Test Match Special - No Balls: The Cricket Podcast - Wood ya believe it!

Episode Date: November 29, 2021

Kate and Alex are joined by World Cup winner Mark Wood live from Australia ahead of the Ashes. Obviously, he weighs in on the Great Bread Knife Debate...

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. To embrace the impossible requires a vehicle that pushes what's possible. Defender 110 boasts a towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms, a weighting depth of 900 millimeters, and a roof load up to 300 kilograms. Learn more at landrover.ca. Before you get stuck into your podcast, I'm Jonathan Agnew talking you through a very new miniseries hitting test match special.

It's called Project Ashes. Over the last year, I've been speaking to the people who are in charge of England's attempts to win down under. It's loud. They let you know that they don't like you. Got to try and embrace it if you can.

We're under no illusions. You know, in our last 10 test, but 9-0 down. England have only won once in Australia in the last 34 years, but could that change this winter? And in comes Pat Cummins from the far-ready, Bowles to Stokes, who hammers it for four! Come up against this baggy green thing

that they keep talking about, and I'd love to, you know, stick one up on. This is Project Ashes. Listen on BBC Sounds. Now, back to your podcast. Guys, this is your warning. We do swear, occasionally. Every now and then, we'll say the word.

Sometimes. Sometimes. And even maybe. But don't let that put you off with nice people. We beep them out. So your kids can listen. Enjoy! And cross strikes in the first over.

It's what England we're looking for. Hartley balls. Down the track comes scoring this time she connects. It's either six or out. It's six. Hello and welcome back to No Balls to Bricket podcast with me, Alex Hartley, UK Cross. And I've got something for you this week.

That's your guess. Mike Wood. Hello. How are you? Woody, how are you? I'm all right. I'm locked in my room at the minute on the Gold Coast in quarantine, but not too bad. Just they've given a nice little box actually full of treats.

Unfortunately, the nutrition is not going to be happy with this, but I've bashed most of it. Most of it. So I'm just looking out on the top here. I say there's any left, but it's been. it's been tough going in the quarantine so far is that similar to the box that Stuart Broad put on his Instagram because I've been following Stuart quite

intently on Instagram to see what this quarantine's been like. Is that the same thing? He started almost like yoga gate didn't he hashtag yoga gate he's had every flavour going we've turned up there's only Greek yoghurt left I'm not very happy at all about that so

it is good though like they've looked after a well it's just it's a bit stricter here in Australia than what we've been used to So are you allowed out or anything? Are you like strict quarantine? No, you're allowed out on the sort of hotel complex. You're not allowed out of the hotel. We've been out for training and things like that a couple of times.

But the weather's been a bit naft. So yeah, we've been confined. They've given rules like we're on the pool. You have to wear your mask and things like that. So I'm constantly... Around the pool. Yeah. How's your tan coming along?

The best timeline you've ever seen here. We've been carrying a drink 24-7 at the pool, I'm like, well, I'm having a drink, so technically I'm not doing a drop. But we don't see any of the staff for anything. So the weirdest thing happened the other night was sort of like eating at tea. And this noise comes on the tannoy system saying, if you could just stay still, we're just sort of, it was like actually being in the big brother house. So I'm sure that they're just watching with 24-7. I've never see anybody. They're just watching on cameras. We've got the live stream here. We can watch it on tell me.

Is that what it is, is it? Yeah. So for anyone that doesn't know, you joined a little bit later. So the lads that played in that three-day game have already done their two-week quarantine. Oh, rub it in, crossy. Rub it in. No, no, no.

I'm just explaining to the listeners. So anyone that doesn't know. So you're a little bit behind with the quarantine, aren't you? Yeah, we get out. We go straight into a four-day game with the other guys. I mean, you've not missed anything because the other game's been rained out every day, hasn't it? So actually.

matter exactly so on the same boat on with literally you're in the sunshine coast as well aren't you and it's rain 24-7 yeah it's just been hammered down it's actually quite therapeutic about watching the rain for like a couple hours and i like yeah no i know i know what you mean tell me you're in quarantine without telling me you're in quarantine yeah but then after after a couple hours you're like right how well let's just have a little bit of sun here but um no it's been it's been quite nice to listen to the rain a little bit have you got a balcony i have We've got Milan's next door to me. I'm the end one, Milan next door,

and then it shifts around to works and Bastogne and so that. So, Gene Battel had a golf ball hit onto his balcony the other day. And so that was a bit of a shock for him. We've got some local residents, some birds that keep coming there, see where every morning, but I'm sure I'm malice feeding the birds, which isn't going to doing well with me. I'm like, keep them away from me.

Right, we've got one really important question, which is really strange, but do you wash your bread knife after you've used it? Well, I can give you an exclusive and say this is the lovely plastic plates we have to eat with every day. Not the usual china plates, but we've got some washing up liquid. Be nice enough to give with that. Yeah. And packets of wheat of eggs. It's not called wheatabics though, is it?

No, it's missing the air. Just wheat bicks. But Woody, when you're at home, you cut a bagel or a slice of bread, do you wash your bread knife? Or do you just give it a bit of a wipe? Do you, I see him. There's no judgment here, by the way. I probably wouldn't.

I'd just give her the old wipe and then back in there. This has been an ongoing debate on this podcast, and I think it's disgusting that she, because we live together now, so we're like working, we're finding out little nuances about each other and she doesn't wash the bread knife. so I have to wash it every time I come home. If it's only one could, you're just straight in, straight in, no one knows the difference.

Exactly. She doesn't know if I'm not washing it. Well, I do, because you told me live on a podcast. Anyway, cricket. Right, so the three-day game got abandoned. How does that, like, affect the mood going into an Ashes series, which obviously really well publicised? Is that something that people worry about?

Is there something you talk about? You've lost a bit of prep. What's the mood? I think it worries the hierarchy because of the prep this tour and against good opposition we're going to play the Lions sometimes you can come to Australia and they'll give you sort of medium pace

as on slow wickets and then you turn up the Gabba and it's fast 90 mile an hour so you get very different teams whereas this time we've brought where you know we're two stronger sides where the England Lions

and the England side so it's going to be good preparation against each other I think the four day game that would be more of a bigger where you know when everyone's together but I think it's just in general like it's just hard to put up with isn't it when you don't have this facilities and um yet preparing

and that's rain and it can be frustrating but um there's nothing you can do about it's like you just got you just got to get on with it'll be the same part for their side as well i know obviously they're used to conditions more than us but it's just the way it is yeah and i saw that everyone was indoors as well yesterday as well like that you go over to australia to prep to get out in the sun don't you and then it's frustrating when i mean you could have been luffrey with us in that tent there's always a couple of princesses like I'm not

training indoors that's you yeah I know that's you Alex I'll be honestly I'm with you I'm one of them and I'll see that

my ankle quivers at the side of an indoor seminar it's like nah I kind of put up with this honestly

like even though I'm a spinner am I run up so different indoors I'm like it's not worth it it's not worth

going in the Swede speaking of your biscuit ankles how are you how's the injury obviously you start to walk up yeah not bad

had it injected So that was another one to me list. I'm thinking I'm on 834 now, so not doing too bad. But no, actually it's been all right, training here and stuff. So it's just trying to get up the speed with actually getting from four Rovers of the World Cup up to, you know, potentially ball in 25 and stuff like that. So I've been walking lapsing that as well. So I look like that.

That blow, I just works on the boundary by himself. Time on feet and all that. Exactly. What are you most looking forward to in the ashes? So when you go over there to play, like, what's the one thing you like? Can't wait for that. I think the first day of the first test would be pretty special. Obviously, you know, every England critic I want to play out in Australia and do well here.

So I think that first morning, I'll be a bit of, like, you know, nerves flying around and stuff. So I think that'll be pretty special. The atmosphere will be good. That'll be that big build up. Of course, the Aussies, they'll be right up for it. So I'm looking forward to that first morning just to get, you know, you know, that nervousness out of the way and get into it, really. Do you have any, like, fears when you're playing in the ashes?

Or is there anything that, like, is there any player in particular to think, like, I want you to be my bunny this series? I think everybody's thinking Steve Smith there, aren't they? Yeah. I didn't say Steve Smith? He'd be mine. I think, like, Warren has a key, key wicket, obviously at the top of the order, but Steve Smith's done well against him lately, so, and he always seems to do well in Asher series.

