Test Match Special - No Balls: WAshes stage is set

Episode Date: January 10, 2025

Alex Hartley & Kate Cross have a final catch-up before the Women’s Ashes get underway. Kate gives an injury update with the first game right around the corner, and they discuss why women should play more Test cricket.Vote for No Balls in the Sport Podcast Awards 2025 – we’re nominated for THREE categories, and it only takes a minute to vote:Best Cricket Podcast https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-cricket-podcast/Best Sports Comedy Podcast https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-sports-comedy-podcast/Diverse Voices Award https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/sports-diverse-voices-award/Listen to every ball of the Women’s Ashes from Australia on BBC Sounds, or via the BBC Sport website or app. The first ODI starts at 11:30pm on Saturday 11th January.

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you're getting a fair exchange rate with no extra markups. Be smart. Join the 15 million customers who choose Wise. Download the Wise app today or visit wise.com. T's and Cs and Cs apply. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. Al, we've been told we've got to issue a swear warning, because you over there, potty mouth. Not her another one. You swear sometimes. I do. I do.

I'll sometimes say you're a f***. And we've got to remember that your grandma listens to this podcast. She also abuses me on social media. She does, but that's by the bye. We'll beep them out. So your kids can listen. Cross. I'm doing round the wicket.

Holder. Boulder. Laving a ball alone, Litchfield. I think it's the wobble ball. And it just nips back, it jags back It's the nipbacker That is a beauty from Kate Cross An absolute seed

That is a beauty from Cross Hello and welcome back to No Bowles of Crickle podcast With me, Kate Cross And you're Alex Hartley And you've made it We're in the same room Got lost on the bridge Right

Because I'm the other side of the harbour bridge And I thought I'll go for a walk To meet you Because we're going to go for lunch And then obviously we were like we should probably do the podcast because the ashes start on the ashes Sunday

so I went for a walk and I'm walking down the hill and it's like 40 minute walk I'm at perfect you need to get an exercise today so I'll get a walk in it said then get the ferry so I'm stood at the ferry harbour

and I'm like I'm not getting a ferry I want to walk across this Sydney Harbour Bridge so I go back up the hill over the bridge it down absolutely get across the bridge I'm not following my map because I'm like you're the other side of the bridge

I ended up on the motorway You text me saying I've got lost on the bridge And I've never known anyone get lost on a bridge Because to me bridges are just a straight road From one side of water to the other Yeah, I got over the hard bridge Didn't get lost on that one

Oh right Ended up on another bridge At which was a motorway And I'm not sure it's for pedestrians Probably not No, I was above the ferry harbour Should have got the ferry Should have got the ferry

Probably would have got you straight to my door Anyway, I'm here You're in Australia And it's rained every day since I got here. Yeah, actually, probably the brightest it's been since you've arrived. There's a little bit of blue sky over there, a tiny bit. Yeah, a little bit.

Disaster, really, because I was expected a bit of vitamin D. Never rains in Australia, does it? Sydney loses more days of cricket than Manchester. I use that, but with every cricket ground in Australia when it rains now, just to not like the truth getting away of a good story. But we had a Governor General meet and greet thing at the house the other day before the game, before the warm-up game and Heather had to do a speech

and she was like before anyone says it I have not brought the weather which me because that's all we get isn't it is English and you come over here and it rains

on the radio yesterday oh well it's been sunny all summer and you've turned up it's raining oh do you think I bottle the clouds in my suitcase

and then just dump them yeah someone said something about it'd been rubbish weather I was like well it's snowing in England so minus six

I'm terrible minus six at least here I've got a tiny thin jacket on yeah nice but it's the only one I brought

and I've worn it every day because it is quite you need a walkproof We'll get you an umbrella. Yeah, I'll lose it. Probably. How are you? I'm all right.

I'm all right. I'm over the jet lag now. I actually did really well with Jetlag this time. Yeah. Yeah, I didn't wake up at 2 in the morning and stay away until 5, which I think if you can sleep through. You've grown up a bit on you a little bit. Grow up, JetLeg's a myth.

You had a bad night first night. Yeah, I would like to publicly say that JetLag was a thing in my life or is a thing in my life this trip. And I brought it on myself. Because it's an apology? No, no. It's just my fault. Okay.

Because normally I'm fine. But I slept from Manchester to Dubai, seven hours. I was awake for three hours. And I slept from Dubai to Sydney. Woke up in Sydney 14 hours. I slept for 19 hours. Landed at midnight. And I was awake until 8 p.m. the next day.

