Test Match Special

England’s Summer preview 01.06.2026 54min

Mark Chapman is joined by three men who all played for England, former captain Sir Alastair Cook, former batter Mark Ramprakash and former fast bowler Steven Finn. Not many England coaches survive a thrashing by Australia. But Brendan McCullum and Ben Stokes will continue to lead the side starting with that 1st Test against New Zealand on Thursday at Lord’s.There’ll be at least one man making his debut at Lord’s on Thursday - Durham batter Emilio Gay is expected to open after a piling on the runs during the opening block of the County Championship. Ollie Robinson is also back in the squad for the first time since being dropped after the tour of India in 2024.England’s Test summer begins where rain and grey skies are forecast. The panel get a look into the opposition and are joined by New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry.On Tuesday, it’s England women’s last match before the T20 World Cup which starts next week. They face India at Taunton with the series level at one all. All rounder Dani Gibson joins Test Match Special. TIME CODES00:00 Intro 00:50 Brendon McCullum 03:50 McCullum given a second chance 08:30 Mark celebrating Arsenal’s Premier League title 09:30 How England should approach the New Zealand test 17:00 Emilio Gay 22:00 The challenges of making your England debut as an opener 26:10 Making debuts 28:12 The recall of Ollie Robinson 29:53 New Zealand bowler Matt Henry joins the pod 37:30 Are New Zealand underestimated? 40:30 England Women’s final game before the World Cup 40:50 Dani Gibson joins the pod 48:50 The 15-year-old MVP in the Indian Premier League

IPL 2026 Awards: Magic Moments and Big Surprises 30.05.2026 34min

Content creator and cricket fan Henry.vr joins Traitors finalist Faraaz Noor and Amber Sandhu in the Strategic Timeout studio to look back on this year’s IPL tournament as they pick their magic moments as well as the players who have delighted and surprised them.

Leading England's Attack: Josh Tongue looks ahead after Ashes 27.05.2026 54min

Mark Chapman is alongside former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, former England fast bowler Steven Finn and the BBC’s cricket correspondent Stephan Shemilt as they talk to Josh Tongue about his England career and discuss England's new National Selector.We also hear from England Women's Head Coach Charlotte Edwards in build up to the T20 World Cup and talk to Durham Coach Dani Hazell who won the competition in 2017.Timecodes: 1:30 Reflecting on the Ashes: Does Josh Tongue want to lead England attack? 08:00 England's self inflicted defeats 15:50 Process behind finding new National Selector 30:00 Does the new Selector need to be English? 34:50 Support for Zak Crawley: 37:45 Women's T20 World Cup 38:30 Charlotte Edwards speaking to Henry Moeran: 41:00 Durham Coach Dani Hazell: 45:00 Does success of other England Women's National teams add to T20 Pressure?:

County Championship: Joe Root talks Yorkshire's rout of Surrey 19.05.2026 49min

Kevin Howells presents the best of the conversations around this week's County Championship results.He talks to England's record run-scorer Joe Root following Yorkshire's huge win over Surrey, and Liam Dawson looks back at his red-ball career. Kevin also speaks to Nottinghamshire's Director of Cricket Mick Newell, Yorkshire Head Coach Anthony McGrath, and Mail on Sunday's Richard Gibson.

Strategic Timeout: Chris Green talks IPL, Brendon McCullum & Shubman Gill 17.05.2026 41min

Australia all-rounder Chris Green joins Traitors finalist Faraaz Noor and Amber Sandhu to discuss the biggest stories in the IPL as well as discussing his career in franchise cricket and playing under Eoin Morgan and Brendon McCullum.

Robinson returns & Gay gets the nod 13.05.2026 44min

Henry Moeran is alongside World Cup winner Ebony Rainford-Brent & BBC Cricket Correspondent Stephan Shemilt for reaction to England Men's Test squad.They discuss Ollie Robinson getting recalled to the side, as well as Emilio Gay's possible chance to open the batting for England and the selections of James Rew and Sonny Baker.

"It's Cricket's turn now": all eyes on the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup 12.05.2026 25min

Henry Moeran is alongside England World Cup winners Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Alex Hartley as they look ahead to a huge summer of cricket for England's women, with the target of winning the T20 World Cup on home soil.How has the preparation been? What is the strongest part of Charlotte Edwards' squad? And what are the minimum requirements for this set of players?Test Match Special will have commentary of every ball of every match of the Women's T20 World Cup across BBC Sounds, 5 Sports Extra, and the BBC Sport app & website.

Strategic Timeout: Mark Wood on the IPL, England & the pressure of playing 02.05.2026 38min

Watch Strategic Timeout on the BBC Sport Youtube channel and on BBC iPlayer.England fast bowler Mark Wood joins Traitors finalist Faraaz Noor and Amber Sandhu to discuss the biggest stories in the IPL and shares how he’s faring ahead of a busy summer of cricket.

England's T20 World Cup Squad 30.04.2026 24min

England have announced their squad for this summer’s T20 World Cup. Kevin Howells speaks with Isabelle Duncan about the squad and we hear from head coach Charlotte Edwards as well as 18 year old surprise inclusion Tilly Corteen-Coleman.

The art of spin bowling 27.04.2026 47min

Mark Chapman, Sir Alastair Cook, Jack Leach and, Phil Tufnell discuss the attitude towards spinners in England, how franchise cricket has affected the art of spin and whether England know what they want from their spinner heading into the summer.How do you become a spinner? Is it down to the player or coach? Jack Leach and Phil Tufnell give insight into how they found themselves becoming spinners and, whether a batters’ attitude changes as you get older and as they get older.As a spinner, what do you need from your captain? Is it blind faith? Is it protection if you are going for runs? The panel dive into the mind of a spin bowler and how they can adapt their game.TIME CODES: 00:00 Intro and London Marathon 01:50 County Cricket’s substitute rule 04:03 The art of spin bowling 05:30 Captains and spinners 15:32 The nuance of spin 17:30 How did it start? 25:05 English attitude towards spin 33:26 When were you at your peak? 35:00 What if you started as a spin now? 38:20 The mental side 41:40 What do England want this summer?

Strategic Timeout: Sooryavanshi Continues to Stun the IPL 24.04.2026 27min

Indian prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues his meteorological rise in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals. The batter, who has only just turned 15 stars with the bat yet again for his side, has made two 50+ scores this tournament - but how does he do it? Former England all-rounder Samit Patel and Traitors finalist Faraaz Noor join Amber Sandhu to discuss all the latest headlines from the Indian Premier League. Plus, Patel discusses his time in an England shirt and tells us what his only regret was when playing international cricket.

Big changes for the England Test team? 20.04.2026 53min

Mark Chapman, Alex Hartley, Steven Finn and, Matt Prior discuss how England’s Test team is shaping up for the summer, the spots up for grabs and, who is best placed to take them. Less than two months to go until England begin their Test summer against New Zealand at Lord’s, by that time it will be nearly five months since Ben Stokes’ side trudged off the SCG having lost the 5th Ashes Test, losing the series 4-1.Who should remain in the side? What are the main positions up for grabs? And is there someone who has done enough to make the step up?They also discuss the new rules around replacing players in the County Championship which has proved controversial so far.TIME CODES 00:00 Intro 06:15 How does selection work? 12:38 Opening batting partnership 16:35 Time for a new opening partnership? 24:37 James Rew and a positional dilemma 27:08 The cricket structure in England 30:31 Jacob Bethell and the Indian Premier League 34:34 Scores in the league 36:17 Favourites in the IPL 36:42 England’s pace bowlers 43:09 Spin bowlers 47:30 County Championship substitutes rule

'I should have died' - James Taylor 10 years on 15.04.2026 25min

10 years ago former England batter James Taylor's life changed forever.Reflecting on being taken ill 10 years ago, he speaks to Kevin Howells about what he remembers from the day his doctor told him to not "wait for an ambulance, you haven't got enough time". He had just cemented himself in England's Test side and was forced to retire at the age of 26.

The Art of Captaincy 13.04.2026 52min

Two Ashes winning England captains, Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook, join Steve Crossman to discuss the art of captaincy in cricket. Leading England makes you one of the most recognisable faces in sport, it brings with it all manner of responsibility, scrutiny, joy and despair. But how do you manage different personalities in the dressing room? What marks someone out as a future England captain? What’s it like to be in the spotlight and face scrutiny? How do you cope when it comes to an end? Plus, Ben Stokes leadership and the likely challenges the current England captain will face in his fifth summer as skipper.

Strategic Timeout: Malan & Faraaz talk IPL, ball tampering, and captaincy pressure 08.04.2026 32min

Strategic Timeout is available to WATCH, in full, on the BBC Sport Youtube channel and on BBC iPlayer.Amber Sandhu, Faraaz Noor and former England international Dawid Malan break down the biggest IPL 2026 talking points. From captaincy debates and pressure moments to high-scoring games and standout performances, the panel explore what’s shaping the tournament so far. With insight from Malan’s IPL experience, the episode dives into the role of captains in T20 cricket, the value of all-rounders in the modern game and whether experience is becoming more important than ever. Plus, the team discuss the Impact Player rule and a wider ball tampering controversy.

Edwards: England's fitness issues have been put to bed 30.03.2026 55min

Mark Chapman, Alex Hartley, Raf Nicholson and Kirstie Gordon are joined by England Head Coach Charlotte Edwards to preview a big year for England's women.Is the domestic game hampering the International team? How important could a home tournament be for the game? Have England's fitness issues been addressed? What's it like being part of The Hundred Auction?

IPL 2026 Predictions, Then v Now, Best Ever Players 28.03.2026 29min

Amber Samdhu looks ahead to the IPL 2026 with The Traitor's (and cricketer) Faraaz Noor and former IPL star Abhishek Jhunjhunwala.

Vaughan: Key & McCullum lucky to survive Ashes review 23.03.2026 55min

Mark Chapman, Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook and cricket correspondent Stephan Shemilt are joined by Managing Director of England Men's Cricket Rob Key, who explains England's review into their 4-1 Ashes defeat. The panel talk through mistakes made in Australia, both in the planning and during the series, and why there won't be wholesale changes as a result. TIME CODES00:00 Intro 00:30 The review into English Cricket 02:00 Key management stay 06:00 Managing director Rob Key 08:00 What changes? 13:40 Lessons learnt from the Ashes 16:40 Style of play 22:30 What will look different this summer? 25:52 The connection with County Cricket 30:08 Have management been swayed by the coach? 33:14 Is the setup a clique or cult? 38:40 Opinions on the review 44:27 Should have everyone kept their jobs? 48:23 County Cricket

History made at Hundred Auction 12.03.2026 41min

We report on a historic two days with the first major sporting auction taking place in the UK as teams were selected for the women’s and men’s Hundred competition.We hear from former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vetorri who’s coaching the newly named Sunrisers Leeds, World Cup winning bowler Anya Shrubsole who is part of the Southern Brave coaching set-up and Australian legend Meg Lanning who is leading another rebranded team the Manchester Superchargers.And there’s analysis by Stephan Shemilt, Aatif Nawaz and two former Hundred players Steven Finn and Alex Hartley.

The 2026 T20 World Cup Debrief 09.03.2026 44min

As the dust settles on India’s back-to-back T20 World Cup victories, Henry Moeran is alongside Matt Henry and Prakash Wakankar to discuss everything we can take away from the tournament. How did India triumph? How can we assess England’s performance? Plus, who dropped the worst catch of the tournament