so that'll be a big wicket as well, you know, they're a good team. I think if we can get runs on the board, which is, you know, which is what Chris Silverwood outlines what to do, can we get a big first-ins score with a bat? If we can do that, I think if you look at one line-up, you know, to the best of our broadie, Jimmy, and then you've got Wokesy who has done really well lately in the World Cup. We've got plenty of depth in our bowling line-up to if we get those first runs, you know, the pressure of that scoreboard and I think we can do really well

so get the ones on the board and then it's a totally different game from an Aussie batten line up looking at the looking at like that so what you're saying is but you hope the batters are listening to this podcast I need to pull a finger out scores some months rack them up

give us a chance rack them off give us a chance hashtag rack them off I like that which ground are you most looking forward to playing on of all the ones that you're going to go to? Brisbane just because I played club cricketer so I played on the Gold Coast

club cricket, 20 minutes down the road from where we are, three times here, so I'll have a little bit of support for, although there'll still be Aussies, they'll still make support us a little bit. What's the crowd actually like when you're playing? Is it a nightmare? It's just, you know, there are big rivals on this, so that the Vowah's got something to see,

a bit chirpy and stuff about. That's fine, that's the way it is. Last time, we're here for the one day series, we've won the series, so they won't as churby, but a couple of times they'll say, oh, will you sign this, and you can't assign it, and then they'll give you, like, the middle finger or something like that as you go back. No, it's not, it's never sort of, the thing is here, it's just like, wood, you're at, and you're like, all right, great one. Yeah, that's good.

You can say it on this podcast. All right. Wood, you're a whitt. I'm like, I'll have a little bit of support, though, Brisbane with, like, I say, I know a few people here. So hopefully I might get a field in that corner rather than the other corner. Yeah. Right. Okay.

So you're fast bowler, have you always bowled fast? Like, as you were a kid, we're like, I am quicker than everyone else here. Absolutely not. I was a little swing ball. I batted number three, little swing ball. I like second change. And then it wasn't until I got on the academy thorough and I started to put on.

I had a growth spirit around 16, 17, believe it or not. I mean, I'm the shortest fastball I ever, but I did actually have one. And, you know, around that time, I just seemed to put on the yard of pace out of nowhere. where my action now is still fairly similar to what it was like as a kid. And then went on the Academy of Durham, developed a little bit more, went away to Australia.

And I think just, you know, the constant bowling held that did some tinkering with the Academy coach, John Windows. And all of a sudden got this sprint, I've run up that, you know, people sort of recognised when I first got on the England team. And, yeah, just through, you know, a bit of robustness, through gym work and stuff, which I hadn't really previously done at Durham. But when I got in the England stuff, I started to do a lot more. and you know look after myself a little bit better

and then I got a bit of more pace than and then it isn't until I've changed me to run up again that seemed to have gone up again so I don't know what's next I don't know what else I can do literally cricket's never ending it like I'm getting to the back end of my career I've got to pre-season like what we're going to do

is you're going to try and change your action I'm like brilliant again okay thank you I just wait for the next five like I've had things where I've had to run through like you know sticks and jump off boxes I'm wondering on what the next thing's going to be, the MFD.

Yeah, I'm there at the minute. But, like, Woody, when I mean, I can't bowl quick. Like, it's kind of relative, I guess, in the women's game. But, like, when I try and bowl really fast, it comes out so much slower. So, like, do you run in and think, I'm just going to whang this down as fast as I can? Or is it just all your action? It depends. If Geoffrey Archer has it met off, then I am trying to wing it as fast as I can,

just so he can't get him here anymore. But, no, I think there is something in that, in the fact that, you know, if you, often if I try too hard and you get a bit tense and it's not as natural it doesn't flow as well and you actually both slow and not as accurately

at times where I think I've pulled fastest I felt loose, rhythmical it's been like a float and you run open everything's been in a sort of straight line and seemed dead sort of simple but then times where I've had to force it I've actually bowled poorly not as quickly at all

so it's probably something in that you're saying there is actually you know can you simplify as best you can to try and bowl fast. I always think as well because I'm a spinner. If you're a fast bowler and you try and ball it like stupidly fast, that's where you're going to get your little side strains. Because

who is it? Jack Blatherwick for Lanks just tried to bowl a rocket and he was injured then. No, I think, look, injuries are part and past of bowling fast and that's always something that's going to be there. I think if you look around the world nowadays, though, it doesn't matter if you bowl fast

because if you look at the dog sticks and everything like that, people are used to face some fastball and bowling machines that prep for that. The thing that's deadly for batterers now is movement with the pace. So that's something that I've been personally trying to work on. You know, if you can bowl fast, great, that's, you know,

a strength of a bro, but if you can add something else, that makes you a bit more deadly. So that's what I've got to try and get better at. You just mentioned injuries there. You've obviously, like, had some quite a few in your career. Like, what's your mindset with that? Is that, every time you get injured, is that, like, a massive, like, while you're smiling?

everything people say that. I think of the, you know, the game operation where people prod it and there's different bits light up. So it's what's like, like, someone's got a voododal out there and just putting needles or pins somewhere. I've had every injury going. I'm just taking them off one by one. Well, like, how do you cope with it, genuinely? Because it is hard coming back from injuries, isn't it? It's massive setback.

