About this episode
Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins has officially been ruled out of the first Ashes Test — so what does that mean for the team balance and leadership? Menners and Gav Joshi break down the implications, including Steve Smith’s return as captain, Renshaw’s push for selection, and early Shield form. The pair also unpack the India–Australia ODI series, rising stars Cooper Connolly and Mitch Owen, and the cultural contrast between Aussie and Indian cricket fandom. Later, they dive into Todd Greenberg’s comments about Ashes pitches, the Women’s World Cup headlines — including Alana King’s record-breaking spell — and a concerning off-field incident in India. (0:55) – Welcome back: Menners’ social-media disaster and trolling from Indian fans. (5:34) – Big news: Cummins officially ruled out; Smith to captain again. (10:00) – Leadership styles: Smith vs Cummins and how it changes the team dynamic. (13:20) – Renshaw rumours, Shield form, and how the Test batting order might look. (21:25) – India ODI review: 40k fans, great atmosphere, and standout performances from Connolly and Owen. (33:42) – T20 preview and Greenberg’s pitch comments — should Australia prepare flat or lively wickets? (42:59) – Women’s World Cup: Australia dominate, Alana King’s record seven-for, and security concerns in India. (53:54) – Can’t Let It Go: fixing long tournaments and a heartfelt message about Allan Border. Cricket Unfiltered Merchandise is Here! We’ve launched our official Cricket Unfiltered merch store thanks to a brilliant partnership with Exactamundo , a longtime supporter of the show. 🛒 Shop now: https://www.chickensaltoftheearth.com/shop/category/Cricket-Unfiltered?c=5469591 🎁 Use Promo Code: CU10 for 10% off your first order! From caps to tees, rep your love of cricket with some top-quality gear. Exactamundo is a video, animation, design and content production company. They produce digital signage, on-screen graphics, sideline animations and videos for sports teams like the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League, Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL and numerous American NBA, NFL and MLB teams. They also create high quality videos and animations for the corporate world, such as product promos and explainer videos. Check them out at exactamundo.com.au Get the inserted AD’s FREE VERSION of the show on our Patreon Page Subscribe to our YouTube page for live streams: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk7koDKpKxe0e3yC7NXQx6Q Linktree for listening on podcast apps and finding us on social media: https://linktr.ee/cricketunfiltered Show twitter: https://twitter.com/auscricketpod Menners on twitter: https://twitter.com/amenners TIKTOK: @cricketunfiltered Sponsorship enquiries for host read ads: andrew@piccolopodcasts.com.au Email the show your cricket takes: cricketunfilteredpodcast@gmail.com Piccolo Podcasts: https://piccolopodcasts.com.au/ Founder Andrew Menczel. The first episode aired August 2013. It is a multi award-winning podcast team, the show has featured 15 Australian captains and some of the greatest legends of cricket and an episode is archived in the Australian National Film and Sound Archive. Menners is an accredited cricket journalist and commentator and his interview with Alex Blackwell won a Cricket NSW Media Award. The show was the first ever regular weekly Australian cricket podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices