The Grade Cricketer
Selling the summer, Pakistani exclusion and Imran, with Greg Chappell
24 Feb 2026
Chapter 1: What is the significance of record-breaking innings in women's grade cricket?
What's the point of cricket? Why do you do it? Great cricket is a present. We're going to look at the perils of sweeping. We're the good cricket team. Great cricket is a real problem. If you're going to do it, do it to England. He's out now, he's got 40. The sky fell in the week before the footy season but it was behind a paywall and in a format we don't really care about.
But why does it kind of feel like we're on the rocks with everything we've ever known? We react to the fallout of Australia's ultimate slow death in the T20 World Cup while looking ahead to who we like and who we hate as the tournament rolls on into the Super 8s.
Greg Chappell is on the show to give us an update on Imran Khan's status in a Pakistan jail and give us an insight into the future of cricket in this country. There's also the news that Pakistani players are not being bought by Indian owners in the 100. Australia is suffering their first series loss at home since 2017. Tour dates for Australia and England in South Africa this year.
Victoria locking in a home shield file. What's getting you hot? Ask TJC. Everything in between. Pezza. It feels like we're about to slip into a wintry abyss. And I'm kind of scared because that's when I feel like change will happen the most, though it'll be whilst we're asleep in the wintertime. That's right.
Chapter 2: How does the T20 World Cup impact Australian cricket's future?
As Richard Flanagan said, you know, most words are designed to put you to sleep. Go to bed, Ian. It's bedtime. One brings two here, boys. One brings two. 40 winks. 40-odd winks. 40-odd winks. Not confused, of course, with the horse. I suppose big week in the cricket world.
Chapter 3: What insights does Greg Chappell provide about Imran Khan's situation?
I suppose. It feels like, though, that people have stopped watching the news because it's all bad news. And I feel like a lot of this week is not good news. Unless it's Africa. Exactly. African century right here. Fuck yeah.
Chapter 4: Why are Pakistani players excluded from T20 leagues in India?
Yeah. Bad time. Yeah, not everything comes up Australia. Not for a long time.
Chapter 5: How has Australia performed in recent cricket series?
from here on in. But, I mean, how about with that in mind, just put it in the hands of fans, if you will. Oh, wait, that's a different show. That's a different show. Yeah. What's getting you hot, punters?
Chapter 6: What are the implications of the Australian cricket system's current state?
I'm not one for the heads on pike stuff, but this Musekiwa performance, you drop Hitmaya twice, once on nine, once on 50, he scores a bloody 80 from fucking 20 balls, and then you go out there and you give us a deck.
Jeez.
I'm speechless. Zimbabwe. I am out of words. That's right, Bill. If one more person calls Zimbabwe an associate nation, including you peasant egos, you brainless cucks, I know where TGC Towers is. That's a good one. We're not going to win the little cup. We are awful. Has anyone seen the Australian team? Has anyone seen Steve Smith's smudger? How you doing, championship? Fuck off.
It's white ball tournament time. Get yourself back home with a cup of cocoa, you weird autist. This is England's time. This is it. Fuck the ashes. Fuck you too. Sit at home on your cup chair and watch England shag the shit out of T20 cricket. You're going down with the Tottenham. Down with the Tottenham. You're going down with the Tottenham. Is the 2027 actually going to be one day?
It's not that you're up in the Saucy Nation. You're practicing, aren't you? Where the fuck is Morning After Milan? Cortina? I cannot believe that I just saw Hazelwood's post on Instagram. Of him wearing an IPO jersey. Like, what the fuck? Yeah, so that last one was, I just went to Josh Hazelwood's Instagram, josh.hazelwood.32. Oh, Josh Hazelwood's Instagram that he has. Yeah, yeah.
His last post, shocking stuff. Can't wait to be back with RCB. Yeah. With a heart emoji followed by, use my code M4SN. Make your first deposit and you'll get exclusive bonus. Fire emoji. And then a little bit.ly link. So Hoff... Hoff just taken a few deposits on josh.hazelwood.32. One of the most online guys that's ever existed. Yeah. I want to go to the guy's house or the kitchen party.
He was having it about four in the morning with that bloke from England with a bit of rock and roll in the background. England are shagging the shit out of the T20 World Cup. Got to take your lick sometimes. Now, I want to start with great cricket, Pezza. Perth Scorchers representatives Matty Dark and Michaela Hinckley
have put together the second highest partnership in the history of women's cricket. Scorecard, please, Chuck. Forming an unbeaten 484-run stand for a Western Australian Premier Cricket match on a Sunday.
After being asked to bat first, Subiaco Floreat A posted that score, none for 484, from its 50 overs against Perth A, courtesy of the Western Australian duo's monstrous opening stand at Carlisle's Fletcher Park. I've seen some reactions to this saying this doesn't serve anybody. Disagree. Totally. It's probably a rational thing to say, but I still like the numbers.
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Chapter 7: What role does youth development play in the future of Australian cricket?
Yeah. Right. That's essentially what I understand the Olympic situation to be. Talk about tunnel stuff. That was scary, Montevideo. Oh, dude, so good. I was 11. I was frightened. Mate, it was amazing. Grainy, grainy footage. Yeah. Yeah, of course, you think there. I mean, over one world. It was a nightmare. It was a nightmare. Yeah. That was scary.
But, you know, you get Daily Telegraph articles about with the Uruguayan national team, Alvaro Recoba, et cetera, and then the clubs they play for and the amount of money they make at those clubs, and then you put them up against the Aussie team where it's like, he plays for Sydney Olympic. He's a sparky.
Exactly.
so that's that's uh as far as i understand australia that the people that i really trust are saying no even if new zealand wins australia is going to the olympics so we're fine now i don't feel like we deserve to do that but if we get any kind of benefit from being one of the more colossal nations um so be it i'm happy to turn a blind eye to it and not really understand the integrity reasons why that's the case um but i will sit down and talk about everything else that's wrong and unjust about cricket when it doesn't suit me
Yeah, so, I mean, Australia were number two ranked side in the world before the Ashes started. Before the Ashes began, they'd won 16 of 20 games. They were ranked number two in the world. World Cup, you mean, not the Ashes? Are we talking about T20 cricket? T20 cricket. Before the Ashes had begun. Got it. I'm with you. Before the Ashes had begun, they were ranked two in the world.
They won 16 of 20 games. They'd broken their record for most consecutive wins in a row, that being nine or 10, I think it was. They had figured out a system, the way they wanted to play. They turned up to Sri Lanka and they were in completely different circumstances than what they seemed to be prepared for. Yeah.
I mean, you're just not going to win a World Cup if, you know, like your three, four, five are just completely out of runs. Not out of form, out of runs. I thought they were out of form as well. Yeah, well, I think there was that as well. Yeah, and they couldn't see. Yeah. And so, you know, there's obviously a lot of focus on Steve Smith's lack of involvement being flown there and whatever.
You know, Tony Dottomade, who is on the selection panel, he said, well, he was, they always thought of him as a top order player. Once Mitch Marsh was about to be fit again, then there wasn't really a spot for him inside. I think like a lot of questions are, you know, rightfully going to be asked when you get knocked out by Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. Yeah.
Especially what we've seen from Sri Lanka since. I mean, Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka and then England have absolutely dusted them as well. And so, you know, very beatable side. That's before we get to Zimbabwe who just, I mean, both those sides completely outplayed Australia. And it's like, why? Australia...
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Chapter 8: How is the relationship between cricket and public sentiment evolving?
I voted for him. Now, he wrote an article this week as well, just to add reasons to explain Australia's decline. And it was entitled, Why Australia's white ball teams have become the canary in the coal mine. Now, I'm cherry picking from the article, but an important one. And one that I think we've been on about for a long time. I'm glad Andrew wrote it. Never called him Andrew in my life.
Cricket New South Wales announced Greg Shippard sacking as a coach at the end of last month. A fortnight later, Australia was humiliatingly eliminated from the T20 World Cup, the first hurdle. The two events are more closely related than you might think. It goes on.
The reality is Australia does not have the depth of talent to be competitive in all three formats of the game, and New South Wales is central to the problem. The state that gave Australia Mark Taylor, the War Twins, McGrath, Lee, Clark, Haddon...
The sky-blue wave of Cummins, Hazelwood, Stark-Smith, David Warner, Kawaja and the late Philip Hughes has stopped producing world-class men's cricketers, let alone great ones. Of the 33 Test debutants since Hazelwood received his baggy green in 2014, only four have played for NSW at the time. Peter Neville, Curtis Patterson, Maddison and Constance.
None have reached 20 Tests, though Constance still has time on his side. So much for David Hooks' famous quick that NSW players getting a baggy green in a brown paper bag when they're presented with their baggy blue. New South Wales issues go well beyond Greg Shippard, who was sacked as well, the state's fifth coach in 15 years, but it's now being felt nationally.
Unless something changes, it won't be long until Australia fumble more important trophies than a T20 World Cup. Now, the first thing I just want to say in response to Wooey's article here is that thank you for interstate acknowledgement that New South Wales is the wellspring of Australian success and that if New South Wales doesn't give Australia players, then Australia struggles.
Secondly, any danger.
any danger australia of the vix queensland wa south australia tassie just picking up the slack for a bit right now it is a quite like what were you saying is you know let's have a look let's get under the hood of new south wales cricket why you know like greats where is yeah you know what i mean but i do like that it's coming from interstate like knocking on the door and so listen we're under the hood here greats where are we can we get
I think Cam Green's got to move to Bondi. There you go. That's the fucking answer. He's going to have to. I mean, you know that I've been a huge advocate of Western Australian cricket. I love what's happening over there. I love how fucking big everyone is. Everyone's big. I love the space provided. I love the heat. I love the blue sky. The beaches are magnificent.
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