Yeah, no, it's hard. It is difficult. No, it's hard. You know, after the third operation, I was like, I've had enough for this. I can't really be probably come back through the rehab and, um, you know rehab's boring too isn't it it's like really really boring stuff to do you get the you get the bit where you have the you know if i've had an operation or whatever where you have the operation and you just think right that's it i'm back but actually then you think well it's a long road

it's got to get bad eye you got to see physios you got to and then you get in the gym then it's slow then you're bowling off one step and then eventually you get further and then you get there and i've done that twice and then i broke down again which was the hardest bit um so then the thing that you've got to keep doing that it's just you know annoying and boring but if you can keep the end goal on sight and, you know, when I've played for, you know, whether I would be Ashton, Durham, England, I actually love playing cricket,

so, and I find it good fun and stuff like that, so I suppose it's worth it if you can keep powering through. So is that the final thing that, like, gets you back over the line, is just the fact that you love cricket and you want to carry on playing? Yeah, I mean, once you, it's a bit addictive, actually, when you, you know,

you have the highs of coming for England or, you know, Durham and big game. games and stuff. You want to be a part of it. And when you're not in it, it's actually hard to take. I don't like watching actually sometimes when I'm in Jack, because I'm like, I just kind of deal with it very well because you want to be involved.

So at times I've been like literally bouncing off the walls, as I'm sure you can imagine, like just energy want to do something. I mean, you love cricket that much. You've actually turned up in your England kit. So, you know. Exactly. Just wait, let's start bowling a few outswing. I see as your chat.

Asking if your action's all right. Right, let's have some fun That's enough about cricket We ask this to every guest that we have on And you've actually featured as an answer With a couple of questions Come on We'll let you know who said what

Is it who wears the people in kids most Who do you consider your best teammate What, like ever Or in England, an England restaurant Both Well, if you're going to say someone called Tom from your club

and no one will know who that is. We had a guy at Ashton actually just there called Bob the Dog and Burb the Doug from Ashton but now I kind of picked Bob the Doug it'll have to be so when I first got on the Durham side

you know there was a few of it together in terms of like Graham Clark who still is a great lad Ryan Pringle, Ben Ryan and that was my sort of academy side they were great lads and the England set up I spent a lot of time with Liam Plunker, Chris Wokes

Johnny Bastos here in this group I spent time with him I don't know I don't know how I'd have to say He don't listen so it doesn't matter From our amount of time Within the one I probably spent the most time with It's probably Pudsy Lean Plunget

Right That's got an answer You're like how wet Lean punk it Sorry You've just named the entire squad That's gone out to the Oches That's interesting you say Chris Wilkes there

As best team mate Because I think he said the same No, I think he said So anyway, our next question is Which you featured on Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's come back here Who did he see it? If I'm stirring the pot, yeah, let's get it fully out there

I'm sure Woksey had you down as the most annoying Nah, that was Jimmy Because Wokesy was too nice to answer What's going on you? Yeah, that wasn't Wokie was Jimmy Yeah, yeah, who's next?

Yeah, Brody said you're in a night now too so then the next question is who's the most annoying which unfortunately you have featured in more than you think Jimmy and Roxy obviously no they said it with like love and tenderness and they were like he's just he's he needs quiet time sometimes

you know Jimmy was like he's annoying I can go out and make coffee didn't he did that thing on friends of us quite a few time they give it the old the roster I've got to just simmer down a little bit to do do that it was quite a bit actually when I think about it.

Oh, you're going to go back with a complex? I know, we've probably stirred the pot there. We hope it's a united dressing room and the bowling unit a really good this winter because otherwise it's our fault. Yeah.

