Test Match Special - No Balls: The Cricket Podcast - Kate's been team-building, Alex has been buying golf clubs

Episode Date: May 3, 2024

After time away in the Lake District with her England teammates, Kate Cross tells Alex Hartley all about a fun - and tough - few days. Plus, plenty of emails to get through!

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that we do sometimes swear on this podcast. But don't let that put you off because Henry beeps them out but we might sometimes say sheesh kebab flippin' heck. That's a swear word. Cross. I'm doing round a wicket.

Oh, that's... Boulder! Boulder, leaving a ball alone, Litchfield. 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 back to no balls the cricket podcast with me alex hartley and you kate cross hello you interrupted me we didn't know whose turn it no so we shared it can't remember what we did last week yeah you can yeah you can live yeah great

episode. Such a great episode. What a woman. We've tried to send on all the emails and thank yous and well done messages that we've had to her and I think she's a little bit overwhelmed because there's been loads. And we will go through some later. We will because we've got a lot of emails to go through. How are you? I'm good. Thank you. How are you? I'm very good. Thank you. I want to hear about your morning, Alex. I want to hear about your week, Kate. But one thing I do want to talk about before you hear about my morning because I know this is now the golf podcast or Peachy's not here so we're allowed to talk about golf but what we noticed we noticed things in each podcast episode every week don't we so the week I kept going wow wow yeah but that's because

you weren't listening because I wasn't listening do you know what we noticed last week me and you don't listen to each other no times I asked you how you are and you just didn't answer I think I've known for a while on this podcast that I don't listen to you yeah that's fair do you know what I've realized I've got a little small hidden talent, and it's switching off your outrageous comment, like your comments out of my head, so I don't hear them. So I often just ignore them. Is this friendship built on great communication? Is it?

I'm not sure it is anymore. No, I'm not sure it is. Right, I'm going to intently listen to you this week, Alex. I'm very well, thank you. How are you? I'm also good. A little bit tired. Me too.

But I'm good, thank you. So, how was your morning? I had a golf lesson. it is yeah and um it was really good so it was 20 pounds for an hour how good's that that's very good yeah very very good so we split it into two half an hours harry went first because i was anxious so i watched him have his lesson and then i got him a biting stance bystands hitting stance and he the guy just went do you play cricket i went yeah he went he stances like you're trying to face a ball and apparently i don't keep my front arm stiff i lift it up like i'm trying to

hit a cover drive. So I spent the whole half an hour working on that and honestly I'm hitting it straight. So you're working on a stiff arm? Working on a stiff arm. Yeah, you need a stiff arm in golf. Yeah. I do think I've been trying to tell you that

while we've been playing? Yeah, I think so. I think so. That makes so much sense now because when you've been hitting the ball there's just been something that I've been like it doesn't quite look like golf. Yeah.

And it's because it looks like cricket. It looks like cricket with a golf head. Yeah, with a golf club. Oh, good. I'm glad you enjoyed it. So you booked back in number. But back in on Monday, yeah. Good, the U-turn, the big fat U-turn.

I know, having a round tomorrow, that's been of rain tomorrow. You also message me midweek last week. You've been on eBay buying some clubs. Yeah. And you sent me some, it was a decent set of clubs actually for about 40 quid on eBay. So I was like, yeah, yeah, get them. I think there are some Calloways. Yeah.

Other clubs are available. And then you sent me another set that had what looked like 25, like, clubs in it. There's a lot of clubs in that one. Or 80 pound. But they were cougars. Oh, good to that! I've never heard of the range cougar. And the bag across the front of it just said cougar.

And I was like, that is me. You're not a cougar? Well, Harry's younger. You are a cougar. I'm a genuine cougar. I forgot like that. Anyway, I was like, please don't buy any clubs that have got cougar written all over them. No, I haven't.

So I've set aside that money that we spoke about the other week. And the golf pro at the club I went to is going to sort me out of something. clubs. There you go. Yeah. Talk to me about your week. You've been in the lake district. I have. So we went on a little team building excursion. I don't know if you remember this, but when I was really ill last year with the parasite, I missed the week. He went up to the lakes. And on the morning, it was like my really, really bad morning. I'd woke up. I was going to drive up and I was like, I can't sit in the car for 90 minutes. That'll be a disaster. So I never made it. But when I went back to training when I started feeling a little bit better

I noticed how much the group had changed just from the three days that they'd had up in the lakes did I really enjoy it? I was going to say you didn't hate it I didn't hate it but I'm not I'm not running back okay so what was it

what did you do? So the whole point of the three days because we've obviously missed a round of Rachel Hayhoe Flint for this so it needed to be good and worth it but the whole point of it was to try and give us the tools

the understanding and I guess the awareness of what we're like under pressure and when you're in the Lake District, rock climbing, wading up big rivers that you've got to kind of climb at waterfalls to get further up to the rivers and stuff and we did loads of cold water immersion in lakes. Yeah, but obviously you're so far out of your comfort zone that you do go straight to like panic mode.

Yeah. And for a lot of people who've got fear of heights, claustrophobia, etc., then it's really quite some difficult stuff. And it's all around, it was centred all around that how do you then bring yourself back to the moment and be like, right, for me to complete this task, I need to just keep putting my foot here and here and my hands here and here. But we climbed up this, this rock face. I can't believe it. But you were obviously safe. There was no risk that anything bad was going to happen.

Did you give it a test halfway up and just to see if your harness was? Well, Sophie fell off. Oh, my God. Yeah, so she just kind of dangled there. You were always safe, but there was one moment where me and Freya Kemp were going up one part of the rock together and we were attached to each other so you had to keep the rope real taught and I got stuck at one point

I just couldn't move my feet anywhere and to get hoisted up you really had to lift yourself up and I looked down to my left and Prayer Kemp's just here I was like Kempi had I think you're a little bit close to me here and obviously in that moment

it was about communication I was starting to get a bit of a panic on because I couldn't move and I'm stuck on a rock face Kempi's just right next to me if she fell I fell if I fell she fell she fell so it's that kind of stuff

and then yeah around how you'd kind of deal with those pressure moments because hopefully you'll be able to transfer that into cricket and then we did a lot of talking some really quite difficult conversations actually like you had to tell everyone what your biggest fear was in the group like in that environment what it looks like so there's a real wholesome night where we sat around a campfire

toasting marshmallows I can imagine like someone going Alex watch your biggest fear and I go hate spiders it had to be within cricket within that group so yeah Yeah, my biggest fear is actually dying alone but in this cricket team but it's obviously that kind of stuff that you don't do naturally

forced into those environments and those moments but hopefully it will really bring us together as a group and I actually did notice that in the ashes last year we are kind of language towards each other changed a lot and it really helped us in those really crunch moments and how we got ourselves to like her gnat was really calm in those moments, etc.

So hopefully, fingers crossed, got a huge 12 months ahead of us, got two war cups and nashes in that time. So, yeah. Actually, wow. Yeah. So do you think, do you think it's helped, like you? Obviously, it's a tough two and a half, three days. You're out of your comfort zone, like you said.

You're cold, you're wet. That was the worst bit for me. You're probably hungry. I said, I'm going to be cold, I'm going to be wet, but I can control the hunger and I kept saying to the guys like you need to feed me and they didn't feed me

I was like you're gonna mess it up you're gonna see the very very worst oh no so you've obviously hated it but not hated it because you sort of just throw yourself in it don't you? I'm guessing you did yeah I think what I've found

is that all those tasks I can do I'm not scared of heights I'm not I mean I wouldn't choose to go up to the lakes at the weekend and start climbing up a rock face like some people were some people were just doing it for fun next to us like just two men

just wandering up this rock. It was mad. It's like me and Harry did that in New Zealand. Yeah, but you ran out of things to do, didn't you? Yeah. Really did. And conversation. But I must admit, I've come away from it.

So the cold water immersion was the worst bit for me because you know what I'm like. And if anyone does cold water stuff, then there's that moment where you get your, we had to go chin to water and you get your chest in and the water takes your breath away. So you're straight away and then suddenly your breathing's gone. And the technique they taught us, which was so simple, it was just count in for four, count out for four. So how will that help you on a cricket field? So when I'm really under the pump,

when I'm in those moments where my head scrambled and batters are going after me and I don't know what ball to bowl, it's about it's about centering yourself there and then not thinking about the result, not thinking about what could happen, not thinking of what's happened or what's been or any mistakes that you've made.

But in that moment, how do you get your brain clear? Yeah, okay. So I was able to do three minutes with my head. Were you? You did three minutes. And you weren't allowed to make a noise. You weren't allowed to panic.

You weren't allowed to like be giddy or laugh or anything. So all 10 of the, we're in two teams of 10. So there's me, Amy Jones, Sarah Glenn, Eccleston, Dunkley, Gibson and someone else was in my group. Bush. All holding hands in a ring in this river. People are just walking, bass, walking the dogs, wondering what on earth is going on?

But yeah, we were all able to just sit real calm and do it. So it obviously does work. So there will be things that we'll be able to transfer. I just don't think I could do that. Because it's a really, really lovely day here in Manchester, right? And I've been a little bit of sunbathing in the last couple of days. And the keys, I look at the water. And a day like this, I'm like, I could get in that.

But as soon as I walk down and I see it and I feel that it's cold, I'm like, now you've got no chance of me going in there. And that was, again, that was the point of it. It was like, how do you switch on? into in that moment so the guy that was running at a lad called will kept saying imagine this now is like you're going out to field or you're going out to bat and it reveals in wetsuits going into a river but it was like that how do you switch on in that moment to the task that you need to do because if you did if you fall you'd hurt yourself like you could easily roll your ankle

or do something that might put you out for a couple of weeks so it was about being real I guess clinical and clear in those moments I can imagine the biggest fears conversation was a tough one really tough a lot of tears a lot of tears and And I'm not going to ask you what people were saying, but I can imagine there was some that you go, oh, there was a lot of that, basically everyone, because everyone was really vulnerable. And we're really learning how vulnerabilities are strength in our team.

And it's something that, like, Louis obviously, has been in the men's game. And he says, you don't really get a lot of that kind of stuff. So it was really powerful. And then I think it's just also made us more aware of each other. So Eccles, the one that I said, the next day we had to give feedback to each other and Eccles said that she's played a lot of her cricket with me

and she'd never heard me talk vulnerably about my cricket. She'll hear me talk vulnerably about my mental health or where I'm at in life but she said I've never known that that's how you feel on a cricket pitch and that'll help her to help me now in the future so... Worth missing around? I hope so if we've won the two World Cups and the ashes but I was going up this river

and I was thinking if I can't bowl my slowball after this then God knows what I'm doing in this. And we had, it was Danny Gibson's birthday while we were up there and we had a really nice afternoon where Louis said, right, you can go in the spa because it's Danny's birthday. So we sat in this spa.

We were all having a glass of Pims. And there's another woman in there and I've walked into the jacuzzi bit. And she went, oh, I got told there was a cricket club in here, not the England women's cricket team. And she's like, recognised us all. She was a big Trent Rockets fan.

She loved Amy Jones. So we're now England Women Cricket Club And she's just had a PIMS with you all Had a PIMS with us on Danny's birthday What day? Oh well I'm glad you're back Because it's been a really quiet couple of days We text

All the time Like we're in a relationship really And I talk to him And I talk to Harry and I live with him And then I'm like What's what she'll do Last time I saw her she stomped off the golf course I was fed up on Sunday

Wasn't her? So I was like Is she okay? She enjoyed it? she's not enjoying it? I was like, but I also didn't want to ask you on text because I want to actually have a proper conversation after the podcast about how it was

and, you know, everything you just said. So I was like, voice noted, you say, I'm not being rude in case you think I'm being rude, I'm just, I'm really interested how the week was and, but in person. Yeah, so we didn't have an ounce of signal up there, which was also quite nice. Like, you got your signal when you got back to your room.

So it's quite nice to just be off the phone and not have to worry about it. But yeah, it was a good week. It's one of them where I'm still so tired from it, emotionally, physically and everything. So probably still just need to catch up on it and process it all, but there was a lot taken from it. Have you got a day off tomorrow?

Training tomorrow back with the Thunderbirds. It's a day off and then back to the grind. Back to the grind, yeah. That's what happens when you're a professional cricketer. Yes. But maybe when you see me at the back of my mark going... And the umpires are going, crossy. In, two, three, four.

Out. Heather was like, we do still have overrates. We are going to have to keep it moving. In two, three, four, out. do they've already. Yeah, basically. I must admit, Al, it has meant I've not got a lot of my sticky note this week. Yeah, me too, but we came up with a really good idea.

We did. We have got a back catalogue of emails. Oh, wait, actually, I got one thing on my sticky note. A picture came up on my phone just now. You know, and it just fires through photos of what you were doing a year ago, two years ago, three years ago today. Here she is. Look at this.

Look at this. That is Rod Stewart and Justin Bieber, all in one. You think Bieber? I don't know who you look like that. A bit of Taylor Swift, actually. Baby, baby, baby. That was my bus pass photo. No wonder I got bullied at school.

This was the Alex that I met. No wonder you didn't want to be friends with me. I did want to be friends with you. Yeah, you did. We actually became really good friends then, and then we weren't, and then we were. Because you left to go to Middlesex. Yeah. Anyway, that's the only thing.

It's not even on my sticky note. It just came up on my phone. is a horrific photo. And that, right, I cut my hair that length when I was about, must be about 14. It was probably quite cool at the time. I don't, I, I wouldn't have had it done, but I used to get one of the... It's a side fringe for me. I used to get one of the lads to do my hair for me, used to spike it up with dachs wax. To be fair, that looks like you've had it done with a knife and fork. It was so bad. Anyway, emails. We digress. Who would you like to go upstairs with? Is it? To say that you're the first one of the season, you didn't go

We've got to go up with Sue shortly. Of course we have. I'll go first. This is from Ian and it says, Hi Kate and Alex. Love the pod and first time emailing. Had to write after listening to the commentary of the CSK versus Punjab game and Alex's fabulous commentary

where she described some running between the wickets in the final over of the CSK innings as proper village. My favourite cricket phrase. As a fellow Lancasterian, I'm so pleased the thunder about being Lancashire and I wondered if this phrase was just a local thing or if it's used more widely. What are your favourite cricket phrases and have you learnt any new ones from your time in the PSL or WPL? Keep up the great episodes of the pod, kind regards, Ian. Proper village. Proper village.

I mean, it was proper village. You won't have seen what happened. CSK are playing. There's MS Dony at the strikers end and Darrell Mitchell at the non-strikers end. Dony's like four off eight and he's facing the last over and someone's just bowling wide Yorkers to him

and he's got a short third, a wide short third of backward point, everyone straight and a short fine. And he hits one to deep extra cover. I can really see the cogs ticking in your brain right now. He hits once a deep extra cover. Daryl runs to M.S. Doney, who says, you go back to the non-strikers end.

Dall Mitchell runs too, and M.S. Tony goes, I'm staying here. The fans are here to watch me, not you. Oh, so was Daryl Mitchell out or did he get back? He got back. He ran two. Oh, he ran a two? So they could have run a two. Yeah, they could have run a two.

M.S. Dony could have still been on strike. CSK got absolutely hammered yesterday, and I enjoyed it. Of course you did. Not because of you, because of that moment. Whatever. But he's not wrong. Yeah, but he's the finisher. The fans do go to watch MS, don'ty?

I wonder what will happen next year when he's not playing. He's your team are the only team that Chio, when their own teammates get out, so MS can go out to the middle. I know. And I've noticed now that so many away games for CSK, all the fans are wearing yellow. Yeah. Like they all travel to watch MS.

But anyway, what are your favourite cricket phrases? And have you learnt any new ones in your time at the PSL or WPL? The only one that I learnt in the PSL, which... isn't a cricket phrase is, inshallah, which is like God willing. So every time I would say, unlucky today, hopefully you bowl better in the next game. We need to do this.

They'd just say, inshallah, God willing, I ball better. I didn't learn any new ones, I don't think. The only thing that I did notice that Sophie Devine did was when you do that horrible thing when your team are batting and the ball goes out to a fielder and if they field it well, it will be a two, but if they miss it, it's going to go for four.

and we say, what do we say anything? Good arm. No, like when, like you're trying to make them make a mistake. Oh, Chewy. That's what they're saying. Chewy, yeah. She said, she just shout, Chewy, and I've never heard Chewy before. We just probably got Miss It.

Yeah. Well, Hen always used to go randomly miss it. Yeah. Randomly miss it. And sometimes they do it and they're like, oh God, that was my fault. But yeah, in Australia. Chewy, yeah. So they'll be going to pick the ball up and they'll go, Chewy.

Yeah. We do just say miss it, don't I? Yeah. We're really nice people, we promise. right cross we've had so many thank yous about live last week who can i just say was unbelievable on this podcast she was so good

the way she talked about everything she goes through was so eye-opening to me and you let alone everyone else who was listening and we've had an email called an eye-opener hi kate and a regular listener third-time emailer last week's podcast on orcism that whale episode that we did Last week's podcast on autism with Olivia

was such an insightful listen, a bit of an eye-opener for me. There were certainly some aspects that I could relate to and it's had me look down the route if I am on the spectrum of some degree. Do you know what? I've had a lot of people message me with a similar kind of like,

oh wow, that's how I think or that I really related to that and now it's prompted people to consider possibly getting their own cells diagnosed. Yeah. At the grand old age of 28, I've finally signed up for my local cricket team starting out with Wednesday night

B team games. I tend to struggle with nerves in team scenarios so any tips on dealing with the jitters in the lead up to the games. Keep on the good work and as a Lancashire member come on the thunder, all the best, Lee. Right Lee, learnt this this week when you're nervous or anxious, you breathe in for four

and out for four and in for four and out for four and it can be that simple just literally taking up catching your breath before you go into these scenarios okay the other thing that you don't like doing

but I like doing which I don't think Lee will do is hug people I hug people and I'm anxious because I just like okay well that's the greeting out of the way well what is it 14 hugs a day you should give 14's for growth I think seven keeps you at your level I'm rapidly declining because you don't want to hug anyone

I get scared right you get right this is good email for you Because you get quite anxious in new situations. So what would you do? What would your advice to Lee be? Lee, I probably just wouldn't go. You make your boyfriend go and do the golf lesson first. I take a friend. Always, always, always think about when we used to go to the gym.

I can't go on my own. I've been paying for Virgin across the road. For six months, I've been twice because I get so anxious about going to the gym. Try and find a friend. If you can't go with a friend, make a friend. Stick to them like glue. you'll still be together

17 years later live with them moving just pertly I like genuinely find a friend make a friend they also said to us this week which I found

I'm going to try and remember is that a lot of the stories that you make up in your head never happen and that's the anxiety that's the oh if I go there and I don't make friends and I'm not going to be picked

I'm not going to blah blah blah but they just don't happen so whatever you're thinking in your head really is unlikely to happen. So just go breathe and have fun. Cricket's great. Social. You will actually make friends. You will.

Because cricket is such. Everyone's got something in common. That's why you're there. Exactly. Good luck, Lee. Let us know how you get on. We've had one here, and this is from Olivia, another Olivia. Dear Kate and Alex, I've just listened to your episode with Olivia Thomas about being neurodiverse. I'm 15 and found out that I am autistic in October.

I'm still coming to terms with my diagnosis but listening to your episode made me feel so seen one of my special interests is cricket and listening to your amazing triple award-winning podcast and it helps me so much. After that episode, it should be quadruple. Quadruple, yeah. Thank you for doing an episode like this.

It really helps all neurodiverse people and raises awareness of what life is like for us. Thanks again and see you in the summer from another Olivia. And P.S., thank you for being one of my hyperfixes. Yes. you concentrate on us for the rest of your life. Keep hard to keep downloading our podcast.

Keep going. Just download it even if you don't listen. Hi, Kate and Alex. Please can I remain anonymous? I just wanted to say a massive thank you for your latest episode with Illamia. What is wrong with me today either? Olivia Thomas on autism. I'm about to start my A levels and I'm going through a diagnosis currently for autism. At the moment, things are very tough because of this and I have weekly meltdowns and struggles which require me to need a calm space to regulate and calm down because it becomes too much.

To hear Olivia talk so openly about her autism and how it affected her and how cricket helps with the struggles it was incredible to hear. To know there are people out there like me who play cricket at a high level means so much to me and that it's not impossible. It put a tear in my eye to give me someone who I can relate to and hear someone talk about their struggles I have so openly and honestly. autism isn't a disability it's a different ability

I love that that sign off is great very very good that was the one thing I think that resonated with me about how Liv spoke was just even for her day to day things are going to look different and she can't plan it's not like you've got

I don't know well it was like she said I can't have ADHD Monday Wednesday Friday and autism Tuesday Thursday Saturday I don't know how you cope with something like that obviously there's strategies out there and there's people that can help and medications that can help and stuff. But gosh, it must be so difficult. I'm going to, well, you read all the thank yous just to break them up.

I'm going to go to last week's episode, at last week's emails because we didn't quite get through any, well, we didn't get through any of them, did we? Well, maybe we could just say that we've had one, two, three, four, five, six, seven more thank yous that we haven't read out and we have actually read them. We've definitely read them. But we don't want this podcast to be just a thank you episode to Olivia Thomas. So one big thank you. Olivia Thomas for being amazing

Okay, this one says Dear Kate and Alex Oh this is from Tim Peach Dear Alex and Kate Now that Alex is retired She's free to pick and choose when to play Please can she confirm her availability For the annual BBC Sport Charity Radio

and TV versus the online match She'd be up against Harry Many thanks, Tim Peach He's the BBC Radio and TV captain When is it? No information given here Peachy. But he also says at the end,

maybe our listeners can give us some information about times that they've played against the other half. How has it gone? Does anyone beamed their partner? Anyone planning to beam their partner? Maybe let us know. I will play it if I'm free because it will feel so sweet

if I get Harry out. That is all we'll talk about on this podcast. Yeah. But then I don't want to play cricket. I've got sweaty palms thinking about playing. In for four and out for four Peachy

If you buy me a beer I'm in Easy Hi Kate Alex and Henry I have two guest suggestions One Amanda Jade Wellington And one Georgia Adams Wello is over here Playing for Western Storm

So might be available Last time I heard her Interviewed after the WBBL final She said she was concentrating on doing a Kim Garth And switching countries to England So that could be a talking point I don't think she actually wants to play for England

but she has got an English passport Oh, I didn't know that Yeah But they are two suggestions Wello would be good Weller would be great Weller does her own YouTube blogging doesn't she

So if you want to get Behind the scenes in the 100 teams She's a good follow She also has like one of those like things on Instagram What? Yeah you can like subscribe And it's more crickety Okay

