Test Match Special - No Balls: The Cricket Podcast - Emergency WPL/PSL Final reaction!

Episode Date: March 19, 2024

Royal Challengers Bangalore are WPL champions and Kate Cross has the inside story. Meanwhile, Alex Hartley's Multan Sultans come so close to winning the PSL in last-ball drama.

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Hi, everyone. The BBC have told us that we've got to issue a warning. We swear too much. Henry does beep it out for us because he's a good man. It is actually so that your family can all listen. Your kids can listen. But we will say... Sugar.

That's not... I hear they said a really bad one. Cross comes in round the wicket. Boulder, Boulder, leaving a ball alone, Litchfield. I think it's the wobble ball, and it just nips back, it jags back, it's the nipbacker. That is a beauty from Kate Cross, an absolute seed. That is a beauty from Cross. Hello and welcome to the Emergency No Bowls, the Cricket Podcast podcast.

Is that right with me, Kate Cross and you, Alex Hartley? emergency podcast podcast it's an emergency pod it's a shame it's not a double emergency pod but it's an emergency pod because crossy you are champions of the wPL well it's an emergency pod because we've both been in finals you've got a very happy kate cross and a very sad flat Alex at the minute so it's kind of we don't know how it's going to go we'll see oh crossy congratulations Alex commiserations I'm so sad. I'm actually like, you know, like when I retired from cricket

and I was like going through all the emotions and I was like, I hate this game and I'm never going to be involved in this game for at least two years. I was speaking to Ali Rona last night and I was like, and I've got you involved and you've loved it. I was like, I've loved it. And now I hate it again.

So I've got to pick with you actually. So I was flying yesterday when your final was on so I couldn't watch it. Landed, texted it. Sorry, saw your Instagram story that suggested you'd not won it. So I texted saying, like, what happened? And you made it sound like you got absolutely mullered in the final and had a shocking game.

So I was like, oh, God. I still hadn't checked the scores, actually, but then I was just watching the game. It was on the TV when I was just got into bed. It was the tightest, closest, most incredible game of cricket, I think I've watched. No, and, right. Okay, so we're 60 off 10 overs in the first inning.

And it's not often you win games of cricket when that's the case. You know, in a final, you win the toss, you put runs on the board. It was the most chaotic game of cricket I've ever watched him alive. There was a wicket in the first over. It was a no ball. There was a drop catch. There was a run out. There was another wicket.

It was like, what is happening? And then we managed to get 159 on the board because ifdi man, ifdi what a man that man is, like he is such a great cricketer. He just went out. He was so angry. He just smacked it. He was five off. 10 then 38 off 7

17 I love to you Danny cricket and we got a decent score on the board and it just wasn't meant to be and I feel so sorry for the lads that played in the final last year

because they lost on the last ball last year we lost in the final the year before so we've lost three finals on the bounce well you lost on the second to last ball technically this year so Just trying to make it a bit better But I turn the game on So they needed like 40 off a 20 something ball

So it was like probably not going to York They were four down And then David Willie came on Got Wicket And it then started to look like it could go Multansultans Way And then it obviously didn't But yeah you made it sound like

It was like a 100 all out kind of game It felt like it was It really did feel like it was one of those But, you know what, we got in the dressing room, everyone had a minute, and I went round to everybody in the dressing room, shook everyone's hand. I was like, well done, well done. Everyone had little smiles on their faces, and they were like, oh, it's fine, it's fine. We all sat there and, you know, we were at the ground until we left at 250 in the morning,

which is fine if you're the winning team. When you're the losing team, it's a bit sad. But the owner came in, did a massive speech, we had a competition at the start of the tournament, and the winning team would win iPhone. So everyone's in the dressing flat, like, and he comes in. He's like, iPhone challenge. So then the lads are like, the winning team, like jumping around. I've never seen 30, 40-year-old men jump like it in my life.

It was mint. So everyone would say I'm really happy. So moral of the story, if you lose a final, just gets wanted to buy you an iPhone. And then I was like, where's mine? Buming. Oh, gosh. I didn't win.

No, I said, what I've learned today is life's not fair. No, life isn't fair. And often, I've said this quite a few times in tournament cricket, but the team that finishes up on top aren't always going to be the team that finishes on top. So I've got my runners-up medal. That's nice. Yeah. I said, I got it yesterday.

I kind of throw it across the room and I was like, no, actually I want to keep it. Yeah, keep hold of that. Crossy, RCB, first trophy ever. See, I thought you'd be so happy because not only are you my best mate, and it's the first bit of trophyware that I've picked up in a long time. But you're a true RCB fan. I am happy. I am happy, but I'm, you know, really invested in Moulton.