If you weren't a cricketer, what would you be doing? Well, I wanted to be a school teacher at one point, so I was trying to get a degree and stuff I had to go into that. sort of say I think so anything to

do with sport I loved so probably PE teacher I'm going to see I could so see you but you'd be

a cool PEAT I think although your name had been Mr Wood hey

get in lane did that name there bang say I've nailed it one audition done

one audition we don't have any power to get you a job would he right

what has what's been your best moment in cricket so far winning the World Cup

Easy. Boring. Yeah. Boring. You were. How can I see anything else? Well, you might have had a really good game for Durham that you loved. Or Ashington might have won like the Cup.

Oh, yeah, right. Actually, under 13s Ashton versus Time Off great game. What a game. What's been that one moment, your worst moment and the cricket field where you've gone. Oh, God. I played a game injured at Trent Bridge, where it was like just get me out of this ground for the whole game I had a bruised heel

I remember the game before stupidly I put in the wrong insult into my shoe and it was like an old one that I'd put in that was like it must have been broken or something I'd landed funny on it my heel was a bit sore and I was humming and harring

whether I should play and you know the support staff can give you the old what do you think they ask you and you're never going to turn it down on you when you're in the team so I was like I think I can get through it and I was like bowling in the warm one I was thinking this is absolutely knacken, but I'll take some tablets and that and I'll be all right. And then the first over, obviously, the attention is a bit more.

I was like, I could hardly walk here. I remember, I like, warm back, and I was like trying, the cameras are on. You try and not like, Sean, they're going, just breathe, like, trying to breathe away. I was like, I didn't get any wickets, funny enough, bowled really slowly, pulled poorly, and didn't get any runs. So it was one of them get. That's my career. I got, I got on the car, the thing that couldn't have been any worse was I got in the car, Keaton Jennings, Keaton at the time had a perfect drive by Keaton's on the side of his car.

No, he didn't. He just been nicked off by Philanda for like next to nothing twice. And Ash, car shared with him. So the only thing that cheered us up was, as we're leaving the ground, he was getting all the stick. So it's like in the past Jesse thinking, it's not being too bad, isn't I mean? I've had a bad game, but I'm not, you know, caught to Cockball, Philanda, a lovely, lovely drive by Keaton Jennings on the side of the car. Why do we not know about that? Oh, God.

He probably went and got that printed as well. it wasn't a sponsor was it right can you confirm a rumor for us please yep in the World Cup I can't remember which game it was but you booted a ball at the stunts

and it went down to deep fine leg and did you shout someone's name whilst doing that I did I who was it Shira I thought he was Shira

we had Saladown yeah Crossy thought he was Salad the rumour is that you got a bit of a telling off from Morgan I did, just a little bolligan eye. I did get one. What did he say? Well, the thing is,

it was cut through it wasn't even that bad. He just went, you could have picked that up boss. I was just like, oh. It's like one of them where you're not angry, I'm just disappointed. Disappointed. Because you never seen the motion. What do you think about fine legs?

You bring fine leg off there, man. Trying to get him back and say, he was like, no, having it. You could have picked that up boss. Yeah, I could have, but it was funny, wasn't it? I shouted Shira. Yeah. I had a massive bruise on my foot the next day.

The physio wasn't impressed either, so I was in the bad boots for a little bit. Is that how you got your bruised heels? Exactly. I've got to stop doing it. I just see the opportunity and I see Josh's face light on. I think I've got to do it. It's so worth it, though. If you hit and get the run out, like Sam Curran had in the summer,

it's so worth it, isn't it? And it's even worse for it because he's not even a good footballer. So that's the problem. You know, I've been practicing for yes, for that moment. I still haven't hit the stunts. He does it once. Couldn't believe it. You do it to point.

are you one of those players I'm one of these players that has to well they always finds themselves just getting a little stop getting in trouble no more stop just calm down

more that kind of guy stop being annoying I stop being annoying sort of thing but I'll win Jimmy and walks you round don't worry I'll win them round I'll step it up another notch

just to just to power through we're actually thinking like what can we get you to do during the ashes and maybe it is just to wind those two up. Well, let's see how they're bowling and how we're getting on first. Because I'm a disaster like

when we're not speaking of each other at mid-off and mid-on. Just throw his shit at each other. Right, last couple of questions, then we've got a few little emails that we want to go through with you. Did you, by any chance, see that we had our own World Cup going on during your World Cup? No.

Big fan of the pod. So we had a hat-stander. We did. Where we collated all the pictures and images and videos of the captains wearing multiple hats. Yeah. Bovuma won it for South Africa in the end. It went down to public vote and he came out on top. But we were just like thinking, was it a plan in the dressing room to get Morgs looking as daft as he possibly could? Like, did you wear your floppy thinking he's got to wear this? Believe it or not, no.

