Season 17, Episode 6: Before Ben Duckett boarded the plane to Pakistan, where he started in blistering form, the England Test opener sat down with Adam and Geoff in London. On the cusp of turning 30, he’s in all probability at the mid-way point of his career and never been more established as an international batter. Having first came across Duckett in a tour game nearly a decade ago, the conversation goes to that period of his career, when he first banged the door down to earn England Test caps in his early 20s, through to difficult times in the wilderness, a change of county and forcing his way in a second time. A nice chat to do – he gave us plenty. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers, Blowers and Alex Tudor from December 12-19! Pick up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout here - www.ambassadorcruiseline.com Get your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword - including our Australia Live Show tickets! Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, a special hosting combination with Andy Zaltzman on the Nerd Pledge tools for the first time since September 2019 (!), with his old mate Daniel Norcross. And what did they find? Well, for one, that left-handers can be ugly too. From there, a bit of Deano and a lick of Davo. Later, Greigy’s off-spin revival and Big Bird’s fine avoidance. Enjoy! Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week: 1.05 - Bala Sivaraman 25.00 - Tom Stewart 7.38 - Evil Scootus 5.77 - Emily Price Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers, Blowers and Alex Tudor from December 12-19! Pick up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout here - www.ambassadorcruiseline.com Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might’ve heard… we did a book. It was a team effort. The Showman, of course, has Maxi telling the story of a remarkable year in his life leading up his World Cup miracle, within his already fascinating career in the global game. Adam co-authored it with him through the course of 2024. And Geoff was the editor, putting the finishing touches on the manuscript. Together, they caught up ahead of the book’s release (30 October) to look back on the process and discuss the sections of the book that are likely to generate the most amount of attention. Be sure to buy yourself a copy! It’s available for pre-order everywhere. That includes the audio book, which has been read by friend of the pod Rhys Muldoon. https://www.amazon.com.au/Showman-Glenn-Maxwell/dp/1761428209 Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers, Blowers and Alex Tudor from December 12-19! Pick up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout here - www.ambassadorcruiseline.com Get your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword - including our Australia Live Show tickets! Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Season 17, Episode 5: David Warner is at it again - available for selection! But no, that won't be happening. There's nobody better to be co-hosting with Adam than Alex Malcolm from ESPNcricinfo, who is across every inch of the Sheffield Shield at this fascinating time of the year. From there, reflections from the Women's World Cup, a lap around the Test-playing world, and further concerns about the health of the global game despite CA's strong financial story. Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword Go Ambassador cruising with Goochy, Aggers, Blowers and Alex Tudor from December 12-19! Pick up 10% off with finalword10 at checkout here - www.ambassadorcruiseline.com Get your Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw Find all our links at linktr.ee/thefinalword - including our Australia Live Show tickets! Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com Title track by Urthboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices