Episode 378 - Sydney Report

·50 min·4 clips

England secures a dramatic draw in Sydney, preventing a 5-0 Ashes humiliation.

This episode of the World Cricket Show reviews the drawn fourth Ashes Test in Sydney and covers other international cricket news. Host Adam Bayfield and co-host Tony Kerr, both experienced cricket commentators, react to England avoiding a 5-0 series defeat. England secured a dramatic draw, finishing nine wickets down after Jimmy Anderson defended the final ball from Steve Smith. Usman Khawaja scored twin centuries (137 and 101*) in his return to the Australian side, while Jonny Bairstow made 113 and 41 for England. Stuart Broad took a five-wicket haul, and 60 overs were lost to rain across the match, which the hosts argue saved England from defeat. The hosts also discuss Bangladesh's historic first Test victory in New Zealand, where Ebadot Hussain took 6/46 to bowl out the hosts for 169. New Zealand then won the second Test in Christchurch by an innings, with Tom Latham scoring a century. A key insight is that the draw, while exciting, felt diminished because the series was already a dead rubber. The hosts note that Joe Root avoided excessive celebration, acknowledging England's broader batting failures, as no player besides Root has passed 300 series runs. They debate whether Haseeb Hameed should be dropped after six consecutive single-figure scores, with Rory Burns as the only alternative. Jonny Bairstow's century is seen as a potential career renaissance, though his technical flaws are noted. The potential inclusion of Sam Billings for the injured Jos Buttler in Hobart is discussed, with mentions of Ricky Ponting's coaching influence on him. The tone is conversational, humorous, and analytical, blending personal anecdotes with technical cricket discussion. The hosts frequently reference their 'Ashes Daily' spin-off episodes and share casual banter about their weekends. Cricket fans who enjoy detailed Ashes post-mortems and global test match roundups will appreciate this episode. Listeners seeking only breaking news or purely tactical analysis might find the informal style and broad topic range less engaging.

As heard by us

Loose banter, proper cricket thinking, and a blunt but fair read on England's Ashes trouble.

Adam Bayfield and Tony Kerr open with loose, joking banter, then settle into a plainspoken look at England's Ashes problems and how the batsmen are trying to answer them. The Bairstow section is the best stretch.

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Why you'd press play

Want Ashes chat that is funny, blunt, and properly technical?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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