Oh, come on, would he Sorry to disappoint you But no, that wasn't the case And maybe it's a fact that You know, circumference-wise He's got the biggest head So just latches are nice and easy, I don't know But now it was just, you know,

toss him your cap when you're coming on. He often comes to speak with you So it's just like high detainment I reckon during the ashes We've got a like cat floppies Stack floppies on Rudy I'm hearing you, I'm hearing you Broad is a big one for a floppy

so hopefully we can he may give him that one his hat right on this podcast we have a little section called LBW which is anything that you or a friend does that is a little bit weird so we were wondering have you got any little niche things that you do that your misses is like what you're doing that for that's weird so like me not cleaning the bread knife Crossy sits in the house with their shoes and coat on. Not all the time, but I do keep my shoes on like most of the day. So, yeah, it's something that you don't think's weird, but someone else sees it and I'm like, you psychopath, what are you doing?

Bowling, like practicing me wrist any time of the day, I'll just be sat down at this beginning. Do you actually? I say, what are you doing? And then I just, like, sometimes this is God's honest truth as well. if I think of something I've done where I'm not happy about it or I'm embarrassed by it

I'll clip one off my hip I'll just go like right that's it I don't know why I did it I just think off the hit and then it's a reset button I'm back to normal

that is brilliant so one emailed us in saying that they actually like every three steps run down the street and fall and we found out that they were an adult as well they weren't its little child

Is it Jack Leach by any chance is that what he does he looks even if it doesn't have to be a mirror it could be like a pane of glass with the reflection in he's like constantly like getting all that front leg and just like he's got a good drop on it

I could do spend a bit of time with Jack Leach then so we thought we'd go through a few LBWs with you and get your opinion on our strange fans that we've got okay so when you get a curry do you have the rice and curry in the same bowl but separate or mix everything together

My brother does the latter, which I think is psychopath behaviour. So he gets a curry and like... Mixes it all together. Nah. Has it, like, writing curry. No, I'm not having that leg. It's got to be separate. Keep it separate.

Okay. So, Guy, your brother... You mix it, like, get a bit of each and mix it and not. But never like, no. No, I'm not having... Spoon it all together. It's not a bowl of porridge. We had one as well, just what we're remembering.

A guy takes his Hoover on holiday with him. No, again, that's mega weird. Imagine backing your dice and up to go to Australia. We're a bit over, love. What is it? That's the Hoover. It's the Hoover. I'm going to have to leave the Hoover.

No, it's got to come with. This is from Vicky, and she says, I love a rom-com who doesn't. However, when I'm watching one and it gets to the part where they get back together, usually after some kind of confusion which leads to a falling out, I get a weird pain in my right hand, which means I have to shake it around in the air. I don't know if that's weird It's just

Maybe you know Got the dot answer of an eye Yeah maybe you need actual medical attention About that, Mickey Hello both and Mark Wood This had to be a feature Because this is more than Psychopath Behaviour

I don't even think it fits under LBWs I was talking to someone about DIY And we were talking about putting curtains up And the fact we can't do it ourselves They then went on to say They don't have curtains up in their bedroom And I was like, okay, have you just got a new house? To which I asked, have you got a new house?

Have you got a blanket up? Have you got any sheets or anything? The reply was, no, I sleep without curtains. I don't have any up. She gets changed and does her hair with a little lamp. Anyone can just look through the window? No curtains, that's weird. I couldn't do that.

I've got to have the room blacked out to sleep. I couldn't have anything put them through. Need light, no, not even the, you know, the little alarms you get in. They've got to be folded down. Yeah, I'm the same. Yeah, no lights or anything. Hotel rooms are a nightmare for that because they just seem to have every

electronic device that they possibly can in that room. And this bird, that malaz sort of befriended 5 o'clock every morning that's woken on. Honestly, it doesn't get it, doesn't it? It's got to be dark, totally black, no a noise for us to sleep. Just doesn't get it. So you need that bird removed. Yeah.

Right, last one. When I'm making hot chocolate, I eat the paste during the making process. I make a paste with cold milk and then add hot milk like a normal. person. That's from Ibby. What?

I feel sick. That's not right that lady. Nah. I'm not having it. What? As in like the powder? I think so they must yeah, they must heat the milk up separately. Oh. And then make the powder and eat that.