I was lying in my bed watching the clock. It's 3 a.m. It was 4 a.m. Well, I actually saw Glenn. So Glenn came to see me at 1 until 3. And then I was like, okay, I'm going to try to sleep now. And then I was like, I'm so awake. It was so bad.

Oh, do it. But you're fine now. Yeah, half past six. Coffee shop opened at 6. I was in there having coffee, which probably didn't help. The beautiful thing about Jetlag is you do wake up early and you feel really quite smug. Yeah. And like you get stuff done and it's like not even 9 a.m.

Yeah, but it did get to like 11 o'clock the next day. I was like, I don't want to go for a beer? and you're like, it's not 4 p.m. Yeah, it's morning time. Yeah, you've got to control yourself there. Yeah. So it's 1 o'clock. It feels 5 o'clock, but we're alive in Kika.

Just reminding me that, looking at your watch. Should we announce the winner of the Steps Challenge? We should announce the winner of the Steps Challenge. It was me, everyone, obviously, because Alex is using the excuse that I'm a professional athlete. Yes, I am quite happy, and you only beat me by like 2,000 steps. I'm a professional athlete with a poorly back, though. But I am more than happy.

to be defeated by somebody in their prime. I'm not in my prime, bloody hell. If this is me in my prime, I'm... I was going to do another step's challenge because obviously I'm walking a lot here because over the bridge, you know? It's already done 5K today. Nice.

As in 7,000 sets, but 5K. But I thought, no, it's not fair. It's not fair. I'll just lose. And also, yeah, and also we have to hand our watches when we play cricket because I'd definitely beat you if we could play in our watches. Yeah.

Because they can get texts on them. You have to hand them in before the game. But you also said, you'll beat me because on a game day, obviously I've got to hand my watcher. On a game day, I sit at eight hours. Maybe we should have a little step's challenge. It's definitely motivated me to exercise. Yeah, I've noticed that.

My mom messaged me the other day. She's just learned how to do a video voice note, video note. And she just, she's in her dressing gown with a cup of tea under the duvet going, are you obsessed with running? I think you're obsessed with running. She was like, by the way, it's freezing here. Awful.

I was so bad I'm not in the snow. Yeah. Think how bad your back would be in the cold? Yeah, it's true. How is it? Where are we up to with this? You've lost track. You haven't told the no balls, listeners, anything about your back.

Right, so got back from South Africa, tried to have another little ball between getting back and Christmas, and it didn't go well. So we scanned it again, and I ended up going for an epidural, which we've spoke about this. We thought that that was only for pregnant ladies. Yeah. I was like, what?

Are you going to, like, not be able to feel your toes? Little twinkle, toes are you going to disappear? I thought that. But apparently, an epidural is just the actual way you get injected. So it's an injection in your back. So when I'm in is then different based on whether you're pregnant or whether you've got a bowler's back. Right.

So, yeah, I ended up having an injection on Christmas Eve. That's how good our science and med team are. Christmas Eve. My doctor spent Christmas Eve with me in Oxford. Oh, it was wholesome as well. It was wholesome. Well, other than the needle in that. Yeah.

and then what did that injection do so they put in a steroid and they put in an anaesthetic so the scam saw a tiny little bit of fluid and it's the frustrating thing with this injury is that structurally my back's fine there's nothing in there that suggests I should be in as much pain or as much discomfort

or as much limited movement as I am which is frustrating the hell out of me because I think if like I had a slip disc or something drastic I'd get it if I looked at I was a doctor I looked at your scan, I'd be like, she's fine. Not completely. Like, there is something on there to, otherwise I wouldn't have had the injection.

So there's basically, the way our doctor described it to me, he said, I've looked at the area that you tell me the symptoms on, and I think I can see a little bit of fluid, but if you'd not told me you had any symptoms, I wouldn't have noticed it on the sky. So it's kind of all a bit causal, I guess. But the problem with backscans is they never give you the full picture. Like, there's been times in the summer,

I was spasming just before the, stand series. So I had a big back spasm just before Taunton and we scanned it and it just looked like the perfect back and I can't move. So I'm not perfect. I'm not perfect. So yeah, so the point of that is to try and reduce the inflammation and reduce the pain which should then help me start moving again because when you've got a bad back, your muscles all spasm, they protect you from moving so you don't move. Right. And so the point of it is. Which is what create is stiff. Yeah. Right. Okay. So that makes sense because I've obviously had back spasms but not anywhere near as bad as this

and after like two or three days I can move again and I'm like, what's that about? So if you think about when you did your neck in that test match I don't want to ever think about that again so you caught a nerve and your neck then gets stuck like there

doing the test so your muscles have tightened up to stop you from getting that nerve again but why would it obviously you're not stuck with your head down but why would then my neck be stuck in a position so that you can't catch that nerve again? Right.

So it's your body's way of protecting you. So you're protecting the bottom of your spine. Yeah. So my back's almost over, working too hard at the minute. So the point of the injection is just relax it. So we've got over here, had a couple of days where I've been able to do a bit of bowling, but, you know, if I'm being honest, it's not moving as quickly as I would have liked. But it's so unpredictable.

And each day I've just basically got to speak to the physios and say, this is how I'm feeling. This is where my movement's at. So we've kind of got to take it day by day. Yeah. But with the time pressure of a series starting on some. day so it's quite a rat's full yeah and i am 33 and it could be my last ashes series certainly probably likely to be my last ashes series in australia so make you sad that you've got so back during what could be your last ashes in australia yeah yeah and it's all you can think about because

it's not an injury that like it doesn't just hurt when i bowl it hurts when i try and put my shoes on it hurts when i move in bed like it's everything i do comes back to my back so it's not even like I can try and switch off from it. But the one thing, the positive thing is that, you know you've got this series and then you can just rehab afterwards. Yeah, well, I've got the BPL. But you can push yourself through. Well, I'll try to.

Like, I've always said with injuries, like, I'm pretty good with pain. Yeah. Like, my back hasn't been good since February last year. So I've played a summer in pain, but it's manageable. What this is doing is actually restricting me. So what does you rehab look like? A lot of stuff for my glutes. a lot of like trying to stretch my back and move it.

I'm getting a lot of dry needling. I don't know if you ever had dry needle acupuncture done before. But that's where, so the needle goes in and out to try and like start your muscle moving. So it like twitches. Sounds like it makes their own muscle spasm. Yeah, basically. So there's been a lot of that. It's not been a great time, obviously.

Injuries never are. You've got a new best friend? I'm really worried that you and the physiognos. Lots of new best friends that have got all sorts of new friends are. Right. I asked you a really, like, I don't know what, is it a stupid question yesterday? So the warm-up gave yesterday, we'll talk about it. You were bowling off your full run-up in the indoor school.

And you were like, it was good, it was better than it has been, but it was still sore. But when people are sore, they break something, you can have a local anaesthetic? And I was like, can you not just have that? I've not been offered one, actually. We did the local anaesthetic when it first happened. So, like, in my mind, because you've had the act, not the acupuncture, the epidural and you've delivered your baby. And every food's fine.

For me, that fixes it and can you not just have a pain med to stop it hurting? But I've had the, I've technically had the local anaesthetic because that was what the epidural, so anaesthetic went into my... So you can't have double? Probably not. Yeah. I think, I mean, the thing with epidurals is that, and the injection that I had is that they can take like two, three weeks to really settle.

Yeah. It's been, I did it on Christmas Eve, so now what, are we two weeks post that? but I think in my head I was just like I'll have a needle in my back and I'll fix it whereas actually there's still loads of work to do to try and get everything working and the thing with bowling is that nothing creates or recreates bowling other than bowling so even what I'm trying to like if I'm trying to do like bandied movement in the gym it's not bowling it's not the same force and the same like my run-up speed is like 21 kilometres an hour I'm not doing anything at that pace unless I bowl so I have to try bowling to see

where it is but then bowling like aggravates it because it's like Why, we're not ready yet? Yeah. It's just been a bit of a tough process. And I said to the physio is like, if you have a hamstring injury, you get told this is a four-week thing by the fourth week, give or take. You're basically back to fitness and you'll be able to play again, whereas this is just the unknown.

And you know what I'm like with the unknown. I'm terrible. So it has been a tough one. Mentally, are you okay? I think I'm okay. I've had my bad days. I've had a really bad day the other day. And just was like, there's not a chance I'm going to play cricket.

Because touch would, mentally for the last year, 18 months, both of us have been pretty good. Yeah, normally we'd pass it on to it, don't we? But yeah, I do. I've been trying, really chatting to our cycle a lot over here about it. And I think because it's something that I just have to deal with day by day, you kind of, you can't get too far ahead of yourself. And you also, like, I had a good day yesterday, but I wasn't like, oh, my God, I'm back. Yeah. Because today I could wake up and, again, can't put my shoes on.

So it's, I think, because it's such a day by day thing, you have to live in the moment with it. the time pressure is the thing that's the hardest like if I didn't have any cricket till March I wouldn't be worried it's an injury that's going to be fine and I'm going to be fine but the biggest series in world cricket starts on Sunday and potentially my last but who knows let's big it up though

washes starts on Sunday warm up game yesterday yeah wet wash out what everyone's like can you start calling it the washes because it's washes and it's washing out washing out um yeah but um i just did an interview actually um and the question was around like was it a problem like are we disappointed we've not played any cricket and obviously you want you prep to go really well while you're over here but we've not just suddenly landed in australia

and gone ooh we've got an ashes series let's start preparing like we saw our south africa series as a really good warm-up series for this ashes and yes christmas and new year happened in between but it's only like you only like 10 days like two weeks ago yeah um So, yeah, I think you want your prep to be good. But ultimately, everyone's got a lot of cricket under their belts. And it's more around the mental side of it with a big series and how you go out there on Sunday and can perform when you've maybe not had the prep that you want. Yeah.

How's the vibe in the group? It's really good. I mean, we've come from South Africa where we couldn't leave our hotels. Yeah. It was really kind of COVID-esque. It was like a lot of deliveroos and a lot of sitting in the team room and entertaining yourselves. And now you're in Sydney. and we're like overlooking the opera house and there through the bridge you're rubbish mine's terrible

I can see what's that well it's actually a beautiful building gorgeous building we're not saying but like Danny Gibson day one was like Sydney Opera House on the bridge and I was like can't wait to come to your room and just watch the view imagine if we'd have set the video to like I was in the background with opera house but so our curtains open with a little button oh you're in a she's in a poshota in a poshout I walked in and it smells like a posh hotel. I'm not sure this room does, to be fair, but yeah, you opened the blinds and we came and landed at like 9 o'clock, so I didn't know what my view was.

So the next morning, I saw Danny Gibson's Instagram, and was like, oh, can't wait for the op. But I open the building, and I'm looking at a bank. Oh, how good is it, though, like, when you're preparing for an ashes and you're, like, giddy and you're ready for it. Like, I remember 2017, it just came back off the World Cup, and we're straight here, and we were like, oh, my God, we're playing an ash. is like it is what you dream of yeah and i think because it's such a good place to tour like

you know you're going to have a good time off the pitch and there's loads of like restaurants and bars and stuff to go and look at and generally the weather's good yeah it's been pretty well we had two great days before you got here ironically um but yeah the thing i found strange with this ash's series and i think it's because it's an away series is that i haven't seen much hype about it yeah it's only since i've got here that i've seen a bit on the news and then they did the big red bus launch the other day weird Strange. Yeah.

Really feels like an English. Add yes, rather than Aussie ashes. But I think they're trying to make us feel at home. Right. When we were here last time, the hashtag was hashtag beat England. Yeah. Do you remember?

Yeah. This time it's like, I love England and you're all so good at cricket. It's like feel welcome in our country. Yeah. She's lovely. Thank you so much Australia. What is that about? Do you think that they've come away from this like, not arrogant team?

but they have been humbled recently like you know you've beaten them in series they've lost a series for the first time in a decade like you know all that England have done they got knocked out of a World Cup do you think they're going maybe we are quite vulnerable

I don't know I mean I guess the narrative does seem to have changed but I think we can it's hard because you can only compare yourselves to the last ashes and that was what 18 months ago yeah I was summer in 2020

23 so it's been a while but we won both those white ball series so I guess it isn't like last time we came over here we didn't win a game yeah we were so beatable and Australia was so dominant and they are they it's hard because they've earned the right to be um I don't think they're arrogant but they don't the right to be favourites in this Ashy series because they're at home as well it's notoriously difficult to come to Australia and win cricket and they are if you went in the bookies they probably are favourite yeah but I guess with what's happened recently both of us in the World Cup

not get into where we would want to get to and I guess it does probably change how you view a series like this and I still do believe we're the two best teams going up against each other in the biggest series South Africa and New Zealand are not the two best teams at the world

No and I think again how we performed in South Africa and beat them quite convincingly in all the series then it does go to show that the World Cup was probably a one-off and that game was a one-off. But I think what I'm just hoping for and what I don't actually think Australia do very well

is the crowd for women's sport. Yeah. And when it's a big occasion like that World Cup in 2020 when they got Katie Perry there and 86,000, yeah, that was brilliant, but it was a one-off. And what I loved about our 2023 ashes was how the narrative got the nation involved and got people we ended up selling out the one-day series

after the T-20s because we got ourselves back to you know drawing it etc so I'm really hoping that the crowd gets behind the Aussie team and well they're not going to get to the Avingdom but I hope the crowd comes in and that's my biggest fear especially with the MCJ it's such a hard place to sell out for four days but I think right okay let's say we do the ODI series and the T20 series and the points are drawn and there's something on the test I think the narrative will build throughout the ashes it will because it naturally does. But what you don't want is England or Australia, obviously, we want England to win every game going into that test match. But what we don't want is that to happen

nobody turns up. Yeah. And you want a good, you want a good series. And that, again, we'll talk about the 2023 series to La Cows come home because it's so good. But what was great about it was that any team could beat any team. And it really was like do or die at some points with that a G.S ball game was like we could have gone ahead in that Ashes series. So we know what we've got to get 10 points to win so we're going to do our best to do that and it starts on Sunday hopefully not a wash out

but I think the difficulty of it will be that it's so short and sweet so we play on Sunday and then we're playing again on Tuesday I find it mad that you don't have a recovery day we have a flight it's not like you're travelling from Leicester to Derby

no we've gone away from that but like you've got a flight to Melbourne. Yeah. And then play it. And then do you train? Like, do you train? No, there's no training facilities.

So I actually saw Lossie spoke really well about this on the podcast, the wisdom that she does. Yeah. And she spoke about, obviously, you could lose the narrative with it being such a short series, but you don't want to compromise skill. And that's what I think is you're losing your recovery time as a player. You're losing your opportunity to just reflect and refresh. Like, are you able to play your best 11 in every single?

single game with them coming thick and fast or are you going to have to rest and rotate like yeah it's going to be interesting yeah and i think what we're not used to obviously is english cricketers is flying in between games the Aussies actually do quite a lot in the big bash so they'll probably be a bit more used to and accustomed to the recovery side of that but i mean thankfully it's a quite a short flight from sydney to melbourne but it's still a flight and it's still got to get to hobart and then you've got one game where you've got to go from city to adelaide that's quite far yeah it's going to be interesting and i still don't know why it's so jam-packed But I just hope it doesn't lose the narrative because of how quickly it comes.

And I hope people still get behind it and come and watch our games. I think they will. I hope so. I really do think they will. Because that's what May in 2023 is so good. The Aussie cricket to me feels like it's back. Like there's been like men's big bash games over the last few years that have been empty. Yeah.

This year they've been so full. So full. Border Gavaskar trophy that was just on like. Record crap. The summer was amazing, wasn't it? And it was incredible cricket. And that's what people, they weren't entertaining. And I think if we can promise that we'll entertain people, then hopefully they'll come.

As a player when you're preparing for an ashes, I mean, it's a question for both of us, but I'm asking it. Like, do you think it's the ashes or do you just think it's another series? No, it's the ashes. It's the ashes. You know, it's the ashes. Yeah. This feels different to the South Africa series. Yeah.

And it's because you're going up against the best in the world. You know that. You know it's going to be a hard challenge. And not that we went into South Africa thinking it wouldn't be a challenge. Not. But it's just different. it's like a World Cup effectively like I would almost go

ODI World Cup as the pinnacle ashes then T20 World Cup and I only say T20 World Cup less Yeah because I'm out of the team But also they're every two years So it feels like like literally every few minutes Yeah you put a wash on there's another one So

We don't have time to wash you kick Yeah But I've seen a lot of press as well In the lead up to this ashes around Like how it feels like we're ready for more test cricket now Yes that was the next one Like, I am so ready for women's cricket to go back to playing more test cricket. Yeah, you've got a bit of info about this.

I have. Right. So I think it was in 1982. There was a five-match series for the washes. Yeah. It probably wasn't called the ashes. But why have we gone away from that? And in 2005, there was two test matches.

Did we go away from it when women's cricket joined the ICC and men took over and they were like, right, nobody's watching test cricket? or did they think that it wasn't good enough? There's so many questions for me to ask but there's been so many series where there's a five-match series there's been some three-match series, two-match series for the washes. And I like the multi-format.

I think it's brilliant. I think it brings the crowds in. I guess it's white ball cricket. But I personally agree with Winfield Hill, Ashgarden at Tommy Beaumont that it should be three and three. Yeah, I think we're ready for it now and I think there's the argument probably

back in the 80s, 90s was that it wasn't professional and you had to take time off work and that was what was difficult that was always the argument that I heard that obviously the nature of the game is that it's four or five days

so you'd need a longer tour to host that You can have a longer tour now now we can. Because like the men are here from November, December, January you can be here for two and a half months I think that's where the MCG test match will be really important

because if we can get a good crowd in for that I'm not saying that we're going to get 90,000 in every day because even Australia are playing series over here don't do that but you know if we could get 30,000 in most days I think that's really really significant and we Trent Bridge felt alive didn't it and we were getting 6,000 in each day for that so like it would be really significant but I think we have to show that there's a thirst for it and that's where I feel like the ICC's argument is that the whiteball stuff is just getting going now and people are starting to watch that and we're selling crowds out

certainly in the do you think like don't run before you can walk possibly yeah um but the thing for me is you've already done it yeah so why would you why would you not do it again and for me obviously the ashes is the ashes and it's so important and it's like probably one of the biggest series like you just said but actually it's the same format that you play all the time now yeah so the points would probably have to change yeah they would you'd have to significantly change how it work but you could just have two points for every game yeah I do I think we are ready for it and I think the fact that the players are craving it now as well and how good would you know how exciting would it be if you were like I've got three

test matches. Well it was exciting having two in the space of a month. I was buzzing for that 12 months ago and obviously missed out on one of them but it still feels like I think that was again not to go back to the injury too much but I feel like that was what I struggled with the most was like you don't get the chance to play it as much so it wouldn't have been as big a deal if I knew that we had a three-match test series coming up against Australia because you've got another opportunity to put the whites on but I think going back to your question like if you think about white ball cricket and shorter format cricket, it actually didn't come into play or wasn't as popular until probably the 80s anyway. Like, I think the first Women's World

Cup was like, 1992 World Cup was the first, that was the first that we played like white ball and coloured clothing. So that was 92. Yeah. So it, and that's only like 20, what is it, you were one. You were a babour. That was a fetus. I think what we need to see now, and it's, it's in all cricket. It's not just in women's cricket. but we need to move with the times and I think this format was brilliant for the Ashes back in 2014 when we didn't play a lot and

it wasn't professional. Yeah, it wasn't professional either then. We weren't professional cricketers. All right, this is, I'm such a f***. You, you were, that was your debut. You played that test election, you won, yeah. England never won since. Not the ashes now. That's mad. Yeah, we handed them back and they've kept them since. So, how long is your international career being? That was your debut, 28th, so

2014 was test debut. The white ball was 2013 How many test matches have you played in those 11 years? I actually don't I think I'm on 8 Okay Which is like It sounds a lot

It's summer Yeah It's mad It's mad And it's actually mad And I'm like I mean I've missed a lot of ashes over here You know

I've only played one test match in Australia Yeah I missed the 2017 one And then we've got this one Yeah Have we had another one since then? 2020 sorry I played in Canberra Yeah

Right, let me find out how many test matches I've played She's giggling herself It's my homepage Um Test match is 8 This would be my 9th And like Heather's really Our most experienced player

And she's going into her 14th Like it's so minimal And also Do you know what annoys me The men get a test match hat For 25 caps Yeah We're never going to get to 25

So we need one for like 5 And 10 and 15 So ECB if you're listening and we need acknowledgement, I think. Well done, you've played two test matches. You've turned up again and you've made it through. So one thing that irks me, though, is that I've never played a test match. The one thing that really bothers me, yeah.

You got so bored, though? Yeah, I've played enough warm-up games. Oh, it's always the bowler in all the games. And then it's like, oh, sorry, I know you've just bowed 45 hours, but you're not good enough sound. Shocker. To embrace the impossible requires a. 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. A lot of people who have been messaging me asking when do the ashes actually start. So there's been confusion because of time differences, and we know this. We're not where the people not talk to that time zones. However, if you want to watch the washes, it starts on Sunday in a Sunday, Australia, with a one-day game at North Sydney Oval.

But because of timed at zones, that means it's 11.30pm in the UK. Right. Saturday. Right. Perfect. Easy. Yeah. And I'm going to be on the UK telly.

I'm working for TNT. How lovely. Yeah. You're actually massively fucking yourself out for this series. I am. I'm also working for BBC, obviously. BBC and Channel 7. Busy gal.

Busy gal. For four companies this time. It's about time. But at least you can buy. your dinner back. It's my turn today as well. So, I've got nothing I'm sticking out.

Are you? No. No, you're on your email, so I think we're going upstairs. Yes. Mary Waldron? Yeah, she's here. Retire, international.

Yeah, it's not often that you see retired female cricketers umpiring, and I really like it. Someone thought you wanted to get into umpiring. Jack Shandri.

Did you... Jack Shantry, did you? That thought that you were doing a career, And I've not heard this from you. I've heard it for Jack's best mate. It was like, oh, Jack text crossy saying, do you want to get into, do you want to get into umpiring? So what half one was?

He was having his, um, what do you call it when you get, like reviewed your appraisal? It was having his appraisal and it was at Old Trafford. So I've gone into train and I've got in the lift and Jack's entry's in there. And I was like, oh, hi, Jack, what you're doing here? He said, oh, I've got my appraisals. So I said, oh, he's Hamish here. So Hamish is like head of the umpires or something at the ECB. And I'd had a bit of a chat with him at the start the summer.

around and just some problems that I found with umpires basically had a chat with him and then Jack was like yeah yeah he's here do you want to speak to him and then Jack text me that night he's like oh I think you'd be a really good umpire so I was like oh thanks but it's not what I wanted to speak to Hamish it was it was to reveal the umpires I was like oh thanks though thanks you think I'll be good maths isn't your strong point though no but do you need to be good at maths I've got keep counting yeah but you get one of um clickers you Close up like it. Did you want to look it?

Yeah. Yeah. It was one of like those anxiety things that you did all with. Oh, you've bought 300 balls. Um, yeah, Mary Wardron. Oh, come on then, Mary. Davey for now. Up here.

Yeah. Anna Harris has done something. Yeah. She's been on the news. She has been on the news. She has been injected. No. She's not been injected anyway.

In, what's it called? Inducted. Inducted into the ICC. up and coming umpires or something like that development panel umpire yeah so congratulations anna great work we did not do that justice but it sounds really good so well then Anna do you want to read them because they'll be our flight yeah they're quite long aren't they okay they says hi kate and alix Alex and kate long time listener and first time email are here in fact i've meant to send this email a few times but now my daughter emily and i are waiting at

heath row for our flight to sydney i really have to do it because i think all this is partly your fault oh god oh sorry last summer i took emily to her first ever cricket match at age 21 i know i left it a bit late the game was the ashes t20 at lords good game to go great game having had no previous interest in cricket or any sport really by the time england were into their chase she was hooked what a great night to choose for a first game just a few weeks later we were in we were at a hundred game in nottingham for her birthday and it snowballed from there isn't this just a power of cricket Yeah, this is a month apart and she was 21. Since then, we've had a great time together following the England women through the last summer,

from Nottingham to Edgebaston to Southampton, the Oval and Back to Lords. That sounds like that song. This could be Northampton to Edgbaston, Southampton, to Lords. And we've had a pretty good run at the 100 both years as well, including finals day last year. And on our journeys, we'd been able to listen to Noah Pauls. And then, most importantly, earlier this year, She joined a club, started training and even played in a few games. Yes, amazing.

Now, the game itself and the teams and players are clearly amazing. But I think listening to you guys has given Emily and me a really great, fun, accessible way to learn more about and engage with the game. It's fuelled and enhanced her enjoyment and interest and helped to show that it's a game for her and for anyone. And now, here we are. We're very lucky to be heading down under to support Kate and the team through the whole series. We're very excited and massively looking forward to the games and the whole adventure. We'll be cheering on as loudly as we can and maybe there will be a chance to say hi at some point.

So thanks I'm sorry for the flight cost but thanks for the part of you guys have played in getting us here and come on England. Cheers, Jess. Oh my God, that! Oh no, that's actually amazing. I really love it.

And there's on, like to come and watch an Ashes series in Australia is what people put on their bucket list. But it's what? She'll have been watching four minutes. This is where women's cricket's got to, right? Yeah. People do it all the time for the men. The men will bring 30,000 people out for the Barmy Army.

I know. Now we've got to the stage in women's cricket where people are travelling to watch you. I'd have loved it if I'd have seen a like Barmy Army come out here for us. You bring your own Barmy Army because the family and friends come. And they come up with the best songs. So, 2022, when we last played our ashes over here, was COVID. Yeah. We couldn't have any family.

Well, we could, but they would have had to quarantine. And basically no one did it, Bartim, Heather's boyfriend. Courtney, Lauren's wife and Piper, A.N.'s girlfriend. So we had three supporters and our A team were out thankfully so we had like people in the crowd and they were great but imagine if we'd have actually got like a thousand people on a plane all over

it'd be amazing Yeah We do have lots of friendly and friends coming over this year though Which would be good Another email Oh and we'll also definitely say hi to Jazz and Emily Absolutely Make sure you wear England kit

And we'll come so high Yeah Dear Alex and Kate We're with Alex here Have never heard this song before Yes Oh my God So for anyone that didn't listen to last week's episode

Alex doesn't know Jocelyn Brown's someone else's guy We're a family I'm supposed to do When I heard so on you Like then I'd I realize

It's just somebody else's gone That day That day Never heard of it either We're a family Who all play cricket And we love listening To your podcast

I find it funny That family's Like do you think They'd sit down Like you would do To watch the chase But they put our podcast on Maybe

or like sit down for dinner and like oh should we put the pod on yeah or do they all listen to it individually and then are like don't tell me i've not listened i like i'd like to think that happens i think it'd be that way surely yeah i'd love to know how many like people listen and i know we can get the numbers but how many people at one time go let's put the pod on yeah please we get in touch with us and let us now how if you're a family or a partner like partnership or whatever can you tell us how you listen so the ABC have a text line and you can text in and they read the texts out and we had three emails yesterday about nobles

three texts yesterday from fans in Sydney that listen to nobles and I said don't vote for zero ducks vote for noble so I've put it out there on the Australian channels yeah nice zero ducks have just been all the over us on social media it's quite embarrassing

I think they're obsessed with us I do think they want to be us yeah I understand anyway we're award winners they're not yet and we're in three categories yeah don't feel sorry for them vote for us my daughter's ace 13 and 10 absolutely love cricket and are both in the county pathway.

My husband has always loved it and has now got his level two coaching qualification and coaches the women and girls at our club when he's not playing cricket, which is Buckhurst Hill Cricket Club. And two years ago, I volunteered to start the women's section and develop the girls' section and with the help of an amazing committee, we are thriving.

I remember jumping up and down when I had six interested mummers and we now have 30 women on the group. I'll show you 15 train and play regularly in leagues. Sorry, do you remember when women's cricket, when we had to play women's cricket and we had to drag my mum along because we only had nine players? Yeah. And this is like people are willing to do it now.

Yeah, they've got a group of 30. Your mum ran off the pitch, like dead excited as well. She went out to bat, didn't she? She was like, I didn't get a duck because she faced two balls. She thought she hadn't got a duck. Yeah. But she did get a duck. She didn't score run.

Some of whom are going to play hardball cricket this summer. It's definitely not Prosecco cricket. We are super competitive even though we. have only just started winning matches and it's been amazing watching this community of women transforming into people who are confident in their skins and in wearing cricket kit

and just doing their best rather than worrying about how we look whilst we're doing something that's not natural to us what great models role models they are for their kids anyway thank you for giving us something to look forward to can't wait for the washes go well

Sheena yes Crossie do go well for the washes was that that I'm saying I didn't agree she's hungry I'm starving and also we've done things Did you see the tail enders did an episode today?

First one, it's 112 minutes. Surely people are zoning out of that. We get told 20 to 40 minutes. Come on, boys. Wrap it up. Yeah, thank you. I'm looking forward to it. I think the sun is now shining, which looks nice.

I brought their sunglasses. Hopefully the weather's good on Sunday. If not, there's enough game I choose that. So probably the same weather system is going to affect that one as well. I have put my washes predictions in. I think England are going to win the washes 11-5. because I think Sunday will be washed out so you'll get a point and then you're going to win the 11-5.

Interesting. So that was different from your prediction last week on this podcast where you said England are going to lose. Yes. Yeah, but that was because I didn't want England to lose and if I say it, I said it. So if you say it out loud, it might happen. Yeah.

Do you know sometimes your predictions don't affect our games? No, and what I say doesn't affect anything, but it's superstition. I know what you mean. Email us. Please do on Noblespodcast at BBC.com.com.com.com. It's so good. They said it twice and in sync. Did he tell anyone that we're together this week? We are together. We're together. So that was a lot easier.

That was. But also, please emails your washes questions. Yeah. Also, please let us know how and when and why you listen. I want to know. I'm intrigued now. Good looks on there. Thank you. You too. Don't swear. Don't press the big red button. I won't. Bye, everyone. There. Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful British manager of all time.

So, sir, has won the European Cup for Manchester United. So how did this apprentice toolmaker from Glasgow become one of the most iconic figures in sporting history? He strength of character, his determination, the fight in him. Ferguson was every department. He can be persuasive, he can be charming, he can be frightening. frightening. Go Downer's the best. It's simple as that. I'm Kelly Cates and this is Sporting Giants, Sir Alex Ferguson. I didn't want to feel. I couldn't feel. Listen on BBC Sounds.