But I am genuinely buzzing. Like, when you won, I was at training. We were going to training and I was watching it. I was at training, I was watching it. And everyone was like, we were all watching your game of cricket. And I was running around. And then I saw Mike Hessan, and we both, like, just hugged each other because he's been involved in RCB.

and he was like, get in, the celebrations are going to be amazing. So I am actually so happy for you. Good, good, I'm glad. It was a really, really bad final, actually, but only because we bowled so well after the power play. Like, we deserved to win. So that's what made it a bad final in terms of the actual game of cricket. Because it was a low-scoring thriller, and I say that in quotation mark.

But it almost felt like the way we chased it and the way... Delhi batted after they'd lost a few wickets. It was like who was least afraid to lose the final rather than who was going to like grab it and win it. So it was one of those games rather than like a really, I say it like we didn't dominate because we absolutely did with the ball. But like to chase one one three in 19 point floor overs or whatever it was.

You know, like it was just that kind of a game where there was obviously a lot of nerves around. The crowd, crossy, the crowd in Delhi, the crowd in Bangalore, the crowd in the streets of India. What? It's gone, well, let me sum this up here. So one of the our owners, Nicol, said to me,

if RCB win on Sunday, so this is obviously before Sunday. He said, if you girls win it on Sunday, you're going to break the internet. That's how he summed up to me. And then we saw this video of people like setting off fireworks in the streets of Bangalore and setting fireworks off in a crowded street in Bangalore. They've got the Unboxed event tonight at the Chinnaswami, which was for the men, obviously, to start their season.

But then Nicol, the owner, got a text from Virat saying, the girls must come to this. We need one of the girls. Virat was on FaceTime to us. Glenn FaceTime does. They were all watching. They'd all sent us messages before we had a message from Faf. We had a message from D.K. So, yeah, it felt like everyone was so invested.

and obviously it's ended 17 years of RCB not having a trophy. So yeah, amazing to be part of. Obviously, it feels daft when people say congratulations to me because I didn't really do anything. But it was so good to be part of. Yeah, and like, what, right, what happens when you win a franchise tournament? Like, I don't know. What happens? There was a lot of standing around, actually.

So we won the game, and then an hour later, the trophy presentation happened so we kind of stood on the pitch for a long time and there's all the awards to give out there's like best six of the tournament best umpire of that there's a million awards to give out before you get down to the nitty gritty of it then there's all the interviews

so then we finally got her hands on the trophy I'll tell you what my favourite bit was actually Smriti picked the trophy up herself so she got given the trophy and then we all went on stage and Smriti immediately gave the trophy to Srianka and then Smriti went to the side of the group. So Smriti didn't actually lift the trophy. She gave it to Srianka because Shrianka is a big R-CB fan. Obviously, a girl from Bandalore as well. So I think it, like,

it meant so much to her. And I just thought that was a really sweet moment from Shmriti that she just didn't take the limelight. That is. That's her though, isn't it? Yeah, completely. I think she was probably not embarrassed to lift it because, but you know what I mean? She's like a shy girl who doesn't like having a lot of cameras on it. So I think she was quite happy to hand it to Shrianka. So then what happens? Because we had all our presentations and the presentation is all like,

you know, team of the tournament, baller of the tournament, and a few of our players had to go down and, you know, you just lost the final and they're getting their trophies and it's almost a bit of a flop. But I guess when you've won it and your players are getting those trophies,

you're still on the field chanting and cheering. Yeah, yeah, you are. But there was just like 45 minutes of not doing anything before those presentations started. So it was great for our girls, obviously, because we won it. So we were able to kind of talk about what just happened. Because we, like, I still don't think we were the best team in the tournament. I think Delhi technically were the best team, certainly the most balanced team

and had the most consistent performances. And then I think because of how we'd performed and we'd almost saved our best performance to last, which is what tournament cricket's about, everyone was just like, what is just happened? Like, RCV just won a trophy. all the crowd stayed behind and it was yeah there's loads of video footage

of us kind of just being together as a team which was really nice and so then once we got the trophy we then had photos in front of different things the like Queen's 20204 that really made me laugh I'm like come on

and then we got in the dresser room we just I don't think we even debriefed I think everyone was just trying to get pictures with the trophy and then we headed back to the hotel and our night kind of began then. So we were probably similar to you. I don't think we got back until about half one two-ish. And then me and Sophie Devine had to get in a taxi at 6.30 to get to the airport to fly to New Zealand.

So you can imagine how good my last 24 hours have been. Yeah. Oh, God, I bet you've been really, I bet you've been in the mood that I'm in now, but you've got that little, like, is it euphoric feeling of I've just won a trophy? Yeah, well, there's been a lot of sleep, but it doesn't feel, right that like less well 36 hours ago I was in India celebrating. I'm bit gutted that I'm not in Bangladesh tonight because this event will probably be really really cool. Is it just you and you and Sof that have left that camp now? Because I was

speaking to Mike and Mike was like, Mike was saying they're going to be on the road for ages now like just celebrating. Yeah. So me and Sof have obviously come over to New Zealand and Pez, Sof Malinue and Wolfie, Georgia Wareham. I've had to go to Bangladesh because they start their series in two days, I think. So other than your five overseas, oh, and Nadine's had to go home as well. So other than your overseas players, obviously everyone's going to be there.

But yeah, it was just pretty epic. Obviously, I've not won anything since the Ashes in Tea that has on a 14 other than when did we win the county champs that year? And we, buddy, how we did the double, didn't we? And we partied hard that time. But it was, it was great. It was great to be a part of. And like I said, it was a small,

a very, very small part, but it was really great to have been there. Honestly, I'm actually buzzing. I hope you get, like, prize money. We had a bet before, or like a little, not a bet, but a little chat. And I was like, good look today. You say, good look tomorrow. Did you win, you buy dinner. I win. I buy dinner. We both win. We get dinner and cocktails. So I'm looking forward to my free dinner. And I'm telling you now I will be having a drink. Yes, well, I will stick to my word and I owe you dinner.

I don't know what else to tell you. I feel like I've not really done it justice. It feels like I've not like got to the nitty gritty of it, but yeah. You played for RCB. Well, I've not. You got the kit. Yeah. Oh, my God, my social media has gone mad.

Like, if I'd have played a game, I can't even imagine what it would have been like. But I didn't play a game, and my Instagram, I've been tagged in. Thousands of videos, thousands of tweets, just so much Instagram content. It's been unbelievable. That's so good. Mine's like that with my TikTok. I did a couple of TikToks that I've got a million views. I'm like, I should be getting paid to TikTok. Maybe you should get a free iPhone for that. Honestly, Ali Tareen, if you're listening. No, I'm joking. But what an experience I've had over here, Crossie. You loved it. What's the biggest thing you've learned, do you reckon? the emotions are

the emotions are still the same as when you're playing you go through those waves but it's almost worse because you cannot do anything like you know like if you're playing and you're going through peaks and troughs in a game and it's a crunch game and you're going okay well if I ball

then I can control it as a coach you sat on the side going lads we've spoken about this lads you're doing brilliantly lads what are you doing and it's like oh oh oh But how many times have you heard that as a player? I'll stop bowling in the slot.

I'll stop bowling be amiss. I've definitely learned, I knew coming over here the coach I didn't want to be. So I knew that I didn't want to be a certain type of coach. And I feel like I've done that. And I'm just genuinely really, really proud of the spinners. Like, Osama leading wicket-taker ever in the PSL, like ever. he's got the best figures for a spinner in the PSL ever Faisal 20 years old made his debut

got two for 20 like bowled so well pushy bowled yesterday not really bold the whole comp and just nailed it and I'm just like lads this is what it's about do you think it's giving you a new appreciation for the people that coached you and all those people then that probably messaged you

after the World Cup final and stuff yes because yes Yesterday during the tactical timeout, As I saw it were a balled, his first over, it's gone for 18. And the tactical timeout's gone, I know what's coming when I get on that pitch because I've been a player, the last thing you want to do is talk to your coach

when you've just gone for 18 and over, so it up to him, give him a little high five, shook him. And I was like, mate, you're in a PSO final, relax. I was like, just ball slightly more back of a length. He's just pulling slightly too full. And it works I'll guess it Yeah

Got a wicket You bowed a little bit better But it's like It's one of those things Where you have a message That you want to say to a player But you have to find the right time to do it And sometimes the tactical time out

Isn't the right time to do it You just have to go up and give them a drink Give them a high five like whatever But yeah you know Because I know that I've had coaches Come up to me and you're like Don't speak to me now But I'm genuinely

going to miss these lads. That's great. To me, that's, that's like, I think that's the best coaches I've had. I'm sure I've said this on the pod before, but the best coaches I've had, I've had genuine, like, relationships with where they know what I'm like as a person.