That's the sort of people that listen to this podcast. Who we've got? How do you speak? Are you having me saliva? Did you ever see the cinnamon challenge as a kid? Did you ever try that? I tried the wheat ofix. No, I tried the crack out. In fact, Woody, you've got some wheat of it.

Nice try. Absolutely not. No, Woody, you've been an absolute belter. Thank you so much for your time. And best of luck with the ashes, we'll be watching now for Root and Brody's floppies. Thank you very much. Thanks to having us.

Thanks, Sue. Thanks. What is wrong with me? It is too early. Honestly, I'm so sorry to get you on this early. No, no, no. It's our podcast. We decided this. It's fine. Yeah. It's fine. Midway through, you're going to start like the old.

To Alex's questions. Eating Brecky. Yeah. I'm going back to bed. She's got training. Yeah, I've got to get up for training. Do you actually want to say thanks and then we can put that in? Oh, sorry. I didn't mean this was still gone. Sorry, professional. No, no, we're not. I just didn't say thank you.

Thanks, Woody. We are done now. Amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you. Nice one. Thank you. See you later. See you later. Bye, bye. Bye. Bye. Well, once I got my words out. I don't know. See you, Sue. I just really miss going upstairs with Sue.

Oh, gosh. I mean, what a belter. He was, I think he'd just been training, hadn't he? Well, I hope he had other. I don't think he did. He's put his kit back on. Hopefully as well, we'd get him in full. in a bit more of the ashes hat stacking. Yeah, he didn't seem keen, though, did he? I don't know, he said he heard us. Yeah, well, we'll see. He gets told off of being annoying, though, because you can imagine Root

when he's like five days into a test match and Woody's trying to tell him to put three more hats on? Do you think he's now sat in his room and being like, oh, I'm the most annoying? Oh, yeah, I do feel like we stirred the pot a bit. Yeah, literally were like, Jimmy said you're annoying. Yeah. I'm still sure that Wokesy was the one that said that.

Oh, yeah. Oh, who knows. Do you want to quickly go upstairs with Sue for one? Yeah, no, I want to actually, I want to actually discuss something with you, just really quickly. When you get in the shower, oh yeah.

Which way do you face? This is what you've been wanting to discuss this last week. Yeah, it is. It was on, I'm a celebrity, get me out of here, and I thought, you know what, great question. It is a great question. I rotate, I think. It depends if I'm washing my hair

If I'm washing my hair Then I'd go back to Back to water Because obviously my hair needs to be that way But more I think more often I'm front to water Twizzling But more front

More front to water See I'm back to water And I just let my head drop So my head doesn't get wet So it's hitting your neck Yeah You're pointing to your back Yeah

Yeah good question of that isn't it? It is it Again, I think it's another one that will spark debate. Yeah, because I text you about it. You're like, wow, I don't know which way of this. And I didn't know. And I had to get in the shower and think about it. So anyway, I need to shower.

So I'll let you know this morning as well. Yeah, nice. Guys, thank you very much for listening. Have you got anything? We'll end it there. What's the plot this morning? So just to give you a bit of context, we had to get up at 7 this morning to interview Woody.

It was dark. I've never got up in the dark. I can see the light is just, lights coming on outside and the sun's coming up. You've got to go to training. Honestly, this is the first time I've got up and it's been dark. I was like, what is this going on? People do this every day though. No, honestly, I have huge respect for you guys to get out of bed at the dark.

You must go to work in the dark and come home in the dark and that is not okay. School used to be like that, though, didn't it? You go to school, it was night time and you'd go to come out and it'd be nighttime. But it is that, in seriousness, it's that time of year where it's quite difficult, isn't it? And we've had a lot of messages, amazing messages, especially because it was our two-year birthday. Happy birthday to us. We had loads of messages saying that we've really influenced people's lives, either for the better

or for the worst. But thank you. We did read them all and they were amazing and we quickly remembered why we do this podcast. We do indeed. And remember, if you need someone, you've always got us. You've always got us. Yeah, now we can say goodbye. Now we can say goodbye.

Don't forget to email us on No Bowlspodcast at BBC.co.com. No balls podcast at BBC.com. It's so good. They said it twice. See you, everybody. Bye-bye. I should have done an Aussie accent. Put another shrimp on the barbie.

Catch you, mate. And cross strikes in the first over. It's what England we're looking for. Partly falls down the track. Come scoring this time she connects. It's either six or out. It's six. Match of the day.

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