Test Match Special - The TMS review of 2020

Episode Date: December 22, 2020

Jonathan Agnew, Simon Mann, Ebony Rainford-Brent and Andy Zaltzman sit down and reflect on cricket in 2020, choosing their favourite moments from a highly unusual year.

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. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. Hello, this is Jonathan Agney with the first of two Test Match special podcasts at the end of a remarkable year for everybody. Cricket, like every aspect of life, has been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with tours cancelled, fans frustrated, and the word test taking on rather a different meaning for everyone around the sport.

But despite all the challenges, we've seen lots of action on the field, there have been some special games, some significant milestones, and plenty of. of dramatic moments along the way. Over the course of this episode and the next, we'll look back on the year that was 2020. And also looking ahead to what might come to be in 2021. We'll even get our panel to throw in some outlandish predictions as to what could await us over the next 12 months. With me to discuss it all are the former England International

and World Cup winner Ebby, Reinfraint for Brent, TMS commentator, Simon Mann and our stats guru. Andy Zoltzman, greetings all. Jonathan, hello. Hello. Hello. How we're all doing. And he actually is in the background.

Firstly, well, look, we've all been part of the bio bubble this year. How have you found it? Andy, you've been strumming your guitar along with the rest of us. Have you recovered? Just about aggers. Yes, it was, well, it was curious. And, yeah, we were, I guess, hugely fortunate to be able to be part of it. And, yes, it was a sport without a crowd is, I think, something that everyone is looking forward

and not having to go through whenever that is possible. You know, we want sport without people watching. It doesn't entirely make sense. But I think the cricket, particularly the test cricket, worked very well given those restrictions. And we saw some highly competitive sport. Yeah. So you'll take away.

Epps is sort of the empty grounds and the rather strange, I was going to say, atmosphere, but there wasn't any. Yeah, I think it was a really difficult summer this year. And, first of all, credit to everybody who had put on the, whole bubble experience because, you know, I know it took a lot behind the scenes to get it ready. I'd also say, personally, I found it quite challenging and I wasn't a player, you know, just cricket, cricket, cricket, you know, the, obviously the sanitisation and the fear of almost just worrying about, you know, spreading the virus and coming in and out and getting testing.

I found it quite hard. And I, you know, I felt for the players, you know, so, you know, big congratulations to them for doing that. And you're right. I think everybody, as soon as possible, wants players back and that atmosphere back and that freedom of movement back. So, you know, very testing year, but equally, I think, well done to everybody who made it happen. I think we bring a drum kit next time. You said, you didn't form part of the band. No, I should have up my game. I think the other issue as well is, you know, you like your commentators sort of for eight hours a day.

But after a while, you know, seeing them at breakfast, lunch and dinner non-stop. One or two, you're just, hmm. I'm not going to ask for names, Ebony, Ray. Don't worry, we'll save that. Simon, you weren't part of the band either. Not sure what you got up to at night, but have you, have you, you've been fully released now, have you, and you cleared your head?

Well, I was trying to sleep, Agass, and you were playing your ukulele, and about two doors down. I think I had to open the door one evening and tell you to shut up, or put a curfew on your ukulee playing. It was a bit about being at sort of boarding school, I suppose, wasn't there, everyone's all banged up together.

It wasn't, not in dormitories, I used to add, but it was, there was no escape, was there from everybody? I think one of the things I felt about it is the Southampton bubble was actually more pleasant than the Old Trafford bubble. I think mainly because I had two back-to-back test matches at Old Trafford and you were allowed out for, you know,

it was a bit like day release, you were allowed out for about half an hour a day between the test matches at Old Trafford and then you're back in your hotel room again. Whereas at Southampton, at least you could see some trees, you could see the woods there in the distance and you could go for a walk on the golf course. So you didn't, it didn't feel

quite like prison, but I think the Old Trafford one thought a little bit more like prison there was a bit too much concrete around for my liking I don't know how many prisons have got a large cricket pitch in the middle of them some but that's that's true well look so those were the only venues of course and we've got all the series of things to chew over as we look back at 2020 I mean I think from my perspective this seems incredible that we had the cricket at all because I don't know what May June it's still seemed incredibly bleak. And what credit it must give to the West Indies for coming, you know, coming from a virtually COVID-devoid part of the world. I mean, the cases in places

like Barbados and Jamaica were literally in single figures. And they flew into Manchester, which, let's face it, has been on pretty strict conditions for most of the summer. And they came. And of course, yep, they needed to get paid themselves. I mean, you know, this wasn't purely altruistic, but the fact that they got on a plane and came and tried, out something that was completely new and had never been done before in terms of playing sport like this. Yeah, I thought Jason Holder and his team, Ebony, Simon, whatever. I mean, you know, let's say a serious, well done to them. Yeah, look, we have to say it's, you know, I can imagine, you know, only, surprisingly,

actually, only a few players refused, not refused to come, but made the choice not to come. I thought there'd be more because I can't imagine being in that situation coming to a place where it was raging, you know, UK and the US at that stage were horrific from, and it was also such a risk, you know, you're the first to travel under all that pressure. And also the grace in which they came and they were, you know, completely open. I think also the other stuff we saw was a lot of innovation of trying to get more players doing more media commitments or trying to give more access. And I think they were open-minded in all of that and really gave of themselves. And also, you know, coming straight out of the blocks in terms of performance was good. So,

you know, huge credit to them. You know, that set the tone for other countries coming. And also world cricket to feel confident getting back. Yeah, it was fantastic they came. I mean, one of the things that I still worry about West Indies test cricket. I mean, they've just been in New Zealand and they've been thrashed twice. You know, really dispiriting for them. And they were fantastic in that first test match at Southampton.

In a way, that's got to be one of the highlights of the summer. I think what they managed to do in that first test. But then really fell away badly in the last two games and thrash. from Pillar to Post in New Zealand again. So it was great that they came, but I still really worry about the stand of their test cricket. It's got to be a worry for the world game, really. Well, it's interesting because our first area here to talk about

is the match of the year. And I mean, I think you both flagged up there, one that certainly has to be in there in contention. It is that first test match at the summer that we didn't think would happen. All sorts of strange things going on. Of course, Joe Root was, away he was watching the birth of his

second child so Ben Stokes was captain we turned up into a misty dank sort of a day wasn't it at Southampton and Ben Stokes was captain and he chose to bat first that was a bit odd and then of course the news came out that Stuart Broad had been left out

and it was I don't know it just wasn't what we sort of expected on the first day really England bundled out for 204 Holder 6th Gabriel 4th, they lost 9,469. And England, really, on that first day, we're all over the place. But that distraction of the Stuart Broad

in the interview that he subsequently gave, and he was very angry. That was quite an interesting sort of sidebar to this whole game, wasn't it? Well, I mean, I don't know if we're allowed to say what our match of the year is, but seeing as I'm here, can I jump in, or is that okay? You can jump in where you like it. Well, this is mine. And I think you just summed it up for me.

I had all my notes, first of all, the pandemic. You know, the whole buildup to that game, you know, everything had been paused. Would it be possible? So you had that. Then the fact that actually, you know, we knew West Indies were taking the risk, but they turned up, you know, Shannon Gabriel picked up nine wickets in the match and really sort of set the tone for good cricket. Ben Stokes being captain, we weren't sure, you know, his tactics was he going to be aggressive and Gabriel with the wickets. And also we can't forget the Black Lives Matter. I think that rain delay prior to the game and, you know, all the sort of momentum around that and play.

taking a knee. For me, it just summed up kind of cricket needed something special, a game that would provide entertainment. And it had everything you could ask for. And also, you know, the whole world were watching. And I think it was, you know, done from the players through to the broadcasters. It was done so well and realized how much it meant to the cricket community. So for me, it's, you know, although there'd be good cricket performance on the pitch, I think the whole roundiness of the narrative was special for it for that. And that would be. my match of the year. It just worked well, didn't it? The West End is winning as well, the whole Black Lives Matter that you were talking about there. It sort of just

tidied the whole thing up, didn't it? It massively did, yeah. Yeah. Go on and Simon, where are you on this one? What match of the year? Well, I've been talking about this game, first of all. I mean, where were you with the Stuart Broad Business? It's hard to remember now. What I do remember, of course, is that the England hierarchy saying we'll have to mix and match over the summer. We're playing these games back to back and no one's had that much cricket, so we'll have to rotate. And that was the theme at the start of the summer. So when Stuart Broad was left out, to me, it didn't sort of go, oh, that's an outrageous decision. Obviously, it did for Stuart, because they were trying to bring different players

in for different games. There was Joffar Archer, there was Mark Wood. Of course, what they ended up doing is playing Archer and Wood on a pitch that didn't really suit them. They were much better off playing Stuart Broad in that game. And this whole thing as well at start of the summer about trying to, you know, moving on after. Anderson and Broad and can you play both them together? Well I think that's more the point. I mean I think that was what really rankled with Stuart because he saw this possibly as the future.

It wasn't so much sort of rotation and taking things easier. I think Broad looked at that and thought my word, after the amazing year I've had, they've chopped me off at the knees. Yeah and he talks up didn't he sort of said he for a moment, I'm not sure how whether it was true or not or whether he was sort of playing to the moment but he

did say in that interview that you know it did make him question his position. What I think he's done really well from that moment is separate himself from Jimmy and Brodie. I think it's always been you think of those two as a pack and I suppose there's almost too much of an association and I think he made a point there, you know, after that interview that he saw that he had more time than Jimmy Anderson. If he's got the amount of games available, he could catch him up.

And, you know, I think the language he started using from that interview onwards and then how he followed up with performance after that really set him apart as, you know, don't always just bung them together and think of them as both as getting. old. There's actually more space and time. He has more to offer. And that interview and that moment really set the tone for, I would say, the next phase of his career. Great thing to do, too, to set yourself up like that, not knowing what pitch you'd be playing on next week at Old Trafford. I mean, it was a big call, isn't it? Well, yes. I mean, I guess we talk about walking the walk and broad very much talked to the talk

there and for the rest of the summer. In terms of that decision, it was not outlandish really looking at recent form. Broad had been good for the previous couple of years, but England had huge depth in fast bowling. Archer had made one of the best starts to a test career of any England pace bowler. Mark Wood had just bowled brilliantly in South Africa. I didn't think it was a massively controversial decision in itself. It just didn't work and it clearly sparked Broad to have comfortably the best summer of his career and statistically the, basically, the best summer by any England test bowler at home in 50 years. maybe I don't know if that was part of the

psychology. I average 13 or something it was ridiculous. 29 at 13 I think he ended up with the whole year. So yeah, well play the West Indies and I'd have to pick it out as one of my matches of the year. I think Ebbs, you've gone for it as well.

Simon, have you got any others to throw into the mix there? Well, there was the amazing game to England, Pakistan and Old Trafford where Wokes and Butler won the game on the last day for England from what seemed like an impossible position. turning round a game which they were abject in the first sort of half of it really in the first innings Pakistan they got away didn't they and then England got bowled out and then they gradually got

themselves back in the game even then I thought that victory target 277 was too many I'd have to say as well I mean this might I don't know how this was sit with a UK audience but I have to say you talk about one of the games of the year I'm thinking you have a one-day match at Old Trafford as well between England and Australia where Australia was 73 for five and scored 303 to win with century from Kerry and Maxwell. I mean, if that was an England side doing that to Australia from 73 for 5 in a one-day game,

we would have been saying, well, what an amazing game. It sort of happened with Joss Butler there a couple of years ago, didn't it? A hundred, he scored at Old Trafford in the one day against Australia. That was sort of similarly outlandish turning round of a game.

I'm with you with the Old Trafford one because there were just such Pakistan conditions and alien for England and everything else turning a lot. Do you remember that ball that Olly Pope got? I mean just exploded off a length and I mean it could have been horrible to him

and that was so he was that was 117 for five and you'd think of the lower order seeing that and thinking you know they've got to get two seven well you're thinking about that as a lower order player I certainly would have been it was a brute

and yet they won and so I've got to be honest I'm sticking my flag for what it's worth on that game because it's not just because England won it but it was partly because they won in such difficult an alien conditions against a decent spin attack.

I think it was an absolute classic match all the way all the way through. Pakistan rather blew their second innings. They were very careless bowled out for 169. It was a key run out of Assad Shafiq. So England we're a bit lucky to be presented with a target

below 300. And as you said, that partnership, I think you could make an argument of being one of the great partnerships in England's Test history, 139 for the sixth wicket when they came together. England were heavily favoured for defeat and by the end the game was almost won. It was looking at some of my stats for this. It was the third highest stand for the sixth wicket or lower in a successful fourth innings chase

in the history of test cricket. One of England's best fourth innings partnerships for any wicket outside, the top three wokes form going into that game had been absolutely terrible. I think he'd been out four times in the previous 12 balls that he'd faced in test cricket and scored one run. So it was a huge return to form for him and just a massively dramatic game. We had this vibrant Pakistan bowling attack with that Nassim Sharb, the young fast bowler, Shahin Shah, Fridi, bowling left arm, swing and seam, Mohammed Abbas, a nagging, medium pace of Yasir-legged, leg spin it. It was classic cricket.

in terms of an achievement that West Indies win I think in the context of what they'd had to go through to come and play this series and their form away from home is only the fourth test they've won against top eight ranked opposition in the last 20 years so that I mean it was a huge win for West Indies

and disappointed that they couldn't sustain it through the series they did all right in the first half of the first old Trafford test but then you know since then as we're talking about, tailed off in England and then subsequently New Zealand. So it's interesting, the two first tests of the series were both magnificent fluctuating games. And I've increasingly thought, we talked a lot about, you know, how the future of test cricket, whether there's something in that, it's hard to draw a conclusion from one summer. But there you had teams coming in fresh, the bowlers were fit.

And we had, you know, the two best games were both the first tests of series. and we've had quite a few kind of dramatic two test series in recent years England's won in Bangladesh at home series against New Zealand and some quite drab five test series so I don't know if

as we think about the future of test cricket and the structure of the world test championship if that might be something that cricket considers I think it's a very good point from which to move on

I think I haven't got any nominations have we for the match of the year no can I just check chip in sorry I know that you're moving on but I just thought that moment was really important for Josh Butler as well

because he had had you know obviously mixed a form there was always that talk about him and that was his moment to stand up and shine in that second innings and i just thought that that performance from him really kind of re-showed why he the strategy that they're going for him being able to be that sort of dominant player made sense so that a really wonderful test match well that might feature is moment of the year or at least one of the candidates for that who's got some thoughts on that simon you kick off on that moment of the year well i think it has to be just getting on the field at southampton i think the start of the summer we thought there was a very good chance there was going to be no cricket whatsoever throughout the whole of the English summer I think everyone was fairly depressed about that not least of course because the weather in sort of April time and May

was absolutely fantastic and we barely ever had better cricket playing conditions and it was just mocking us the weather outside where we're all in lockdown and we thought we're going to get no cricket and then to get some cricket just to see the players walk out at the

at the JIS bowl and get some cricket on I think for me, I mean, there was some fantastic cricket. I mean, there was the Stuart Broad milestone as well and some of the wonderful innings played, but just to actually get on and play some cricket after there being no cricket for so long and the feeling of being, there would be no cricket. I think for me that has to be that moment of the year

when the players came out and started to play. Fair enough. I'm going for Jimmy Anderson's 600th because it was such a farce that last day then. We're talking about now, aren't we? All the catches that were dropped, the weather was appalling, get any cricket in on that last day at all.

And Jimmy would be left sweating and everything else. But all those catches, even Stuart Broaddrop one, which would have brought up his 600. Then suddenly a little Nick threw to root. And although it's silence, unfortunately, Jimmy Anderson became the first fast bowler to take 600 wickets. So that I will stick my flag on. Ebony.

Yeah, going slightly different. I get really excited about young players sort of stepping up. and Zach Crawley's 267 versus Pakistan at Southampton for me, or 65 even at Southampton was, it's ridiculously impressive, really. I just thought for a young player to get his time, you know, he had a good winter when it was South Africa and got his moment and then started to show the signs and was backing it up and backing up.

But to go that deep, you know, I'm sure Andy might have some information about how important or how big that innings was. But to see a young player do that, I actually got emotional. It was a bit corny, really. really, but yeah, I just felt, and also, sorry, I do, don't you get, well, I do, I've cried once or twice on air when no one's looking, but anyway, that's another story. And I just wonder if, like, you know, if he becomes the next Alistair Cook as well, you know, will we look back at that moment of a young player? Got a few more shots on Cookie. Yeah, he does, actually, he does. So I just

wonder if that, I really enjoyed that as a young player, and I wonder if that will be a moment we always look back on and remember us really, really special. Andy? Well, that, that crawly innings was truly extraordinary. I think it was from memory the 10th highest by England and it was I think the highest by an England pair under 23 since Len Hutton's 364. I'll have to check that

but from memory we talked a lot about the stats at the time. For me what was so impressive about that innings was the phases that he went through and although the game ended up in a draw at the time this was you know the rain hadn't come yet the game was live England were he came in very early on

after Burns was out England and there were 120 for 4 he'd already scored about 50 by then at high pace and he reined himself in then he expanded again then he went defensive again towards the end of the first day and then came out and attacked vibrantly as he went past 200 it had so many moves almost like a piece of music with different movements in it it was a glorious display of batsmanship against a good attack and and it wasn't just a one-off he's had three other half centuries in test cricket and an innings of 40th I think he's, you know, the way he sort of built up towards that innings was hugely promising. And I think it was, you know, one of the most auspicious innings by an England player.

Obviously, these things don't always translate into a prolonged success at test level. In terms of my moment of the year, I'd agree with the first ball of that first test, particularly with the, as Ebony mentioned, the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, It was a very moving moment in cricket and also with the piece of television that Ebony and Michael Holden did for Sky. It felt like cricket was beyond the bounds of sport in a way that seldom happens.

England being back on BBC television was an exciting moment. It's been a very long time. There was one shot Babra-Zam played that I think made the entire year worthwhile to sort of flick off the hip that was almost ethereally beautiful. And I'd go back to the...

the women's World T20 final earlier in the year packed out MCG that felt like a huge moment for cricket and women's sport really globally and obviously the way the sporting year

has panned out sort of huge crowds feel almost from a different time but hopefully that will come to be seen I'll throw one more into I thought Ebony revealing her poncho

for her breakfast in Dorset was quite interesting as well but anyway stitched up by you move on because we've got lots to go through here. Player of the year, both men's and women's. Well, I think we can get through it's quite sharply

because I think some familiar names we've really talked about might crop up in these next few. I bet you're all going to surprise, though. I'm going. I'm shaking it up, I think. And you can go men's and women's. Yeah, I'm doing one for each, because I think I'm breaking the ball.

I'm doing what I want. But Milan, for me, is the player of the year. I just think he is always under the pump and he had a number of opportunities this year. most of his best run in T20 cricket in terms of opportunities consistently. And he just continues to deliver, kicked off with a 54, not out, and then more half centuries against Australia, has continued into South Africa. He's just done everything you could ask, become the world number one T20 player.

So he's my number one there. And then the other, I would say, is Sarah Glenn from the women's perspective. She took seven wickets against West Indies, showed as a young bowler who's only just like 20, 21 in her career that she could, throw the bat as well and could be what Lisa Kightley the England

coach is asking for is someone at the lower order that can throw runs in and also in the World T20 she was really

economical as part of the spin set up with Sophie Eccleston so for me the two of them she showed as a young player

you know what England could be so she was my female player of the year just a quick note about the women's because I'll be honest

I drove past the Derby bubble I've done my bubbles from then I kept going home was that series against the West Indies did it tell you

anything. I mean, they're obviously unprepared. Did it tell you much? Yeah, it was a weird series because I wouldn't say England would look back and think they were the best. If you look at the stats, for example, West Indy, the most runs came from the West Indian players, the most wickets actually came from them, even though they just struggled to put a whole performance together. So I don't think

England were at their best. What we did learn, Lisa Kightley is saying they need power throughout the order. I think we've seen shifts in players like Tammy Bowmore, Nat Siver coming in at 1 to 4, but they struggle lower down. And what we saw was players like Eccleston and Glenn, the young players showing their potential. So that's what we did learn. But it was also hard against

a West Indies side that weren't sort of consistently able to push England, really know if there was enough taken from that. So, um, you know, that's what I was going to say is the main thing is that what we did take actually is that women's cricket is no longer, you know, I think in the past with everything that would have gone on, that might not have taken place. The amount of effort that ECB and Claire Conner did to make sure, you know, when South Africa couldn't make it and India couldn't make it, that they last minute got West Indies in. That really summed up to me how important women's cricket is now to the game. Yeah. Grumps, Simon, Player of the Year. Stuart Broad. Yeah, me too. Stuart Broad, no doubt about it for me in the men's game.

Magnificent response to being left out. I was speaking to him recently, actually, and he was saying that he doesn't, you know, you think about the ashes next year as being sort of like a, you know, that's his goal, whatever, he's saying, no, not by any means. I, you know, I don't rule me out. You know, that's one of my goals, but I can go on after that. So, um, it is incredible in that I have to say, here we are now with the ashes, well, less than a year away. I, it just didn't seem feasible four years ago or three years ago that we'd be even talking about Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Port going to the ashes this time. And what, what, what. What does worry me is that actually they're both probably just one fairly, you know, one sort of serious injury away, isn't it? It just takes so much time to get back at that, isn't it? And to get back. But they could both be there.

I think they will be there. I mean, as long as they're fit, I think they will be there. I think that's the way England are planning, and clearly both of them want to be there. I mean, Jimmy, I remember interviewing him on the outfield after the last Ashley's series, because he was vice captain, wasn't he studying for Joe Root, who was ill that day. And he was saying, you know, yeah, I want to come back in four years' time. And I was thinking, really, really, do you? I mean, you want to go through all this again, but I mean, absolutely determined to be there

and, you know, want to put right, the wrongs of the last two Ashes' Tours. England lost nine of their last 10 Ashes test matches. No, fair enough. Anything to add to that? And this sort of statistical perspective, who's the statistical player of the year? Well, I think unquestionably for England, Stuart Broad, particularly just looking at the home summer, 29 wickets at 13.4. As I said, the best home summer average

by an England bowler with over 20 wickets since Underwood took 30 at 10.7 in 1969. Rawd took three or more wickets in seven consecutive innings. If he'd managed to do it in the last innings of the summer, that would have tied the England test record. And he'd never previously had four consecutive three wicket innings in his test career. So what we were seeing was maybe not the explosive spells of devastation

that characterised his first peak, but probably the greatest consistency that he's ever achieved for England. And in terms of the longevity of him and Anderson, Anderson in particular, since he stopped playing whiteball cricket for England, has been phenomenal in test cricket. And, you know, Broad had this really been good since. He had a bit of a dip, but then since the 2018 series in New Zealand that England lost, he's been pretty consistent and then amazing this.

I mean, I think they only really play three or four months of cricket a year as Red Bull specialists and with modern sport science. I think we get distracted thinking about players ages maybe through the sort of filters that we're used to from the past. And, you know, Roger Federer, even Nadal and Djokovic playing to such a high level in their mid to late 30s. With modern sport, I think it does facilitate players staying fitter for longer, particularly if they look after themselves, as these two clearly do.

So I think they could go on for some time yet. Obviously it comes down, as you said, a specific injury or players reach a moment where they feel they've done enough. But at the moment, it seems that they're good enough. And with the depth in England's bowling, they're being pushed to maintain and even improve their standards. So maybe they'll do the following ashes in Australia as well, as England seek to retain in Australia for the first time in a while. I think we'll probably all agree on this next one, a breakthrough star of the year. He's been mentioned already.

I mean, do you look further than Zach Crawley or not? Oh, that's it. That is it. I mean, we could end this podcast right now, really. Well, I think so. I mean, how could you beat what, what, 267? Yeah, I think it's not just that. It's the one thing I think is important watching in someone's career is, you know, how they progress.

So you might not expect them to come out with a bang, but it's how can you see that potential. And that's what we saw from South Africa in the winter where he came in when he got an opportunity and just sort of started building. And it's like he continuously got better and better until it became mammoth. And I love seeing that progression that it's not just a one-off or it's not just a sort of flash in the pan moment. There's consistency.

And then it also in that performance shifts what the team do. It now means that he will be first on the sheet for a little while. it shapes the whole line up. Batching where, though, that's the question, is that? Yeah, that is where. But what I think

when you mentioned it earlier that he has a few more shots than maybe Cook or whatever, what he does have is the ability to, I think, play in a couple of positions. Can he play at three? Can he be, you know, I think he's got it all.

So, yeah, definitely the breakthrough. Simon? I'm not going to argue with that. Yeah. Okay. I don't think it would do. Andy Zaltzman? Well, yeah, I think definitely,

Crawley. You'd have thought at the start of the year, it would be Ollie Pope, who had his maiden test 100 in South Africa. He played a couple of really good innings in the summer but struggled for consistency and then got injured towards the end, so he was missing the forthcoming series in Sri Lanka. I think we've seen enough from both Pope and Crawley

to be legitimately extremely excited about these two players coming into the England batting line. In terms of Crawley's position in the order, Burns and Sible did pretty well as an opening partnership, or certainly as individuals as opening batsmen, but you think there might be a possibility where it's one of them plus Crawley opening the batting. Yeah, it's sort of tempting to talk only really about the summer,

isn't it? But I think Don Best might get a shout for his Cape Town game, actually. He bowled so well. He really tightened things down, and he's had a pretty decent time. I mean, he's the number one spinner at the moment. Yeah, I mean, statistically, he didn't have a great summer. It wasn't maybe a particularly good summer for spin bowling,

generally, but you know, he didn't sort of disgrace himself in any way, and England are clearly investing in him as a long-term player. I think Jack Leach was very unlucky not to play some of the test matches

and I think maybe England made a slight mistake with that, but we'll see how best evolves over the next couple of years with that experience in the tank. I've got written here about the biggest disappointment to me. We've been disappointed this year, Ebony? Well, I'll be careful how I word this.

My biggest disappointment, not because he's not a good player, but because I was hoping this would be his breakthrough year is Tom Banton. So I thought, this is more personal. I was thinking, right, he might squeeze in now knowing that the World T20s move to next year. And he started pretty well against Pakistan, actually got a 71. And I thought, right, this is it? Is he going to kick on? And then really struggled against Australia.

and then I just felt maybe petered off. So I was hoping that we would see him sort of start to challenge and it might be him, Jason Roy, Best, O Butler, like that conversation would have been going, which is not the case. And obviously now he's not going to the Big Bash and stuff. So I just think a bit of momentum has been lost from could he completely change the whole T20 top order

ahead of the world T20? So it's not a disappointment from him. I think he's going to be a player for the future. I have no doubt about that. I just personally had that written. down as my thing for the year okay Simon I'm not going for a player as a disappointment I'm going for an issue really I think two issues first we've actually touched on it I think actually was really disappointing last summer was the lack of development of England spinners and the lack of

emphasis on spin in England it's still a big issue and it's going to be a big issue in the next six test matches in Sri Lanka and India but my biggest disappointment of the year was bad light the issue of bad light and we've got to somehow deal with it and a But we've been saying that for about 100 years. I know, I know, I guess. And the reason we've been saying 100 years probably is because it's not an issue that's easy to sort out. But we have tried with floodlights. And I think we're going to have to find a way to stay on in a test match with floodlights.

I think, you know, this is the 21st century. The lights are out there. If we've got to change the ball, then we change the ball. We've got to keep playing. I don't think we can afford any more to just be off the field with bad light. I'm not saying it's an easy issue to sort out. I'm not saying there are obvious, you know, really, you know, straightforward solutions, because if we, if there were really straightforward solutions, we'd have done it,

but we've tried with floodlights. And I'm also, as well, I mean, I remember that day, we were down in Southampton, and it was about hour past six, and the sun was blazing down. It had been for a couple of hours, and we were off the field. I mean, that was, that was to do with the ground being a bit wet as well. But, you know, and we've gone some way, actually, in solving that problem, having much better drainage these days. But I think, you know, actually, although it was great to play at Southampton,

and sometimes the covering at Sanampton wasn't great, but the bad light issue drove me absolutely spare this. I'll just jump in as well on that, is that we have to be aware of the trend of the climate that's doing a lot of work at the moment, understanding that. And this summer, many of us will be, remember how many days it rained.

There was one test match where I think it rained on every single day. And so if you've got rain, which is inevitable, and is going to continuously take more and more time out of the game when we have more extreme weather starting to affect us, if we do not get things like bad light, sorted, then we're just, we could potentially have so much time taken out of test matches. So I agree with you, it was so frustrating for the players for everyone. They did, though,

there was one game, and I can't remember what the decision was, but they moved it to half 10 or something. That's right. You could start. There's flexible start times, yeah, which is a step forward, isn't it really? You can make up. With everyone living on the ground, it made absolute sense. Yeah. And have you been left frustrated or disappointed this year? Well, I concur with Simon on bad, just the general pace of play in cricket. We've seen, we mentioned there's two incredible games that showed what a phenomenal sport test cricket is and we've seen the

the thrills of T20 cricket one day World Cup last year providing such drama. It seems in terms of making cricket as attractive a sport as possible, dealing with bad light and dealing with over-rates are two of the easiest things that cricket could do

and it doesn't, you know, over-rates is again that's something that's come up for decades and it seems to me that with DRS now, there's more of a need to accelerate the pace of play because there are more breaks in the game and some of it comes down to TV wanting advertising breaks but I think that just emphasises the need for the general pace of play in cricket to be accelerated you know not not the extent of you know 1920s bowling 23 over an hour and everyone walking around twice as quickly

as they do now if you look at the old grainy black and white footage might be something to do with the film but I'm sure people just in more of a hurry in those days that that needs be dealt with in terms of a cricketing disappointment. For England Joe Roots had a curious year. He's had 13 test innings including the South Africa

series part of that that happened in 2020. He's faced at least 35 balls in every single one of his test innings. But he's only made it to 100 balls once and that was I think 108 ball innings. His only half century, the home summer was a second innings declaration slog. He's been

getting starts but unable to go He's had 400s in his last 38 tests since September 2017, only one in 38 first innings. That was a double century in New Zealand last year. And in 24 of those games, England have batted first, which is often the time when you think the player would have the clearest, freshest head. And he's averaged 26 in those games with 450s and no hundreds. And to me, those stats do suggest that the sort of mental strain and pressures of captaincy

are having a significantly adverse effect on his batting. You know, recently he's asked the England analyst to compile all his dismissals in the last period and to see if there's some sort of trend, some sort of reason, something he's doing at particular parts of his inning. So that's something he's conscious of and he is working on, has been working on,

in the last few weeks, and then, you know, they got back in the nets at Loughborough. So I wonder whether that there might be a change, around as a result of doing some work on that in the next few months. Okay, dokey. Best innings. I think I dealt with that, Zach Crawley.

Well, can I just throw one in there just for a reminder? Well, it's not an innings, it's two innings back to back, which is Stokes is against West Indies, 176, where there was a period of really boring cricket, I have to be honest, between him and Sible, but you watched that old-school attritional grind-down,

and then he came out and whacked when he got to open the innings, the next one, whack 78. and I think that adaptability from a player in test matches I was just mesmerized I just thought wow you know to watch the two you know when he walked out to the crease in that second innings it was like sending the heavies I think was the word

so yeah for me that that was also one I just thought was worth mentioning I think it's worth mentioning Blackwood as well yeah definitely definitely he played completely out of character didn't he to help Western his win at Southampton yeah he's on my list germain Blackwood 95 in that match. He nearly got the hundred, nearly got them over the line. He was out just before the end.

But without him, West Indies will have lost that match. Yeah. No, I think it was definitely a nod in that direction. Okay. Best bowling performance? Well, I know Stuart Broad bowled really well, but I'm just going to change tax slightly. I'm going to talk about Joffar Archer in the IPL.

Sustained brilliant in the IPL. England going to India for the T20 World Cup in October and November. Joffer Archer, barring injury, will be a significant part of England's line up. Okay, it was in the UAE, so slightly different conditions, and there was more emphasis on pace, and there would be

traditionally in the IPL in India, where actually the spinners held sway, but his economy rates were superb, and he took wickets, and he was a threat, and he got Warner out, and he got Besto out, bowled through the gate. I mean, it was a magnificent display. He bells so straight, doesn't it? I mean, it sounds obvious, but

he gives no width at all, and he's bowling at high pace. He got people having to try and get on with it. He's so good up front. Yeah, it was wonderful bowling. It was sustained as well. It was consistent bowling throughout the tournament. And fantastic.

And he said he couldn't wait to get out of the bubble. But he was certainly making the most of his time in the bubble. He was brilliant. Well, Arch of the Test bowler still. Do you think he's sort of really found his niche yet? Do England know what he is? And does he know what is? because that was a talking point during the course of the summer too.

You know, is Archer a genuinely out-and-out test match fast bowler? I mean, when Joe Root tosses him the ball, is the England captain expecting him to run in a bowl at 93 miles an hour every time? Because actually, I think he is expecting him to do that. But can he, can he physically do that? Does he have to be able to do that? I'm not sure he wants to be that bowler. I'm not sure he, I think Wood would more want to just run in and try and bowl 95 every single ball.

And to be honest, Wood maybe doesn't offer as much in terms of potential for lateral movement, that slippery bounce. I think Archer has a range of skills that that's not it. And maybe they have, I still don't think they've clicked. What Andy said earlier is he has come out as, you know, one of England's best bowlers. If you look at his stats, I think he's, you know, started better than Stuart than Jimmy. And in some ways, maybe that start has actually, we expect every single innings for him to perform like that. Then you expect him to bowl 95. but some of the wickets

weren't conducive to that and I would actually say I'd argue that if he was running in charging in like that on a wicket that wasn't appropriate I'd be saying are you thinking strategically about the best way

when you can offer something different so for me I don't think he sort of nailed it this summer at all in test cricket but I still say when you look at his stats and where he is comparatively to a lot of other bowlers

he's right up there in terms of wickets and impact in the game I wonder how they're going to use him in Australia or how they're sort of planning on using him in Australia. That'd be quite interesting to know, because if they've got stone fit, you've got wood fit, perhaps there isn't that necessity for Archer

to be the 93-mile-in-ar man. No, but also the wickets will be more conducive, so it might encourage him to bend his back when he feels appropriate. Yeah, I think, I would imagine he'd be really up for that challenge. And he'd mostly want to open with wood. I think the two of them going hard might actually encourage each other to bring out the best.

So long way, way, They've got to manage them, but there's a lot of cricket between now and then. That's the key point, isn't it? I mean, we've seen that. I mean, it's very clear already. The fact they've left him out of the Sri Lanka series, it's very clear already how they, you know, they are going to try and use him and manage him and coax him along, really. Because he plays all, he's good enough to play all three formats. I think it's a really interesting point you make about expectation with Archer.

You know, he is the, he is your golden bowler, isn't he really? He's your absolute, you know, crackerjack bowler. And you expect him to, you know, do what he did to Steve Smith at Lords, you know, or, you know, or, to Australia last summer almost every time and it doesn't happen he's 25 years of age and he's still learning his craft and he's a fabulous cricketer and they've got to look

after and manage him and sort of coax him through really. Andy you've got a quick one? On Archer 22 wickets in four tests against Australia and his debut test summer average 20 since then 16 wickets in seven tests last winter and this summer

average in the mid-40s and it's a clearly fascinating cricket a massively talented bowler but yeah I think it's clear England have not quite learned how to use him and my bowling performance of the year mentioned broad as consistency but as a one-off game I go back to Mark Wood in Johannesburg 5 for 46 and 4 for 54 one of the fastest recorded matches by an England bowling 9 for 100 in the game and it was just gloriously exciting

there we go let's end on that on that note shall we would like a bit of excitement around here thanks to my colleagues at Simon Ebody and Andy, they're only thoughts and there's something in your headphones or earpieces or whatever and bark off a few memories of 2020 that's what it's all about really let's hope for more normality

in 2021. Speaking of which look out for a preview of the next 12 months with me and our panel who'll dominate the test summer will we get the crowds back can England win back the ashes we'll speak to you next time Somebody was even wearing a t-shirt with your face on it, and I couldn't eat.

You couldn't eat? Hi, Louis Theroux here. I've spent my whole working life trying to find people with interesting stories. It's taken me from high security jails to South African hunting grounds to Las Vegas casinos. But there are still loads of people I've always wanted to talk to, so I've tracked a few of them down for a second series of my podcast, Grounded with Louis Theroux. I'll chat to Sia, Rylan, make you know. Michaela Cole and more, peeling back the layers to find out who they really are.

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