Nasser and Athers review McCullum's appointment and record-breaking Root 💭 | Sky Cricket Podcast

[@soulgalorememories9921]

What a fabulous guest - I had no idea that Dean Headley was a super thoughtful and insightful former cricketer. I always rated him in his playing days and was surprised how short his Test career actually was. Bring back Dean for more cricket talk - I thoroughly enjoyed this podcast.

[@DJR1409]

He had a few injuries and was around during a time England has some quality pace bowlers. But l was surprised how little test cricket he actually played.

[@MD-wv7ee]

That was lovely reminiscing by these 3 gentleman. Dean has a very astute cricket brain

[@agr7879]

Really enjoyed hearing from Dean Headley. Shame he body let him down as early as it did.

[@kevinsoutham]

To use an analogy, KP is Ronnie O’Sullivan, Root is Stephen Henry, Gooch is Steve Davis and Gower is Alex Higgins. If cricket is aesthetics, and all four of those players are playing tomorrow at different grounds then I’m going to see KP just like if it was snooker then most of us would go watch rocket ronnie.

[@michaelangelo2192]

I don't think it's black and white though in terms of who has the more aesthetically pleasing and watchable style. Much resides on one's preference for elegant batting vs. thumping, dynamite-batting. Root's ability to play every single shot in the book (whilst playing very few false strokes) is underappreciated. Pietersen, like nearly every batsmen not named Root, looked unassured and iffy early in his innings and had a limited shot selection (never rly played the cut shot or anything off the back foot, for example). Pietersen, on the other hand, whilst not as technically clean, had brutish power and confidence that Root somewhat lacks - more akin to Stokes when Stokes is at his best. I personally prefer watching Root bat because seeing him play every single shot at an equally exceptional level is just awe-inspiring. To some, I think the calm, precise aesthetics of Root's batting is preferable to watch over Pietersen's destructive, yet somewhat clumsy, style. A test team certainly works at its best when you have a combination of styles though of course... Man, to watch prime Pietersen and current Root bat together would be a delight.

[@user-hq4gu1jb3n]

I was lucky to meet George Headley in 1951 while he was conducting schoolboy coaching net sessions at an indoor exhibition in Edinburgh. As an eleven year old, I had a number of questions for him and he went out of his way in answering me. I thought him very kind and gentle.

[@KobusDeWet-l8i]

Hi Nass and Athers, enjoy your podcast. I was at the test when Athers and AD took each other to task at the Wanderers way back. Live in the USA at present. Still long for the Newlands cricket ground having spent many days watching the cricket. Grew up with the Kirsten's, Alan Lamb, etc. in CT. I had only one wish to play for the Proteas but never got further than 1st team honour's. Why are you guys not involved in the coaching and team aspects of the ECB ? Rob Key can learn from your experience, a right waffler he is. Is Geoff Boycott still active in cricket ? Absolute rock at the crease. 40 runs in 2 days, way to go Geoffrey. Regards, Kobus de Wet USA

[@paulrichardson9843]

Good to see Dean Headley as a guest. Watched him live for Kent many times in 90s and he was a very reliable and sharp bowler with 450+ wickets. He also had a very respectable record playing for England with the 6-60 against Oz really outstanding. It's a shame his back forced him into early retirement as 60 Test wickets in 15 Tests at an average of 27 was an impressive return and he could easily have had a 50+ Test career bowling with Caddick and Gough.

[@buzcheva6496]

I actually watched Dean Headleys spell at Melbourne in the 98/99 series last night on youtube. I must have said about 10 times to my wife "I was there!" the memories are shaded in amber and nostalgia

[@MrDunkycraig]

Josh comes from the same clubs as my sons have they are a few years older. Josh is such a lovely lad humble and willing to learn and listen. His family are farmers but have a strong rugby connection and really great people so i cant see him going astray. His younger brother is quick to at 16 but hes a top rugby player to.

[@DhyeyDandnayak]

Thanks for another great chat lads, see you next week.

[@zkavess7294]

Thank you for getting Dean in. Top quality guest.