This one is called Neutral Commentary from Alex Hartley And it's from Robert It says, ladies, thank you for the award-winning podcast. It's a little ray of sunshine in my life. Ah, I am prompted to write this, having listened and watched you commentating and summarising on the games in New Zealand. You are quite brilliant, and one would never guess at the close relationship, I assume, between

you and KC, from what you say in your capacity as a sports journalist. Having said that, it must be... Journalist. Having said that, it must be less difficult when KC is playing so well. KC. looking forward to the series in England have tickets for the games at the county ground, Taunton and the Roseball

Southampton. A.H. and Casey, please keep up the good work on both the podcast, playing, coaching and the journalism front. Can't regards Robert. P.S. My first inclination is to refer to you as Alex or Crossy as I feel that I know you, which obviously I don't. What are your

views on total strangers being familiar with you? Do you know what? It's something we've spoken about a lot, isn't it? I'd rather you call us Alex and Crossy than A-H-H-K-C But it does really indicate who they're talking to That's very true I

I forget that we put so much of our lives out on this podcast There isn't a week goes by where we don't disclose anything And sometimes we're a lot more open than we think we are And then we'll get people Come up to us Which is brilliant and I love it

I love people coming to talk to us But they'll say things And I'm like, how do you know that? Yeah So I don't mind it But the issue I have with it is when people don't let us know how they know us. So it happened to me on the train. I think I don't know.

They've talked about this on the podcast. But someone came up to me on the train and they were like, oh, weather looks terrible tomorrow crossy. I don't think you're going to play. So I looked at this person. I was like, oh my God, where do I know you from? And they obviously knew that I played cricket. And they spoke to me and they said my nickname. So I thought they knew me.

But then I felt really rude because I couldn't place the face with how I know this person. And I still to this day, I don't know who this person. and was. Yeah. And sometimes I think people get nervous and panic and just do that, don't they? But if anyone is going to do that, please just be like, I listen to the podcast or I watch you play for Thunder or just so that we can, yeah, it's just a bit easier. Otherwise, I'll call, who are you?

Yeah. Am I supposed to know you? Yeah. Yeah. But it's quite nice. It's a nice feeling. Yeah, it is. It's lovely.

And like your dad says, one day, no one will ever come up to you. Well, people might still come up to you. They might not ask you for an autograph. I've just mixed it. Stay in neutral in commentary though, Robert. I'm not a journalist. I will never, ever be a journalist.

And that word really pissed me off. Really gets to her. Your demeanour just changed when he said that. Journal? Robert. Oh, journal. No. You have to be.

And also you know that Crossie's not going to listen. Well, she's not going to go. I can't believe you said I didn't execute my slower ball when I thought I did. Except when people. consistently email the podcast telling me that you said

I'm a terrible tail ender or whatever it was. No, you actually listened back to that, didn't you? Yeah, and you're like, you call me a tailender. So now every time you're bat, I'm like, I'm not allowed to say

she's a tail ender, but people who don't listen to the podcast haven't got a clue. So like, when I'm like, on the telly in New Zealand, I'm going, I'm not allowed to say she's a tailender,

but she is batting number 10. They're like, what? Yeah, but she is technically a tailender. I'm like, she's not though. She's the best tailender in the world. But you still call me a tailender? No, I'm not saying you're a tailender He's just said I'm the best tailender in the world

Best number 10 in the world That's better You have to stay neutral Because I guess part of the job Is to be blunt My opinion on Crossy's performance Shouldn't matter to Crossy And my opinion on Sarah Glenn

or I don't know anything that goes on in that team environment anymore I'm literally playing a guessing game Every time we do the toss every time we do like interviews and obviously I've got some knowledge because I follow you every single game that you play and whatnot

but I don't know the conversations that you're having so whatever I'm saying you could turn around and go you've really made that up but then I often think I wonder if people think that you've got knowledge so if you do say something that you've got the knowledge from inside the group

but we're actually really quite good at that yeah nobody tells me anything yeah sometimes I'm like looking at you going who's playing are you playing or you're not and you're like you'll find out in 10 minutes I'm like out of the toss honey I'm like no I just

just for my own head should do one more yeah right I don't know how good this is but it's called universe cross love it it's already great dear Alex Kate and Henry and now Psycho oh yeah we need to introduce Psycho

we've got a new producer Chris Sykes everybody Yay Henry is doing his last couple of weeks with us RIP but Henry is going to concentrate on broadcasting. Yeah. So we've got Psycho for the summer.

