Headingley Reaction, Carse Cuffed and Lord’s Test Preview! | Stick to Cricket EP 59

0:00Michael Vaughan: Before we get started, I'd like to thank our partners, Betfair. Hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Enjoy the show.

0:30an in-network dentist, had great reviews, saw real-time appointments available, which was key. It was on New Year's Day and booked an appointment in just minutes. It took so much of the stress out of the already stressful situation. ZocDoc makes it easy to search and compare over 250 ,000 local in-network providers across more than 200 specialties. So you can find the right doctor or dentist and book instantly. Taking care of your health just got easier. Download the ZocDoc app today and book that appointment on your to-do list. That's Z-O-C-D-O-C, ZocDoc. The more you listen to your kids, the closer you'll be.

1:11So we asked kids, what do you want your parents to hear?

1:15Phil Tufnell: I feel sometimes that I'm not listened to. I would just want you to listen to me more often and evaluate situations with me and lead me towards success. Listening is a form of love. Find resources to help you support your kids and their emotional well-being at SoundItOutTogether.org. That's SoundItOutTogether.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council and Pivotal. You're probably multitasking right now, right? Commuting, working out, crossing things off your list. Worth asking when Check In On Yourself landed on it. Grow makes the booking part fast. The rest is between you and a therapist who actually gets it.

1:53Grow connects you with thousands of high-quality licensed therapists across the U.S., offering both virtual and in-person sessions, nights and weekends. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. The therapist you want takes your insurance on Grow. Grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. Sessions average$21 with insurance and some pay as little as$0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com slash start now today to get started. That's growtherapy.com slash start now. growtherapy.com slash start now. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

2:40Michael Vaughan: Look at this. Oh, there you go. Yeah. Yeah, I'll put it on. Sir Alistair, come on, this is what it'll look like. Come on. No, no, no, no. Come on.

2:48Sir Alastair Cook: No, it's definitely bumper. Dave, Dave, you'd go and get me. You'd have loved that, wouldn't you? Not. You'd have loved that, Dave. I've only ever worn two elbows.

2:55Phil Tufnell: I can't get any arms. It don't fit me. You've got a huge head.

2:58Sir Alastair Cook: It looks good. A massive nut. Do you feel like when this was being built, I was worried about it, because of what they did over there. But this is unbelievable. Where are we going, innit? It's a good spot. You're the place of the white nose. Too far at north. There's a ball. Nosebleed past Watford. I can get one of those before. Oh, mate. It's a great view. How did you do that? Those chairs are comfy. Those chairs are really comfy. It's brilliant, isn't it? Absolutely brilliant. You sat here, weren't you?

3:30Phil Tufnell: Yeah, I mean, the... You've got to get yourself here. The hospitality suite, isn't it?

3:34Sir Alastair Cook: He was on the screen on TV and I said, there he is, Bumble, good friend of ours, at his favourite ground. Absolutely. I love it here. Well, it's a good ground Was there many in was there many here? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, not so many not two thirds. No no Two thirds on day. You know two Phil you weren't here. No, I'd have cut the other I'd have a game off Yeah, yeah, I've been doing it. I've been doing a few. Are we on? We've been on a while for however. Yeah, I've been doing a few cameos Mike

4:07Michael Vaughan: Have you seen what he's on? Have you seen it? So Cameo is, you can request a video message from... Life skills. You know, for birthday, christening, whatever. You know, cricket team. Advice.

4:22Phil Tufnell: Is there a consideration for this?

4:24Michael Vaughan: And he's on Cameo, so he wanted to give it a phone.

4:27Phil Tufnell: Is there a small consideration? Small consideration.

4:30Michael Vaughan: It's an earner.

4:31Phil Tufnell: It's an earner, is it?

4:33Michael Vaughan: What do you charge?

4:34Sir Alastair Cook: I can't remember what it is. I think it's like US$60 or so.

4:40Michael Vaughan: What, for a video? It's more than that, isn't it?

4:42Sir Alastair Cook: No, I don't know. If you want it on the same day, it might be a good quid.

4:46Phil Tufnell: Give a birthday message to 96-year-old Ethel.

4:50Sir Alastair Cook: Hello, Ethel. Phil Tufnor here.

4:52Phil Tufnell: Hang on, you'll have to speak up for it.

