stars on debut and the Black Caps win the Blast

This week on the show, Binksy, Raj and Stu recap the week that was and look ahead to the 4th men's Ashes Test at Old Trafford. We start by discussing India's dominant victory against the West Indies, which saw a big century on Test debut for Yashasvi Jaiswal and a 12-wicket haul for Ravichandran Ashwin. Alick Athanaze offered some glimmers of positivity for the West Indies, but, apart from winning the battle of the uniforms, it was a tough outing for the home side. In New Zealand news, Gary Stead received a contract extension that will see him remain as head coach through to the end of this World Test Championship cycle in 2025. Did this come as a surprise? Were there other candidates in the mix? Should NZC have given more thought to a split coaching role? Or does Stead's outstanding record as coach speak for itself? Attention then turned to the Kiwis on display around the world, including Matt Henry, who starred in the Vitality Blast, combining with Ish Sodhi to bowl Somerset to the title. Is the best still yet to come for Henry in international colours? At Major League Cricket in the USA, Devon Conway scored the first 50 of the tournament, but it was Corey Anderson who had us all wondering what might have been if injuries hadn't disrupted his international career. We give our initial thoughts on the tournament so far, and whether it has the potential to become a significant part of the cricket calendar. We round out the show by looking ahead to the next men's Ashes Test, fresh off Australia securing the women's Ashes with a narrow victory in the second ODI. Both teams have questions around selection, with David Warner, Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh in the spotlight for Australia and an absent Baldy making a case for Michael Neser to play. But will we actually be looking at largely unchanged sides in a few days' time? And will the rain stay away long enough for a result? We'll be back next week with more of the same, including the Tests in England and the West Indies. In the meantime, please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook , and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube ) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website . You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including chats with Shane Bond, Georgia Wareham, Mike Hussey, Finn Allen, Sophie Devine, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com . Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices