This Week in Cricket #146 - The Glenn Phillips Test, the worst pitch ever and England's spin surprise

The Top Order Cricket Podcast

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Baldy and Stu look back at the week that was, including the Black Caps' Test victory against Bangladesh, the build up to the Australia v Pakistan series, England Cricket news and other bits and pieces that caught our attention.

We start by discussing Glenn Phillips and his heroics at Mirpur, which saw New Zealand pick up their first points of this World Test Championship campaign in challenging conditions. There's praise for his approach, his partnership with Mitchell Santner and a conversation about what this performance might mean for his next 12 months across all formats.

Eventually the conversation turns to the pitch, and the contrasting comments made by Tim Southee and Najmul Hossain Shanto. Was it fun to watch? Or was it the worst pitch ever? Or was it fun to watch because it was the worst pitch ever?

There are also mentions for Ajaz Patel, a nod to conversations about where this win ranks alongside other wins for the Black Caps in Tests away from home, and some excitement towards the end of the episode about a potential ODI debut for Will O'Rourke as the two sides shift countries and formats to do it all again in a matter of days.

Our next stop on this cricketing journey is Australia, where pitches have been in the spotlight as well in Geelong and at the Manuka Oval. We talk about who might replace David Warner for Australia when he finally does sail off into the sunset (in Tests at least) and whether there's any chance Pakistan can make this upcoming series a competitive one.

England's white-ball squad are in the West Indies, but Binksy was excited to discuss the recently announced Test squad to tour India, which features two uncapped spinners in Tom Bartley and Shoaib Bashir.

There's also brief mentions of the BBL, a Jofra Archer sighting, the upcoming India v South Africa Test series and more as we bounce around a wide range of topics.

We'll be back again next week with more news and views, but until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including a recent conversation with Mike Hesson, plus chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

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