Test Match Special

No Balls: A guide to The Hundred (kind of)

·39 min·3 clips
Kate Cross takes a crucial wicket and Alex Hartley warns her about swearing because her grandma listens.
Kate Cross and Alex Hartley reunite in their old studio, joking about swearing, grandma listeners, and eyebrow pencils. They share personal updates, including Cross selling her flat and considering moving in with Hartley. The conversation shifts to cricket, with Cross proposing a rule change about dead balls after umpire errors. They reflect on Alyssa Healy's retirement, praising her unchanged, 'old school' approach in Australian cricket. Cross's viral Yorkshire pudding cooking vlog is discussed, highlighting her chaotic methods. The hosts then delve into The Hundred tournament, noting recent signings like Cross to Sunrisers Leeds and surprises like Smriti Mandhana to Manchester. They criticize Manchester's new elephant logo and a CEO's mistakes. The episode covers England men's cricket potentially missing World Cup qualification and The Hundred's new auction system with unequal purses for men and women. Throughout, the tone is informal, blending cricket analysis with personal anecdotes and humor.

As heard by us

A blue-screen reunion turns cricket chat into a Yorkshire pudding autopsy, with one wobble ball and a late swing to Melbourne.

The episode finds its shape in the way cricket talk keeps giving way to ordinary disorder. Kate Cross and Alex Hartley are back in their OG studio in a grey January, laughing about the blue screen and dreary sulphur keys before setting a swear-warning tone through Grandma Jean…

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Why you'd press play

You get cricket banter, January gloom, a kitchen-counter Yorkshire pudding inquest, and a late hop to Rod Laver Arena.

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