I know what they're like as a person, and that's how you can end. Like, it's not really about the skill stuff that you offer, or they offer. Yeah. We were laughing yesterday because in the post-match interview, someone asked Rizzi, they said, oh, so who's going to be a future star

for Pakistan in the PSL? And he said, Faisal, Faisal Ackerman, will be an unbelievable cricketer because he is so talented. So we're in the team and last night all the coaches and they were like, congratulations Alex. I was like, who was his coach before? Because it wasn't me. Take it.

Take it what you can. Put it on the CV. I was like, it's nothing to do with me. I was like, this lad's come in. I'd just been a superstar from the start. Oh, how good. Yeah. So now you fly to New Zealand in, when?

Two days, one day? No, I fly a day. But you get here in like two days or something. Honestly, my flights are that bad. My flights are horrific. I don't know when I get there. I don't know what day, what time. All I know is I came off the pitch yesterday

and I put on the England game because it's from one grind to the next. So I think I'm going to see you in Wellington in about 10 days, I think. Oh, you're not coming to Nelson? Yes, I am. That's a lie. I'll see you on Saturday. Sorry, my plans have changed, you see,

because I was going to join our A squad. Turns out, I'm not doing that now, so I've got a five-day holiday in Queens now. Nice. Are you just on your own? Sorry. Catherine Brunt and Nat Sivera are here, so Be Eccleston's here with one of her friends. So I have got friends here, which is nice.

Oh, lovely. Oh, you've got people, oh, it's going to be so nice. You can have a nice glass of wine. You can, like, go for walks, play golf. I texted that when I got here saying Didn't know you're in Queensland. I've just landed. Let me know when you're playing golf. I need some golf friends. She was like, we're playing at 1 30 tomorrow. Excellent.

I'm in. Yes. I don't really know what to say. I think we've got a few emails, but I've left my phone over on the bed. I was in bed doing this and then I remembered Henry said we're not like to be in bed. Does that mean I've got to... You have to do the reading or? Right. Who do you want to go upstairs with?

I actually don't care. We're both a bit tired, aren't we? Should we just... Just go up me and you? Let's take a journey back to 2003. Canadian teen sensation Aver Levine was topping the charts and turning the music industry upside down.

But what if I told you that the Avalovine we know and love might not be the same Averill? What? Did Averill die? Was she replaced by a doppelganger? I'm Joanne McNally and I'm doing a deep dive

into a notorious internet conspiracy. Who replaced Ava Levine? Listen on BBC Sounds. This is from Angus. Hello Alex and Crossy. Thanks very much for the terrific podcast. I really enjoyed listening to the behind-the-scenes details

that the fans otherwise wouldn't get to know about. So with that in mind, I have a question for Crossy. I've been watching the WPL final. As RCB were closing in on Victory, the TV coverage kept cutting away to the RCB bench. At the back of the bench, there was one shot of Crothy. You could be seen with a pen in hand

looking like you were thinking about what to write. It got me intrigued. What were you writing? Was it someone's birthday? You were wondering what to write in their card. Alternatively, is it a part of the drinks runner's role to make notes of some kind? Or is it...

Go on. I was writing someone's birthday card on the bench at the WPL final. writing a congratulations card to the owners. Basically, what were you writing? And congratulations on the award-winning podcast. So when we basically played a quarter-final, which was our last group game against Mumbai, we needed to win.

Courtney Winfield Hill is our bowling coach, and she makes notes three tinnings. And did we chase against Mumbai? Pretty sure we did. Yeah, can't remember. Anyway, it doesn't matter. When we are batting, she lets me do the breakdown. So I, like, write down when we hit our boundaries,

how many balls are left, how many runs are needed. You know how bad I am at maths as well, so you know how long this will take me. What the deficit is, so, like, runs per balls kind of thing. So then we won that game, and then we defended in the eliminator. So I didn't do it then. but then because we'd won when I did it last time and then she made me do it in the final as well

and then to honour it Courtney gave me the pen afterwards to be like yeah so I brought the pen with me yeah I write my notes and so we tick and I write the bowling plans down before every game after every meeting that we decide what we're going to do

and then I write them up in my notebook pad and then bowler comes on so I go if the cart second over the game go up till on strike the plans to go back of a length and I just tick and cross whether he's executed his plans or not and no word of a lie

like nine out of ten bowlers yesterday it was like all ticks I've not done a cross today and it's the last over of if these spell it's the last spinner it's down to the wire and I get my notepad out

and Abdul remand by that our head coach went put your notepad away and enjoy it yeah well it got down to the last over and Courtney was like, right, let's just put this down now, let's take this in. Obviously, because it was pretty obvious, so we were going to win. But yeah, I think it was more to take my mind off it as well as hers. Yeah.

So yeah, that was what I was writing down, nothing too special. Not a congratulations card or a birthday card. Not a birthday card, no. Didn't think it was the time or place, really. To Bobby, sending this by a postage stamp, currently sat. watching the WPL final have a birthday hope all's well

sister I thought that was an email to Bobby then I was like why have we got an email for him I did make a little mistake though so it's about 3.30 a.m. I'm in the team room got the trophy

take a selfie with it send it to my family group chat thinking it's five hours after the game ended they'll all know the result mum replies we're just watching the final now dot dot dot I imagine and this is good news then.

It's like, yes, yeah, we've won. Sorry for ruining it. Why did she not check the scorecard or something before? She does this, she does it with all sports.

She puts it on record and watches it like three hours later. And then she can fast forward the which she don't want to watch. Oh, that's clever. But also when your daughter's being a WPL final, you can at least check the score card

as tender congrats. Yeah, LBW. I am really looking forward to getting back on a normal time zone. So I've been, like, England time zone, but worse. So Harry goes to bed and gets up before me. So, like, we get back from the ground yesterday at 3 a.m. And, like, everyone's looking at each other, and the staff are, like, team room.

So we go to the team room. We have a debrief. We're all just chatting. I go to bed at 6 a.m. And I go back up the stairs onto my floor. No word of a lie. Every single player was sat in my corridor. Like, every single player, they're all sat up, and I went,

good night and one of them just went good morning it is it's odd isn't it like my anyone that's on the whoop I'm back on mine and like my bedtime is like 1 30 get up at 10 like you just on such a bad time like that's what I want to use this week for is to try and get back onto into a normal and better routine yeah I got working up go on no it's not that exciting actually I don't know I've made it more excited than what you can say I got woken up this morning and it was you texting me and I was how oh time is it three o'clock in the afternoon that's that It's been every day, Al. You're like, oh, my God, I've just woken up every single day at 3 o'clock.

And I'm like, why are you surprised? Because it's still 3pm. I'm like looking outside and the sun's going down. Just quickly going back to the Woot before we finish this up. To put into perspective, this will mean nothing for anyone that isn't on Woot, but you'll get it. When we won the game, so the minute we won the game for one hour afterwards, I lobbed an activity that was 8.7 strain. This was just the excitement.

It was just adrenaline and excitement and heart rate levels and winning. How mad's that? That's almost like more than some of my cricket activities. It actually is. Crossy, I couldn't be happier for RTV and you like genuinely buzzing. And I'm more buzzing because you FaceTime me

and I've got a kit on the way. You've got a kit, I've got a signed shirt. I'd never sign shirts. I only sign them if we win. And then I was like, I'm not going to get one signed because I didn't play. And then I was like, actually, I'm definitely getting

this is RCB's first ever win and I've got a signed shirt by the whole team Yeah, we went to the team room last night And I was like, oh, I've not got a shirt signed I was like, it's a bit of a shame Because like all the overseas have gone now anyway So I can't do it And Kat, Dalton just went

I've got Rudy's played shirt signed Oh, perfect I was like that's well played Very good, he's number 16 as well Yeah, yeah Congratulations, Crossie Thank you, I'll see you soon I'll see you on the flip side.

Yes. Have a safe flight. You need to go to bed. It's half past 12 at night. I know. Jetlog, I'm doing well. This is good for me. Yeah, nice.

Email us on. Noblespodcast at BBC.com.com. Noblespodcast at BBC.com. It's so good. It's so good. It's said it twice. Bye. Congrats.

I'm just going to go cry with my runners-up medal. Cross. I'm doing round. Oh, that's... Boulder! Lovering a ball alone, Litchfield. I think it's the wobble ball and it just nips back, it jags back,

it's the nipbacker. That is a beauty from Kate Cross. An absolute seed. That is a beauty for cross. Hi, my name's Eddie Hearn and this is no passion, no point. I'm excited to be back with this new series. As always, I'll be talking to top performers about what drives them, how they gain an edge over competitors,

and whether their dedication to constant improvement comes at a cost. I love golf, I play it until my hands bleed. I just enjoy going out there playing with no fear. What makes them feel fulfilled? It's not the money, it's not the trophies, it's the friendships and the memories I've got. And does that change as their career progresses? Just a girl who grew up playing football, and now I'm getting pets, like, without even seeing the camera, like, it's crazy. From BBC Radio 5 Live.

No passion, no point. Listen, whenever you like on BBC Sounds. I'm going to Steve. Bless you. Bless you. Bless you.