You lucky devil. So if you want to address Psycho in the emails, he's called Chris Sykes, so... Yeah. He's a genuine psycho. Listen to the podcast. That is a throwback. I forgot about that.

We used to go around calling everyone psychopaths and then we realised it was probably really mean, so we stopped. But one in seven actually are. That's true. Dear Alex, Kate, Henry and Psycho, a note of congratulations to Kate on becoming England's women's

all-time leading run score in ODIs at number 10 or lower. Thank you. Only 48 more runs required for the outright record the stat at the time of the second ODI. Crossy.

I didn't get many in the third ODI. But you're on 100, this was that the second one. You're on 194 runs. Yeah. To become top of the international best batterers in the world at 10 or below 10 or below

you only need 48 runs so technically I could actually become what you say the best number 10 in the world you are the third best number 10 in the whole world that's class thanks Al

I'm buzzing you really are yeah I'm gonna I am actually going to aspire to get to the top of that yeah keep up the great work on the podcast John Leather

Universe Cross universe cross I think who started that? Was that fish? Because it's Universe Joss. Yeah. Well, it was Universe Boss for Chris Gale. And then Universe Joss, because Joss is just unbelievable. And then I got Universe crossed.

And now you actually are genuine all round. My dad texted me the other day. Let me read this out. Text me after our game, where is he? This could be anything. Oh, it's not that bad, but thanks for the tickets. Steady bowling and excellent batting. Definitely becoming an all-rounder.

Yes. This takes back saying third best in the world, Dad. At number 10. Or lower. But that's really annoying because next time you called it at 9 said, no, no, no. Yeah, no, I've got to be at 10. You've got to be at 10. Yeah.

Got a world record. Just let belly go ahead of me. Yeah, you've got another world record to get. Another one. Another one. Guys, it's raced by this week. It really has, hasn't it? And we thought we had a lot to talk about.

I know. And I was really flat before this podcast. And now I'm happy. We haven't mentioned the fact that the Men's World Cup squad has been announced. Provisional. Provisional. I've got till 25th of May we will do more podcasts before that gets announced

we will and just to say a big congratulations Joff was back I know how good how good I mean you got a hope and pray that this is the one that it just doesn't go again the elbow is okay he gets through it and he's there at the World Cup because it could make such a difference he is such a special special player

and I just hope he can play cricket I feel like it sums it up how special he is that he's not played cricket for two years and he's straight into a World Cup squad. That's how good he is. That is how good. So that's our whistle-stop tour

of the men's D-20 World Cup squad. Congratulations, everyone. I'll see you all next week. Universe Joss and Universe Cross. Don't forget to email us on. No Bowlspodcast at BBC.com.com. No-ballspodcast at BBC.com.com. It's so good.

They said it twice. Welcome, Psycho. Bye, everyone. Bye. Cross. I'm doing round of wicket. Oh, that's a bolder. Holder, 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. Welcome to the Toonie and Rousseau show on BBC Sounds. I am here with two of football's most famous friends, Alessia Rousseau and Ella Toon. Remember when you scored and you did like five different celebrations?

What did you do? Hands went up, hands went out, a jump. So awkward. Someone's given them to a podcast. Are you joking? It was like the best three years ever. I think I came back a bit Americanized. Yes, she did.

She started seeing these madmen. Sarker, like, Apple is like American action. They've been there a month. From BBC 5 Live, the Tini and Rousseau show with me, Vic Hunt. Listen on BBC Sounds.