Test Match Special - No Balls: The Cricket Podcast - it's semi-final time at the T20 World Cup, but whose predictions have been spot on?

Episode Date: November 9, 2022

With the World Cup drawing to a close, Kate and Alex compare their predictions (some good, some really bad - Warner?!). Plus, the emails and instas get a good looking through.

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Enjoy. And cross strikes in the first over. It's Waddingham. looking for partly balls down the track comes scoring this time she connects it's either six or out it's six. Top of the morning And welcome back to Nobles We haven't done an episode since we had Curtis on

And hello, it's me Alex Hardley And you, Kate Cross I've got to stop that before he gets deleted You wouldn't even do that in front of him And now he's flying That's because I got nervous In front of a real born and bled, bled bread Irishman

Who was born in South Africa Yeah Chom Yeah nice Chom Was it a good episode I don't know I've not listened back

I've not listened back Because it gave me the fear Because my microphone wasn't on But it's on now So I haven't listened back Do you know what Honestly

I've not run for Four or five weeks So I haven't listened For four or five weeks When you say weeks Do you mean months Yeah I've done two runs out here

I've done two runs. It gave me the fear as well that episode because not only did your microphone not work and we got a telling off for that, but you just disappeared on the call and I was just chatting to him and we've never done an interview where both of us aren't doing it.

So that was funny. Yeah, so hopefully you held the conversation well and I did come back. Well, I've not listened back to know if that bit got deleted. So people might not know what I'm talking about but it doesn't matter because it's no balls. And I don't even think you introduced this

as no balls, by the way. so this is No Balls for Cricket Podcast. Hello, and welcome back to No Balls to Cricket Podcast with me, Alex Hartley and you, Kate Cross. Well done. But yeah, I hope you enjoyed it. Should we introduce this week's guest? Yeah, let's do it. Kate Cross, everybody.

And Alex Hartley. No, we spoiled everyone with a guest last week. Yeah, we did. How are you? I love when we run out of conversation, we just go to, how are you? I am well. I am well Alex I am

I think I am I think I am yeah I'm okay Are you Why did you full name me Alex Is that your full name You never call me Alex

I don't Do you know I've noticed that I call you Al Does everyone else call you Al? Most people call me Al You can call me Al You can call me Al We didn't set that up

Um, Alex, don't know why I full named you then. Oh, but you're good. Yeah, I'm busy because I can't remember if this got mentioned on the episode that we had to redo because you had your TV on. So I'll just say it again anyway, but my dissertation is due in three weeks and I'm just highly stressed about it. And I'm doing that thing where I'm really stressed about something so I avoid it rather than trying to just sit down and do it. That's not good. I know, I know. That's really, really not good.

so much so you said you're back in the country for four days and I thought you'd be up in Manchester and you're not you're going to be down in London and I'm like I can't come to London it's just too much time out of my day but yet you've done no union work the last two days I know I know anyway hopefully in a week's time I'll be flying be a different person yeah you'll be fine once you get the swing into the flow you'll be great how are you I'm good really good I had an Alex Hartley day today which was needed I got up at 10 and went for breakfast, and I went and sat on the beach on my own, and it was bliss. Nice. You hurt yourself there, haven't you?

Yeah, I have severe sunburn to my outer buttox. Which she actually just showed me on FaceTime. It was a real treat for my morning to have with my breakfast. It's a thing though, isn't it? You're really annoying. You get sunburn. and then the next day you just immediately brown. Whereas I peel, I go horrible bread. It looks awful. There's only one place in the world I sunburn. Like, I do not sunburn, and it's here.

And I did the classic, you get your spray, and you got... And I rubbed it in, and I've gone up my thigh, and I forgot to rub it in, and now I've just got lines in my legs. So we learned that, didn't with me, and you got an Airbnb when I was playing over in Perth. You came over to visit me, and we went to the beach, and we did exactly that. We got that nivier stuff. Top plus crossy did them. other sun creams are available.

Yeah, did my stomach all up and down me like a snake and then I didn't rub it in and then I just had a white snake on my stomach. Oh dear. It was like when people fall asleep and people like do a handprint or a rude thing. Yeah, it was like that but accidentally. Yeah.

Anyway, you'll be flying tomorrow. You look well. You do look well. I'm going to go. You look well. You've been ill. I was only saying to you yesterday on this time, I was like, I'm a fat knacker at the minute. And I think I have more surface area on my thigh now to sunburn, which is why I'm...

Is that what it is? It's closer to the sun now. Yeah. My arse is a bit bigger, so it's got red. Yeah, but you're having a great time and that's all that matters. Yeah, I said to you, didn't I? I was like, look, I'm going to get fat for the next two weeks. And then I'm going to Pakistan where I probably won't do much other than go to the gym, so happy days. and so we we jumped on FaceTime yesterday to do the podcast

and then we did the classic thing of getting on FaceTime and being like oh we've got no email so we had to message the group Henry was out we couldn't get the email so we're like we'll just have a catch-up and we've not actually done that for the whole time you've been there no so it was really nice actually wasn't it it was really sweet wasn't it chat for an hour and I was like crossy you have to go to cricket training now yeah well when I got off the call I was like I really miss her it like really hit me that you're not here and I was like okay I'm

ready for you to come home now. But then I had to think about it and I'm not ready for you to come home because I need to do my dissertation and you'll just drag me to brunch and stuff. So I'm kind of glad you're not here. Okay. Fair, but it gets me in the fields because you're not. Like, if I say love you to you, when we're together, you just go, ah, yeah. Like, you're like, oh. And then last night after you sent me a love heart and I was like, oh, she misses me. And I said, miss you. And you said, miss you I did. I said it in exactly that. I mean, she too. She's needy. I was not, I was not going to reply. I was just going to bleak. And then I was like, no, I'll reply. Yeah, I am ready for, well, how long have you been away now?

Like four weeks, five weeks? Yeah, three, four, five, something like that. Once I caught official life, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Oh, we've done, we've done seven minutes and we've not spoke about cricket. Right. Cricket World Club. We've been a bit soppy. That's why I am here in Australia Yes, that's why we put money in our own pockets And sent you over there as our no-ball's correspondence for the World Cup Mental Cup

You ask me what you want to know and I will answer those questions Is it stop raining? Yes, but Oh no It's due to rain Sunday and Monday Which is the final and the reserve day And it's meant to rain all day, both days Oh that's really annoying

Hopefully Mother Cricket will be with us But to be fair The tournament has been sponsored by rain hasn't it Yeah it's been a washout It has been a washout What are the questions have I got for you It was absolute madness The final getting through to the semi-finals

Like I thought I knew the four teams that were going through And then they all played a final game And it all changed Yeah I have never worked on Been involved, watched a World Cup Where it genuinely goes down to the very very last games and then South Africa versus Netherlands, South Africa win, Netherlands go home, South Africa go through the semis, the Netherlands only went and outplayed South Africa.

Can we just do a quick shout out to a friend of the podcast, Fred Clarkson, follows us on Instagram, always likes our stuff. What a man. What a man. I had a few drinks of him the night that happened and he was like, what the hell happened? him today and he's like, just the greatest day. Oh, do you know what? I love an upset. I love a World Cup upset and we've had at least seven in this tournament. It's been crazy. I mean, the West Indies aren't even here anymore.

Oh, crazy. So, yeah, South Africa, they were chasing not many. I want to say 150. Or 160. 160. It was one-five-nine to win. And the turn of the game was David Miller was 17 off 16 and he goes to slog sweep a bowler top edge and van der merver runs to the ball right and we're commentating and it's one of those where you go let's just keep it alive for the sake of the people at home this is never out because it's going to bounce and it's going to trickle away for four he pulls out the fullest of full length dives and the ball just lands in his hands and there's no tristan stubs because he's been dropped and that was it Netherlands had a chance of winning and they took the whole game.

It was madness. Speckies only then. Speckys only. It was the specky of all speckies, minus Glenn Phillips on that first day. Yeah. So then South Africa could go home because they've lost, devastating. I just thought South Africa were a shoe in to get to the semi.

Like they were just, no one spoke about them for the whole tournament and then suddenly they're out of it. Yeah, madness. Absolute madness. Myberg announced his retirement on the radio. with me and Henry started crying, we were like, oh my goodness, like, sorry, but you've just won, beating South Africa, you're South, I can, how's that feel? He's like, yeah, but I really feel for them, like, yeah, okay, right, move on, and then Pakistan are playing Bangladesh, and the

fans are chanting Dill, Dill, Netherlands, because they've just beat South Africa. I love that. And if Pakistan won, they go through to the semis after, like, being down and out but if they win they also help the netherlands qualify for the next world cup honestly it's all gone on so much going on i'm really pleased that pakistan have made the semis actually because i don't know i just felt for them like there was a chance that they weren't going to and it just didn't seem right that they wouldn't be in the semis so i'm kind of glad they are i'm not because i really don't like watching them play really and they're so boring that's the spin bowler in you out they've got such a good seam attack it's they have got a very very very

very good seam attack. No, I don't like watching Babara Azam and Riswan at the top of the order pat their way to six runs over for 14 overs. You watch this space, Riswan, it'll come good in the semis. Well, if it's not raining. Babur will come good. No, the semis are fine. Semis are fine, but New Zealand should beat them. So another question. Who's playing who and when? So we've got New Zealand versus Pakistan tomorrow 7pm my time or 8 a.m. Your time. And tomorrow is? Wednesday Thank you

Father's Day Thursday we have England versus India in Adelaide I don't know what time that one is Google it Because Adelaide's got that half an hour time difference They're really messaging us Go on the BBC Sport website

And just have a look on there I've just seen that they've put the England India game on a used pitch Or it's going to be on a used pitch Both semis are on a used pitch Everyone's booting off about that but that's how we played women's cricket for the first 100 years that it started. Yeah, what they're booting off about?

We never boot off. Yeah, we never boot off at a used pitch. Remember that time you played a test match on a youth pitch? Wow. I don't want to talk about it. I'm not ready. And also, we booted off about that and we were like, it's going to be a terrible game. And India were 170 for non off the teen overs.

Brilliant. They are both unused pitches. They have been good pitches, although one in Ireland. Adelaide certainly has. It does help the subcontinent teams. But does it? We've got Rashid. And Livingston and Mowing Alley.

And Livingston. Yeah. I'm really a bit... Should we have a quick dip into the England team? Because tip your hat, Milan might not be fit. Which might mean I really want to see Phil Salt play. Yeah. It's sorry Milan.

He's injured. I think he's out. He's got to be out, surely. It doesn't look good, does it? Doesn't look good. So, for me, it's got to either be another bowler like Chris Jordan, who has actually played every game anyway because tactically... He just comes on in fields.

Just comes on in fields. Chris Jordan or Lancashire's born and bred, Phil Salt. He actually is Lancashire born and bred, you know? No, I know he is. Oh, right, okay. Yeah, even though he played all these creators' cussets. From Morricambi. He's not.

He's not. That was really good roundup, well done. So is that a good enough roundup? Have you got anything else to talk about at World Cup? Who's going to win it? Wait, where's me? Predictions. Oh yeah.

Let me get my predictions out. Who was your leading run scorer? David Warner. Yeah. You told me it won't be Virat Coley. Don't have Virac Coley, it won't be him. Top of bloody ladder. Yeah, he's due to fail at some stage.

hopefully it's tomorrow, well, Thursday. Right, well, we're both still in, we're both still in the winners, but one of us is going to get knocked out on Thursday because you've got England and I've got India. Okay, one of us going, do you know who I think is actually going to win? New Zealand. Yeah.

Do you think? Yeah, having watched them throughout this comp, I genuinely think they're going to win. Well, everyone's second team Ireland are out now, so maybe people will go for New Zealand. Yeah, I mean, England would, It'd be nice if they win because I'd be lovely if they won. I'd predicted from the start.

I'd really like it for Joss if England won because when he first captained a game and they lost, everyone was like, oh, he's never going to fill him in Morgan's boots. And I was like, he's played two hours worth of cricket. Like, can we just give this man a chance? I've just had the same thing. I was just on a Q&A here in Sydney. And so I was like, what did you think of Joss Butler's captaincy?

I was like, why are you asking this question? I was like, if anyone else was fit for the job, they'd have done the job. Yeah, exactly. I'm just going to Google where we're at with the wickets and stuff. Woke up. Hasaranga, no. No, Nokia's top. Leading goal scorer, that's good. Run scorers.

Yeah, but they're not in the semis now, so, you know. But if we're going plus Super 12s, my man, Hasaranga's still top. Right, well, leading run scorer currently is Virac Koli with two. 246 runs. You've got Josh Butler. He's not on the top five and obviously David Warner's not because he just kept it in the ball onto his own stumps. Cheers, mate. Did you see how I summed up his shot the other day? Yeah, like a four-year-old in the back of garden. It was, he was extraordinary. I was like, I've never seen anything like it. Apparently it got brought up in dressing rooms. Highest wicket taker, Al. Yeah. Hasaranga. I know.

15 Nokia's on 11 What you just said You just lied to me No because I'm going to admit This is why he's at the top Because he played pre-super 12s

In the little round-ups Oh is this all of it Yeah so he is the leading wicket-taker But leading wicket-taker of the super 12s isn't him But I did say him And I didn't give specific Specifications Specifications

Specifications Right. Well, anyway, we're not winning here, are we? How do we determine this winner? Because we just said that someone would get to choose what the other person wears. But is there a point system? Is it just if someone gets the right name? Yeah, I'm top of the wicket takers at the minute, so. At the minute.

Come on, Mark Wood. Although I did see that he didn't train today. So, Woody, if you're listening, can you go get a five for? Thanks. Eight for? I am the rest. Can you go bowl a team? out please just so I don't have to dress up as a in Solford Keys or something you have just

given me a great idea and oh classic oh it's like a four-year-old playing a shot in the back garden she's got me dressed at like a little before we go into some questions your tour's just just been announced yes we're going to the West Indies I mean we knew this we knew we were going we just didn't know the dates or where we were playing you're going going to Antigua and Barbados. Everyone's asking like, where are you going away this winter? And I'm like, yeah, hopefully, like, obviously if you're selected. And that way you're going like, oh, just flying to Antigua and then on to Barbados.

And everyone immediately regrets asking me the question. And if we're being brutally honest, if you're in the T20 squads, you're going to be number 15. Shock. Holiday. That's high for me. Take that. Holiday. Holiday.

Holiday. No, it's not, have you just got me to see that live on a podcast? That is not, it's not a holiday. Don't listen to her. I work really hard running those drinks. Yeah, good look out there. Thank you. Shall we, um, do we nip upstairs? Yeah. Yeah. Who would you like to go upstairs with? Should we try someone new? Yeah. He's been on my telly a lot. Should we try Paul Rifle?

Oh. Is he going to bring up? bring his rifle? I hope so. Let's go upstairs with Paul Rifle. Dear the two spuds, aka Alex and Kate, I'm now age 10, and I've listened to the No-Bores podcast

with my dad all summer as we have been out on long car journeys. They make me laugh, and we are listening now to the old ones as catch-up. That just shows how little we bring podcasts out if people are having to go back and listen to old ones.

Every Saturday during the autumn for the last few years on Saturday next, a tradition in our house is to eat steak and watch strictly. My favourite is steak surprise, which is steak wrapped in bacon, with a surprise filling inside the folded steak. I like Chinese. Oh, no, it's not Chinese. I like cheese in mine. Sorry, read that wrong.

Imagine just lacking a full sweet and sell pork in the middle of your steak. I am also allowed a glass of wine Which is really a bottle of J2O Other brands are available My dad sometimes does my name Or a message in tomato soup and chips This week is no exception As you are the two spuds

Check out the attached photo Let me see what this is Oh, look at this No one else can see it We're on a podcast All right, sorry She's got a picture of a steak surprise And it says

I love no balls written in potato smileys, but the dad's made it into I love no balls. Oh, nice. Cute. Anyway, I've got some questions for you both. Alex, when you come into bowl, why do you do a sort of star jump first? Oh, my old run-up, my old, my old star jump. Yeah, unsure. And it's never been described as a star jump before.

I quite like that. Yeah. Or maybe you should start doing a star jump. Oh my God, how funny would that be? If I start doing, start doing like, spotty dogs. And then when someone asks you, like, I just need to get fit. I had four weeks in Australia. Just throwing some spotty dogs before I ball.

I don't know. No, I don't know. I've got no idea. Don't do it anymore. Kate, which is harder to bowling, a women's ashes game or a men's mixed league game, club game. Very different, aren't it? very, very different.

Your challenge is like general sexism when you play men's cricket because people think that you're going to be rubbish so you have to be really good. And then an ashes, the ashes are at stake. Like, how do you compare them? Steak, nice. Steak? Hey, I don't even need to do that.

To both of you, why are you both called the two spuds? Well, I don't know where the obsession with potatoes came from. You? You? Was it me? Yeah, it was you I don't remember It wasn't

When I asked No, it was Harman Prit Oh, it was It was, it was Harman Prit Spud Yeah, so it came And we told Harmon That the nickname

For a potato in England Is a Spud Because she thinks we have potatoes With every single meal And then she just remembered it Didn't she? She'd just walk around Going spud

Spud Spud And then Laura Jackson Filled your cricket bag With spuds Heavy Anyway, Anyway, keep up the good work

And the show Love from So Hello Kate and Alex. Before I say anything else, let me just put this out there. You are reading an introverts email and I might not be able to express myself by Penning. I live a thousand kilometres away from home in Delhi and it's hard for a person to adjust to this busy city who has been living in a small town with people who are genuinely care for you. Every evening I come back to my empty apartment and just cry. Don't know the reason, but I just cry. It really helps, though, but I do still feel alone most of the times. I came across your podcast back in 2020, but wasn't a regular. Since I've been to this city, reckon I've listened to you guys every single day. One thing for sure is I've stopped crying. It feels like I'm with two friends who are arguing, but also talking sense to me.

Not a lot can do that. It's just a strange emotion. I would like to say a massive, massive thank you for not letting me fall through. Keep up the good work. Fun fact, back in 2016 during the T20 World Cup My friends took me to the HPCA cricket ground Where England were playing the West Indies They allow uni students to enter the stadium for free

And it was my first ever live match England made it a memorable one That's cute I mean It's kind of sad Because I mean I've been there I don't know if you've been there Have you ever felt lonely?

Of course I. have um but i'm really glad we we say this all the time but we do get emails like that and it it's very very nice that we can have an impact on someone's life like that what i would say is also encourage if you feel like that put yourself out there and try and find something that you love that like you with like-minded people who you can go and enjoy something maybe once a week that you're then going to see those people yeah yeah or try and like keep yourself busy I honestly I remember when I came out that Derby bubble in 2020 it must have been after the COVID bubble yeah I remember I was in this flat and it was when Beck still lived with me and Rach my other friend was here as well she that like they were staying in Beck's room and I was lying in bed it was like 2 a.m crying my eyes out because I've never felt more lonely in my life and I had people in my own flat yeah yeah it's mental health is just it's just crazy it's just crazy that it can make you feel that way yeah James says, which of your teammates would you most like to see on I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here?

Oh, great question. Do you know what? Now, it's obviously started, and I love I'm a Sleb, and I'm watching it. All I can think about is how you would fare if you went on it. I would, it is my dream. I think you'd be good. It's my dream to go on that show. You mean, you should go on it.

I think you can get on it as well. But, like, do you know what I loved watching, or you won't be watching it, will you? no time difference is a stinker but um so they did the intro like the first show where everyone comes on and like they're all introducing each other each other themselves to each other and jill scott was like one of the most famous people on there and i was like yes women's sport yes love it just sorry going back to the question i'd like to see tammy bowman on it as well why i just think she'd be quite good because she'd get a proper stuck into all the trials she'd be so competitive

and imagine if she had to eat like a kangaroos bum where do I want to tour that I've not toured I do really want to go to Pakistan I've heard some amazing things about that but I think I've been really lucky and I've basically been to every touring touring country that you would go to America would be cool

if cricket got up and running in America Yeah, yeah. Well, the next men's T20 World Cup is between the USA and the West Indies. Is it actually? Yeah. That would be cool. Imagine being in like Las Vegas playing cricket. What about you? Where would you want to go? Yeah, I think, yeah, I think Pakistan or Bangladesh somewhere like that, somewhere completely different that, you know, subcontinent have not already been.

Oh, you are going to Pakistan, so you can take that off soon. Yeah, baby. Nice. What would you rather happen? India, Pakistan, England, New Zealand final. Oh. I mean, India, Pakistan would be an incredible final. But I want England to make it into the final,

so I'm going to have to say New Zealand and England. Yeah, same. Here's one from Aaron. Any tips to help with seasonal depression? Yeah, get a sad lamp Yeah, honestly Crossy basically Bakes herself in a sad lamp

I'll look like you at the end of the day with you sunburn No, it's like And you, well you had a really good clock didn't you You had a thing that helps you Wake up as if the sun was coming up So it kind of gradually brightens up the room Rather than you're having to burn your retinas

By turning the big light on at 7am It feels like the middle of the night But there is loads of things that you can do I generally find it's still getting out to exercise when you've got that 35 minutes of daylight in the middle of the day get out there and make the most of it. Yeah. But I'm really bad for it.

I really am. Yeah. You're just bad for depression. I'm just bad for it. I'm actually good for depression. I've got it all the time. Talking to people always, always helps. Talk through it.

Get yourself one of these sun. rise lamps if you or a sad lamp like genuinely they're great yeah and also a little bit of acceptance like I just know that I'm going to be a little bit worse in the winter and it's okay it's normal it's an actual thing it's called seasonal effective disorder it's going to happen um and just don't don't let it be a horrendously bad thing it's just something that happens um someone I saw you I'd laid oval Alex in a pink security jacket yes so during I see the bib yeah the bib the bib that I thought I'd left behind and you kindly said that on my Instagram.

You have to wear a bib. I've not trolled you for ages. That was one of my favourites. That was one of your best as well. It was annoying. When you go on the outfield for ICC events, you have to wear a bib so that they know who you are, basically,

and who you're working for. Okay. Pink bibs mean you're broadcasting rights holders, and the blue bibs mean you work for the ICC in something. Okay. So the pink bibs are the big bib. Big dog bib. Yeah, you come to me.

Do you know what I've found... Try and say that five times fast. Big dog bib, big dog bib, big dog bib, big dog bib. Big dog bib. You've done well there. Big dog bib. Well done. Do you know what I found really hard that I don't do with BBC but with ABC is they send me down pitchside

to do interviews with players post game with Henry. And it's fine when I'm interviewing like a Fred Classen or. someone that I've known before but I was stood in front of Kane Williams and the other day like this, just silent. You didn't say anything? Henry looked to me like, you got a question and I was like, no, it's Kane Williamson, that is cool.

I was like, have you got lovely teeth? You should have asked him what he thinks about boundary countbacks. Wasn't going to do that. Well, the people want to know. I was like, oh, here's one for you. What's your favourite yoghurt flavour? That is something you would do. It's very Alex Hartley.

It is. Yeah, it is. I think we've done this before, but if you're on death row, what would your final meal be? I think I picked a really dirty pizza. But I'm going to change it just for no reason, really. I'm going to have, I love prawns now, I really like prawns. So I'm going to have some sort of prawn dish, maybe some nice garlic prawns.

There's a little joke going around at the minute. Crossy only eats prawns because she's just got into prawns and now she'll only eat prawns. I had made a prawn birriani last night. See? Yeah. Well, to be fair, that did come in my gusto box. Oh, nice.

Oh, I had a shocker this week. I forgot to pick my gusto recipes, so they picked them for you. I've got a bloody meat-free lasagna. Oh, no. God's sake. Oh, no, that is it. That's a stinker.

I'm sure it'll be lovely. I could be a pescataria. We've finished. Sorry, the reason I'm not asking any questions here is because I can't open the email so I was just bombarding me with questions. Can you explain one of the podcasts how the pro contracts work in the women's game? Is there a set budget given to each regional team that they can spread it across the amount of players of their choice?

Do they have to sign a set amount of pro players on a set salary? Also, how does it work for players who play the regional cricket but don't have a pro contract? Are they paid an amount per game and where does the money come from? that's an easy one to answer first so there's a there's you get paid per you're clocking and out of training if you're not at one of the pros don't you so you get paid per hour that you're at training that's only at lanks oh really yeah go on lancashire yeah they only pay people to train so lancashire pay people like me who aren't contracted anymore they're like minimum wage

to train and then you get a match fee every match you play and then contracts they're It's just changed. It's changing as well. We're getting more and more. Basically, we're having more and more contracts. Do you know what? This is good because this is my dissertation. So there's going to be 80 professional regional contracts contracted girls by February this year coming up.

Whenever this podcast goes out, it'll be the next February. And at the minute, I think there's about 50 or 60. And they've just changed it that the ECB give the region a certain amount of, money and they distribute it how they see fit between the six or seven contracted girls that they've got so you could pay someone i think the minimum's 25 grand isn't it um but you could pay someone 50 grand and give someone else 25 grand like it's it's their discretion basically yeah that's it's a bit like the men's game isn't it it's yeah it's getting a lot closer to how the men do do it um one here in our dms worst episode ever thank you oh oh i thought they're asking us what we thought

our worst episode was because I'd definitely say that silent one that we sent out actually that was one of our best that was probably one of our best anyway we've answered a lot of stuff there we've talked a lot about cricket by the time the next podcast comes out we'll have a World Cup winner

yeah we actually will which is really exciting and it'll potentially determine because whoever I think that's how we're going to determine this bet because whoever wins on Thursday out of England or India, that's going to be the person that wins this bet because they're going to be the closest to win in the cup.

That's the dressing as a whi. Whoever dressed that'll be you walking around Coronation Street dressed as a I cannot wait for you to just sit in a restaurant for dinner with an inflatable whirre around you. Oh, bring it on. Bring Thursday on. England. Good luck in the semifinals and hopefully the finals. Come on the boys. It's coming home. Bring it home. For anyone that is thinking that they're going to struggle this winter, what's our saying? If you're not got anyone, you've got us.

If you need someone, you've always got us. It's had it. We need to really write that down so I can remember it. But you do, yeah, you've got us. We didn't do any sticky notes and have got a sticky note. Should we, oh gosh, are we throwing it in now then? Yeah, right, I've got two good ones. Okay. Okay.

Do you remember that thing that we did on this podcast? Things you thought that were real but weren't? Yeah, yeah. I remembered one the other day when I was watching telly. I used to think Malinga's blonde tips were real. I mean, all this is people thinking that like, the bogey monster was real, This one's hair looked like that normally. I thought his hair grew half blonde, half brown.

Wow. I mean, it does fit into our category. It's a good one, actually. Yeah. And I also remember today while lying on the beach, the Coldplay Man listens to the podcast. Yeah. Oh, man.

Why have you brought that up? Because I was flicking to find some music. And it came up with Coldplay's. the latest song. I don't think there's anyone else in this on the world, on the planet, that calls him The Cold to Play Man, other than this podcast. We need to respect him more, Al.

He's the lead singer of Coldplay, and he's called Chris Martin. I'm going to stick with the Cold Play Man. The Coldplay Man. If you are listening, Chris, we'd love to have you on. It's a shameless request. I don't think he'll see my DM if I slide in. Don't think he will.

Thank you for listening, everyone. Don't forget to email us on. No balls podcast at BBC.com.com. No balls podcast at BBC.co.com. It's so good. They've said it twice. Bye, everyone. Bye.

And cross strikes in the first over. It's what England we're looking for. Partly balls. Down the track comes scoring. This time she connects. It's either six or out. It's six. Match of the Day

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