[@khurmiful]

Great chat with Dean. Great show as always.

[@ponchostoybox]

Headley had a lovely run up and action. Nice guy

[@lasagnechef1992]

Really good listen that. Great guest

[@nickrider5220]

There's no one better, no one better suited, in Baz we trust 👍🏻

[@lingolarker9318]

Kamaaarrrrn 🤜. Only way is up!

[@alansmitheejr.]

Bazball bamboozled the Aussies who were only saved by Mother Nature.

[@J92-DS]

You could say that, you could also say that the stupid declaration on the first day of the first test cost England the ashes

[@wpracy]

@@J92-DSyou could also say Bairstow run out

[@ethanwiles2]

@@J92-DS the declaration didnt cost us that match, it was missed chances

[@J92-DS]

@@ethanwiles2 I mean if they didn’t declare on day one, that first test probably would’ve been a draw. It’s not a coincidence that they haven’t done it again since then

[@KobusDeWet-l8i]

@@alansmitheejr. what is this Baz ball thing?

[@coldpost99]

Great guest - what a legend!!!

[@AnandaChakraborty21]

I watched Dean Headley live on tele. He was good. England had a decent pace attack then with Gough, Mullaly, Headley, Caddick, Cork and co.

[@rizwanwaris8541]

Excellent Choice 👌💯

[@princeroytilakasiri5675]

Loved what Dean Headley said about all the things he says, he is a true character 😊😊

[@callumtew2693]

Hello everyone I love Ian Bell he did not play as many test matches as Joe Root I think at his best Ian Bell best was the best for England but Joe Root is a good shout

[@raysgadgetsandprojects1734]

I was at the ENG V SRI second test 3rd day and it cost us £140.00 each so £420.00 for the 3 of us. Expensive day out but enjoyed every minute of it.. Great atmosphere.

[@mattyu1818]

Great to hear Nas say "batsman" I think he almost got a nosebleed when he did!

[@andrewharris1837]

The point you missed is that LORDS over charges.Other grounds are not cheap but more reasonable,better child proces.Key can sort this.get on it.😮

[@papabear1417]

I can't remember who said it when asked if a player was too young. The reply along the lines of if they're good enough, they're old enough. Dean is correct. A lot of players are over coached and ruined before Test playing. Thankfully Jimmy Anderson recovered from this.

[@neilpountney9414]

Great Podcast it is just sad people like Dean are not more involved at a higher level in the management of the English game it sounds like he has lots to offer.

[@Ernest_Thesiger]

It's a shame the worst captain in cricket history Jos Buttler has somehow kept his job but I'm sure McCullum won't allow him to make the sort of ridiculous mistakes he was allowed to make when Mott was the coach, like choosing to bowl first against good teams on flat pitches on hot days or letting terrible bowlers bowl at good batsmen!

[@ismail548]

I live for this sort of content! Gimme!!

[@samuelking6432]

I don't understand why Buttler keeps at all. He is a premium white ball batter and a gun fielder.. that's what he should focus on. The wicketkeeper role could be given to someone like Salt or Smith.

[@20shourya]

Butler should only keep tables.

[@01ianca]

The problem with the the pricing back in the day the 90’s a match ticket cost £25 and on day 5 when I went to watch England vs South Africa at Leeds cost £8 that was 1994 so inflated ☹️

[@rajivradha]

Volume of cricket, we have been going on about this for 25 years.

[@Sid-e5y]

Love the pos

[@mickconners9377]

These two need a feed. I don’t know what’s happening to them

[@treble20]

They look ill...bless them. I blame it on Sky putting their commentators on strict low carb diets. Look at Bumble now...he looks ten years younger since leaving Sky....running round like a dog with two wotsits.

[@willgoodall1529]

ECB worried about test cricket? Make it more financially accessible. It's not difficult. Turn at £95 ticket into a £60 ticket, and more people will come and watch. In fact, do it for all forms of cricket

[@HACKER-vw3ev]

could stokes move up to coach the test team as well ?not sure pope is a replacement for him ,i,de like to see woakes or even root come back and take on the responseability again.

[@princeroytilakasiri5675]

Cheers guys and thanks nasser this morning ❤❤. I hope the crowd increases in the last test match especially when england are winning!!! I just hope the ticket prices don't put off people going to a test match especially with this bazball!!!

[@Ronaldo-v4u1s]

I subscribed to this channel

[@KHID-JR]

GREAT ANALYSIS.🔥.

[@rob989]

I looked at day 4 lords tickets... with my 21 year old son... train tickets... food ... drink... I'd be lucky to get change out of £500... that's a lot of money for a game that was decided on day 3.... At Edgebaston you'd have got a seat for £30... Theyt even have a ticket exchange for last minute cancelations, where you can pick up a bargain... That would be worth the trip.

[@markarnold8160]

I think the budgets of the viewing public are becoming strained and the cost of a day out to the Test match is becoming out of reach.

[@drfawad98]

McCullum will give his best..👍

[@David-j9h9g]

no mention of alistair cooke..weird

[@James40000]

Spelling both of his names wrong. Weird.

[@dandan4092]

Aside from Root going past his record, and even then it would be a mention in passing, what relevance does Alastair Cook have to this conversation?

[@dandan4092]

Ok I get why you’d suggest Cook for best English batsman. I never watched Gooch or Gower but I’d personally have KP and Root above Cook.

[@karanpathak9971]

Same coach across formats will help England

[@bhargav38]

As Athers like to use the term : "in favorable conditions" , England won tests in favorable conditions at home !!

[@oleggorky906]

I just hope that this doesn’t become another Duncan Fletcher or Andy Flower type things, in which when the team is playing well, the same people who are waving palms suddenly start shouting “Crucify Him!” when the team cops a hammering. If England are to be successful in all formats over the long term, they need players with better techniques. How many bowlers do they have averaging under 30 (never mind 25) a wicket, or batsmen averaging in the high forties? Over the long haul, those stats don’t lie because they are measured against performance in all conditions. At the moment the fast bowlers seem to break down very quickly - Wood, Archer, Robinson et al. And most of the batsmen are only averaging in the mid to high thirties

[@jacklancer7735]

Maybe stop having every other mens international at Lords. 2 years without a mens test at Southampton. Every series seems to have 2 tests in London! Next game at the oval! Spread the game, and lower the costs. WTC final? Lords. Hundred final? Lords. Lords Lords Lords.

[@20shourya]

I don't think Sri Lanka would pull much of an audience outside London.

[@haighjj]

95 quid for day 4 is a joke, I paid 85 quid each for day 1 at the oval.

[@johnbattersby8639]

If they're concerned about busy schedules maybe they can give some test match cricket to the rest of the world. I'm a Proteas supporter and since we were number 1 five/six years ago we've been starved of test cricket, with only 6 or 7 tests a year. This focus on England, Australia and India playing 80% of test matches is destroying cricket in other countries and leaving those 3 teams with depleting opposition. Only the ICC can fix the issue. Imagine launching a test championship and then certain teams playing almost all the cricket, what a waste of time even having an championship.

[@gaganpreetsingh9848]

But thats SA problem too bro. I love the game no favors but you know SA board and cricket is not strong financially. Thats why they started league and what happened players skipped NZ tests for league. Its not these 3 are problem. Something others nations has to fix inside.

[@grahamwood7395]

So much common sense on why we waste young talent, thank you Dean Headley.

[@peersportsworldofcricket5203]

What kind of results Baz produced only talking

[@edgefanCWC]

Funny how now ppl want to rank fab4 when Root is in amazing form 😂 ... And past decade of Smith and Kohli, no one wanted to rank then as Root would end up 4th 😆 Kane was always consistent... And Kohli is an all-format superstar unlike Rooty ;)

[@treble20]

Athers looks dishevelled. Have Sky put him up in a bedsit? 🤔 If someone starts a "Save Athers from poverty" fundraiser...I shall contribute a pound. 👍

[@gwd1095]

As an England fan who started watching in the 90s when we couldn't beat anyone, I would disagree with Athers here. Funnily enough, I want England to win. We shouldn't be struggling to beat Sri Lanka or West Indies. We have better players and better young players than they have. England struggle to beat Australia & India (especially away) as it is!

[@MrDunkycraig]

Deans right about late Developers as my eldest didnt develop ability until he was 16/17 last year he was Northants premier player of the year! 2 weeks ago he starred in the vitality t20 southern finals day destroying current county pro bowlers! His younger brother is a top white ball minor county spinner for 8 yrs and is only 24 yet has never had an opportunity at pro level! He also has a list A 5-17 vs Essex and 4 fer against Northants in the showcase games. Their problem state school kids and not private !it needs to change guys!

[@jontydenton1201]

I’ve found Wally (Waldo for US watchers …as if)…he’s lost his stripey clothes though

[@buzcheva6496]

£8 a pint of generic cheap lager/cider at Lords for the ashes last year! Absolute joke.

[@kmprash]

if you play against low rank teams audience will not show up. England team need to make sure in one season they dont play bottom 4 teams.

[@Ernest_Thesiger]

19:49 Joe Root is a great batsman and will be remembered as a record-breaking legend but he isn't as good as peak KP and I'm sure those slightly older than me wouldn't put him above peak Gower.

[@movingpictures7524]

Test cricket will die. The real reason that noone wants to discuss is selfishness. IND, AUS, ENG are the cricket mafia now. They are the richest. And they only play each other (look at the amount of test cricket they play compared to other test nations) to make each other richer. Gone are the days of seeing the greats of SA, NZ, WI, SL, PAK, BAN, ZIM also against the other three. Its sad. And infuriating to see that none of the broadcasters (who can see this happening) standing up and doing something about it. They like to talk about "the good of the game" but words are meaningless. Actions need to be taken. If you want to do something good for the game then you need to broaden your mindsight beyond your own country and look at the game as a whole and do whats best for it. Its time for someone (ICC) to stop suckling at the teet of the big three and stop flipping insignificant coins at the rest of the beggar nations and uplift them to make the world game strong again.

[@sureshdomadiya1679]

Kevin Peterson was the best better of England

[@keppel3899]

Hai nasser, your favourite Babru azam needs your help. He needs your help, your no.1 batsmen of the world😂

[@manantyagi1309]

Alastair Cook: Joe root: 5 💯 Australia 🦘 0 💯 Australia 🦘 5 💯 India 3 💯 India Ashes💀

[@jcd-kh7rn]

I believe it's very hard to compare either Cook or Root with previous generations of England batsmen because the standard of bowling worldwide has dropped considerably since circa 2007. Root never played vs Warne or McGrath, the West Indies side of the '80s and '90s or Wasim and Waqar. The fact that Root has struggled vs Australia says a lot because they are one of the few sides who have world class bowlers.

[@wpracy]

Sometimes that’s just cricket

[@kushanshah8040]

Cook played in god mode in Ashes 2010 and against India in 2012. Most of his great stats are due to them. But I agree, Cook will always be an all time great due to those performances.

[@EtheleneComeauy-h6v]

Cummings Heights

[@RIPSIRJIMMYSAVILLE]

Has Nass murdered the wife in that room with blood splattered all over the wall

[@cricketalltheway1070]

I like this podcast but pls don't call Joe Root a bits and pieces bowler,he's much better than that!

[@kevwiz369]

You guys think one hundred by Root in Australia will do after so many tours?.Seriously?.😂 Even Yashir Shah, Leg spinner for Pakistan, has got a hundred there. 😅 English "pundits " talk like other countries don't matter.

[@kushanshah8040]

Root is not bad at all in Australia. He has made plenty of good scores there. He just hasn't made a hundred. His average has also suffered due to it.

[@sabeehbutt543]

He needs atleast two or three hundreds in 6 matches he'll play in Australia (5 Ashes in 2025-26 and a one off test match in 2027)