With the Test series between England and Sri Lanka underway, I'm joined by Mark Machado from "The Mural End" podcast to talk all things Sri Lankan cricket. We remember some of the great moments of the last forty years but are also worried about the current trajectory of Test cricket and the threat it poses to Sri Lanka. A really enjoyable chat!

Touring side Central Country Cricket Club has arrived in the UK from Barbados to embark on a tour that includes games against club sides in Essex. I am joined by club President Andrew Willoughby and his wife Cheryl, along with club captain Dwayne Alleyne, tour manager Jason Wilson and from Essex Cricket Graham Pryke, who has helped with sorting out the fixtures.

Follow the team's progress on Instagram at "centralcountryclub".

One of the biggest-watched shows on BBC1 this spring has been "Race Across the World", where teams compete to cross exotic parts of the globe without the use of aeroplanes. One of the biggest stars of this year's series was James Mukherjee, who took part alongside his sister Betty.

Here he joins us to talk about the show and also about his earlier days as a promising young cricketer, getting as far as playing for Yorkshire's 2nd XI.

You can catch "Race Across the World" on BBC iPlayer and I can highly recommend it!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0002tvs/race-across-the-world?seriesId=m001y4h8

Former England player, now Sky Sports commentator Mark Butcher assesses the immense turnaround in fortunes of the England Test team, who have returned to winning ways with four straight victories, breaking a miserable run of just on win in the previous seventeen games.

 This week, we bring you "Best of the Guests: Vol 2", the second in a series, where we are looking back at some of the star guests we have had on the show over the three years we have been running. In this episode, we feature our chats with Graham Gooch, Gordon Greenidge, Daryl Mitchell, Chris Woakes, Steve Harmison, Chris Lewis, Mark Pougatch, Monty Panesar, Ebony Rainford Brent, Isa Guha and Henry Blofeld.

Leading cricket writer George Dobell from "The Cricketer" magazine has written a great piece in the July issue about Kevin Pietersen's proposals to revive the fortunes of county cricket in England; is his idea of doing away with the counties and replacing them with franchises going to work? 

Fresh from a jaunt to the Caribbean to cover the u19s World Cup, Charles Dagnall returns to cover the white ball summer on Sky Sports. Entertaining and forthright as ever, he doesn't hold back on his views and gives his unique perspective from the commentary box.

He also tells us about a gig he is doing with TMS commentator Henry Moeran to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust in September at The 100 Club in Oxford Street, London. Support a great cause by getting your tickets here:

https://www.the100club.co.uk/events/daggers-and-henry-live-and-loud/

 We mark our third birthday with a look back at some of the amazing guests we have had on the show - we have had to pinch ourselves recalling some of the great moments we have had. In fact there have been so many highlights, that we may well have to do a Volume 2, but in the meantime, here is "The Best of The Guests" featuring memorable moments with Rob Key, Allan Lamb, Sir Clive Lloyd, Daren Sammy, Craig Johnston, Shane Watson, Nasser Hussain, Azhar Ali, Mike Atherton, Alec Stewart, Toby Tarrant, "Bumble", Dinesh Karthik, David Gower, Barry Hearn, Jeffrey Archer and Mark Butcher, whose music we feature in this show.

 A huge thank you to everyone that has supported and taken part in the show and we look forward to keeping the bar high!

There is a lot of discussion currently about the cost of attending top class cricket matches. In a time dubbed as "the cost of living crisis", is charging £35 to watch a Vitality Blast match, up to £160 to attend the Test match at Lord's and even worse, £100 for u16s to enter the home of cricket sending the right message. We discuss the issue with cricket bloggers Debbie Knight and Richard Clarke aka "The Grumbler" and suggest that dropping ticket prices is the best, but not the only way, to attract a wider audience.

Unbelievably, it's already five years since legendary commentator and national treasure Henry Blofeld retired from the BBC TMS box. Here, we find out what "Blowers" has been unto since and get him to recount some wonderful recollections including doing Jaegerbombs with Shane Warne, driving a vintage Rolls Royce from London to Bombay, dinner with The Queen and Prince Philip, as well as being caught naked in a hotel lobby during a Trent Bridge Test match?!?!?!  If this serves as a taster, you can get the full version as Henry embarks on a nationwide tour "My Dear Old Things" and tickets are available here:

https://simonfielder.com/productions/my-dear-old-things/

Enjoy!

We caught up with Monty to talk mental health and life after cricket, including his participation in the recent BBC2 series "Pilgrimage", which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

With the announcement of Ben Stokes, we spoke to former England captain David Gower about the highs and lows of being the England test captain. A fascinating chat he recalls some of the moments from his illustrious career and speaks about his transition to the commentary box and also his current position as President of the Lord's Taverners.

One of South African cricket's most exciting prospects Grant Roelofsen has arrived in the UK to take part in the English summer season. Less than 24 hours after touching down at Heathrow Airport, Grant was in action for Billericay Cricket Club and hit an impressive 177 on debut. He joined us in the studio to talk about this amazing performance and how much he was looking forward to playing in English conditions.

Rahul Patil from www.sportsfreak.co.nz reports on the biggest game of the 2024 T20 World Cup so far, India vs Pakistan. Played in front of 34,000 frenzied fans, this was billed as the game to ignite American interest in the game and it did not disappoint.

New ECB Managing Director of Cricket Rob ey has announced the appointment of Ben Stokes as the New England Men's Test captain. On this week's show, Dazza and Webby ask if this is the right choice and weigh up the pros and cons of him being in the role.

Daren and Paul discuss Wisden's criticism of the ECB and Tom Harrison and ask if it was right that an alleged £2.1 million bonus was handed out. Should it have been handed back and could more have been done to help the domestic game, righting some of the wrongs of the last couple of years? We also question the merit of awarding Sky a new ten-year deal to cover cricket and was there a missed opportunity to get more red ball cricket back on terrestrial television. The boys get a lot of their chests!

Johnny Barran has been in Kathmandu covering a trip-series tournament and the first thing we learn is that we have all been pronouncing Nepal all wrong?!?! He talks about the rise of cricket in the region and how Nepal are climbing the ICC rankings with the aim of taking a place at cricket's top table. Johnny tells us about his adventures on a remarkable tour to a country that was high on his Wishlist. We also recall the moment he was on commentary for the ICC coverage as England won the World Cup back in 2019.

We caught up with TMS commentator and lover of sashimi Daniel Norcross on his birthday!

Richard Clark aka "The Grumbler" joins us to talk about the first round of County Championship matches that got underway last week. 

The ICC Women's World Cup reached a thrilling climax, with the holders England meeting the tournament favourites Australia in the Final. In a thrilling climax, Australia ran home winners, but not without England putting up a tremendous fight. The fact that England made it so far after looking don and out after losing their first three games is an incredible achievement in itself. GEORGIE HEATH covered the tournament for Times radio, TalkSport and The telegraph and in this podcast, she gives us her take on events and looks at the current rude health of women's cricket.

As England conclude another disastrous red ball tour and their miserable run of winning only one of their last seventeen Tests continues, we caught up with Paul Newman to try and get a sense of what keeps going wrong and ask about the possible solutions. He also previews the domestic season, which begins next week, and says a few words about the late Shane Warne.

Ahead of the Barbados Test match between West Indies and England, we caught up with the former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop. He spoke about playing alongside legends such as Viv Richards, Brian Lara and Curtley Ambrose and remembers the moment he found out he was first selected for the West Indies. Of course, these days, he is a familiar voice in the commentary box and he revealed the story behind the legendary "Remember the name" quote as Carlos Brathwaite's six-hitting secured the 2016 T20 World Cup for the West Indies. He also gives his thoughts on the current state of cricket in the Caribbean and also looks forward to the Test match at the Kensoington Oval, always a great occasion.  

On Friday, the cricket world was rocked with the awful news off the deaths of Rod Marsh and then Shane Warne. We caught up with David "Bumble" Lloyd to get his thoughts and memories of two of Australian cricket's greatest names.

Former England opening batsman Michael Carberry recalls his experiences of the 2013-14 Ashes series in Australia and reminds us that England getting beaten heavily there is nothing new. He tells us about his current work coaching youngsters and an upcoming coaching camp he is doing over Easter with his former Surrey colleague Scott Newman. A man of many talents, he also reveals his latest art work, a pencil sketch of Manchester United football player Marcus Rashford MBE. Visit www.michaelcarberryart.com to see more!

The T20 World Cup is underway and England's start has been hampered by rain disrupting their opening match against Scotland. Don Topley is on the ground in Barbados, commentating for local station CBC and he gives us his thoughts on England and looks forward to what is now a huge game against Australia on Saturday. Stay away from the rum Toppers!

Roland Butcher, the first black player to play Test cricket for England, joins us from his home to update on on conditions in Barbados, ahead of the arrival of the England team, who are set to play a series against the West Indies. He also tells us about his plans to visit the UK this summer and gives details on how you can book him for coaching, mentoring or just a Q&A session at your club. An added bonus is that he will be joined later in the tour by his good friend and current Chairman of Selectors for the West Indies, Desmond Haynes.

Huw Turbervill is the editor of "The Cricketer" magazine and the March issue is on news stands now. Some excellent articles and a great team of contributors, Huw sums up the edition and we recommend you buy a copy now!

17 year-old Jamal Richards, Essex Academy Player of the Year, has just been awarded a rookie-pro contract with the club. We talk to him about his progress so far, the challenges he has faced and what his hopes are for the future. Jamal Richards, remember the name!

Writer and broadcaster Colin Babb takes us down memory lane with a great chat about his latest book, "11973 and Me", where a recounts the sights, sounds and tastes of a seminal year in his life, growing up in South London among a vibrant West Indian community. We talk cricket, politics food and music!

Chief Cricket Writer at the Daily Mail, Paul Newman, joins us to discuss the departure of Ashley Giles from the England set up and gives his thought on what further changes of personnel we could see in the coming hours and days, ahead of the selection of the Test side to fly out to the West Indies.

Former Northants cricketer Patrick Foster has a brand new book out called "Might Bite", a harrowing account of his descent into a serious gambling addiction, what it cost him (financially and emotionally) and how he was nearly within an inch of taking his own life. It's a brutal read and we were thrilled Patrick found the time in his busy schedule to have a chat with us about he he fought back and got his life on track.

It wasn't all bad news for English cricketers Down Under This winter: on Friday night, the Perth Scorchers won their fourth Big Bash League title down in Australia, helped by a Man of the Match performance by Surrey's Laurie Evans, who scored 78 not out off just 41 balls.We caught up with the big man as he arrived home and had a great chat while he was on the school run!

As England fail dismally in their attempt to bring The Ashes back from Australia, red ball cricket is again under the spotlight. We asked Annie Chave, editor of "County Cricket Matters" what can be done at domestic level to help better prepare our players for the demands of Test cricket.

With a new contract signed, Paul Walter talks about his hopes for the 2022 season with Essex as pre-season training gets underway. We also talk about his ongoing involvement helping his boyhood club Billericay CC.

Writer and blogger Georgie Heath looks forward to the start of the Women's Ashes in Australia which gets underway hot on the heels of the men's version. Can England wrestle the urn back?

Here are the highlights of the live "98 Not Out" radio show broadcast on Phoenix FM on Thursday 30th May, where I took a look at the latest from the County Championship, England Women wrap up a strong series performance against Pakistan and England Men get ready for the T20 World Cup. Also all the latest from the Essex Premier League.

We caught up with Charles Dagnall as he quarantines in a hotel room ahead of the u19 World Cup, which he is covering for Sky Sports. Hugely entertaining, as ever....

Having been pining for being in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, Chris Green finds himself holed up in Melbourne, so we tracked him down and helped alleviate his boredom with a catchup. We talked about Sydney Thunder's progress in the BBL and asked can they go all the way? Chris also gave his views on The Ashes series and how Australia's success has been viewed locally. He reflected on playing in England last summer and hopes to return in 2022, counties tae note! We also talked Novak Djokovic....

Mention David Masters to any Essex fan and a warm smile will spread across their face. One of Essex cricket's most dependable players in the time he spent at the club, before retiring in 2016, his metronomic line and length saw him bag many wickets and he was a key part of the side that won the Friends Provident One day Cup in 2009. Here, he reflects on his influences at Kent, Leicestershire and Essex and how he tried to convince Andrew Strauss how he could have done a job for England, if only Jimmy Anderson wasn't standing in his way!?!?!

Former Essex Cricketer Don Topley gives us an update on England's progress in Australia and what can be done to address the problems it has exposed. he also looks forward to the upcoming tour to the West Indies, where he will be covering the game and watching his son Reece take part.

Nottinghamshire all rounder Samit Patel joined us to talk about playing for Nottinghamshire, England and how he is prolonging his career in various franchise leagues around the world. He talks about those who influenced his career and how as a big Nottingham Forest fan, was star struck as a "young man" to be playing club cricket in front of a watchful Brian Clough.

"Mags" spoke to us as the 2020 cricket season was being delayed by Covid. He told us about the challenges facing the domestic season and even whether we would see any county fixtures (luckily, we did!). We asked him about his career and what it was like to leave his beloved Yorkshire to join Chris Silverwood at Essex. Of course, it worked out very well indeed, with Mags leading the club to glory, including that amazing "double" of 2019...

Ravi Bopara spent 18 years at Essex, before departing for Sussex at the end of an amazing 2019 campaign, which saw Essex do "the double", winning the T20 Blast as well as the County Championship. He looked back on his career so far, tells us about his best mates in the game and what he has learned from playing franchise cricket around the world with some of cricket's biggest names.

Saj Mahmood reflect son his days at Lancashire playing alongside Freddie Flintof and Jimmy Anderson, then coming down to Essex to join the likes of Ravi Bopara and Monty Panesar. we asked him about his foray into acting, appearing in the Bollywood film "Victory" and what he has been up to after retiring as a player. He also talks about the pressure British Asians face and how demanding it is to play professional sport during the fasting period of Ramadan. The importance of getting cricket played more widely on schools is something he is passionate about and very timely, given the current debate about the future survival of the game.

The term "legend" is often banded about very easily these days, but in the world of cricket you cannot dispute the fact that Graham Gooch is fully deserving of wearing that crown. Having spent his whole career at Essex, captaining the club to many glorious moments, he also led England, also by example, scoring many memorable innings and taking part in some historic matches. In this chat we talk to Graham about Headingley 1981, his England colleagues, what it was like to face that fabled West Indies pace attack and also how highly he rates Alastair Cook and his approach to the game. We also talked about how Essex was faring during lockdown and what the club has been doing to support the local community.

Huw wrote a great piece in "The Cricketer" forensically dissecting the England team's woeful performance in The Ashes and tries to draw conclusions as to why it happened and what can be done to stop the rot.

Make sure you subscribe to "The Cricketer" as it enters its 101st year:

 https://www.thecricketer.com

With the domestic red ball season about to take a break for the white ball format, Richard Clarke joins me to debate whether we have just seen “peak” cricket with a set of thrilling matches played under warm and sunny skies up and down the country, with outstanding performances and lots on international players on show.

The name might not be familiar, but his voice will be instantly recognisable to all cricket fans who have been to a Test match in England over the last few years, as Graham Woodward is the official ground announcer for all England home games. Whether it's announcing a new batsman, change of bowler or the resumption of play, Graham's warm tones have been gracing England cricket since 2013. We asked him about his role and how it has been attending some of the great moments of England cricket in his time in the job. We also found out about his love of banger racing, when he's not focussing on cricket!

One of the best cricket books of the last year or so has to be "The Unforgiven", which is about the tale of the West Indian cricketers who went on the rebel tours to South Africa during the Apartheid era. Whereas English players who did the same thing returned home and resumed their careers - in some cases reaching the highest levels of the game - the West Indies guys were treated as outcasts, both within the game and also in society. We spoke to writer Ashley Gray about his excellent book, where he tells the often painful stories of those players who took the South African Rand in the hope of earning some money from the game of cricket. A must-buy using those book vouchers you got for Christmas! 

Starring.....Charles, Dagnall, Debbie Knight, Asif Tanvir, George Dobell, David Paynter, Ryan ten Doeschate, David Gower, Jeffrey Archer, Tymal Mills, Harry Gurney Rikki Clarke, Georgie Heath, Nasa Hussain, Huw Turbervill, Peter Moores, Mark Pougatch, Paul Newman. Alec Stewart, "The Grumbler", Michael Carberry, The Bunbury, Chevy Green, Ronnie Irani, Ben Allison, Monty Panesar, Matt Kabir Floyd, Nasser Hussain, Ali Martin, Rishi Persad, Daren Sammy, Matthew Hoggard, Kyle Coetzer, Roland Butcher, Don Topley and Mark Butcher.