4:55Sir Alastair Cook: All right, Ethel. It's Tufors. Who is it? Who is this boy? Happy birthday. Who is it? Happy birthday. Keep going, Ethel. Is that it? Nervous 90s. Nervous 90s. Don't leave one. Don't leave one. Neat one. No, don't nick one.

5:14Michael Vaughan: You may as well have a dart at 96. Right, let's... Dave, you went to Rotherham Saturday. Yeah. Good day.

5:21Phil Tufnell: It was a great day. Good stadium. One apiece, fair result. Cheers, H. They'll be roundabout. Both teams will be roundabout. Rotherham got relegated from Div 1. Alex Bruce, new manager Yep And so he got his first point Lost the first game You were in the posh seats, weren't you? It was lovely Met Steve McLaren You know Steve McLaren? Yeah Who is the director of football Right He's the director of football And what style?

5:52Sir Alastair Cook: What's their philosophy? On the ground On the ground

5:54Phil Tufnell: Play football

5:55Sir Alastair Cook: Everyone's on the ground though

5:57Phil Tufnell: No one hoops it forward Playing out from the back Definitely play out from the back And I know a lot York City don't have header you know they don't have some big guy who look it on 3 ,000 travel didn't they yeah just short of 3 ,000 behind the goals yeah it is yeah we are York we are York you haven't got a target you're looking for a target man target man yeah and what I've heard

6:21Michael Vaughan: what like an Ian Dowie someone like that

6:23Phil Tufnell: somebody like that what I've heard is signing imminent oh ok imminent what huge news coming is there big big big huge Oh, huge news.

6:35Michael Vaughan: Before we get started, I'd like to thank our partners, Betfair. So just hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Enjoy the show.

6:48If you can't pick up wickets at Henningley, where will you?

6:51Michael Vaughan: An absolute certainty that every single year, the Oval and Lords have to have a test match. Yes. Yes, why?

6:58Sir Alastair Cook: Because it's near your house. So you have some kind of brain cells amongst you saying, what's just gone on? We are at our best when it's chaos. Yeah.

7:07Michael Vaughan: What do you call these? Saucy rascals. You've got pride in cars. You've... I don't know how he's going to bowl. What's his acting going to be like? We went out a lot. Yeah. I don't ever recollect anyone getting handcuffed.

7:22Sir Alastair Cook: I've got one of them in my back garden. What's Daddy Eddie? No. A mood swing.

7:28Michael Vaughan: Well, you need a lekkie on tour, don't you?

7:30Sir Alastair Cook: Would it be worth it?

7:32Michael Vaughan: You're on fire! Who has the most iconic barnet in cricket?

7:39Phil Tufnell: This bloke's flat out, like, and he's looking, where's he? And he's asking around, where's the bloke? For the others!

7:52Michael Vaughan: Can we get to quite a serious matter quite quickly on the show? We've got Rami's coming on. Rami, you're going to dissect Pakistan cricket, the Test match, and look forward to Lords. I'll read this out. England Baller Bride in Kars is under investigation after he was reportedly involved in an incident at a nightclub in Derby on Saturday. The England and Wales Cricket Board have confirmed videos circulating on social media on Sunday appear to show Kars in handcuffs. When it says appeared, I saw him in handcuffs. So, yes, he was in handcuffs. being led away from a club by four police officers. The Durham Bowler, who is in England's squad for the second test,

8:32Phil Tufnell: starts on Thursday, against Pakistan.

8:35Michael Vaughan: This week we're seen with teammate Matthew Potts, while former England captain Ben Stokes was also in the picture. Howdy, Jarson. Yeah, he was just there, wasn't he, Ben? Just to clarify, 2026 test results. England have played five. They've lost three. They've won two. and on both occasions that they've won, nightclub incidents two. So the two out of two... 100 % record. It wasn't after the England win, but it's an England player involved in an incident just after an England victory.

9:07Sir Alastair Cook: I would just like to say not being arrested.

9:10Michael Vaughan: No, he hasn't been charged, he hasn't been arrested, but he was in cuffs. Well, OK. Well, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, does it?

9:17Sir Alastair Cook: But he must have done something, Phil. Well, I don't know.

9:20Michael Vaughan: So you get put in cuffs for doing nothing.

9:22Sir Alastair Cook: Well, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. But all I know is that he hasn't been arrested. He's been let go. I'll tell you what. Has there been a charge? I think he's very thirsty. Has there been a charge? He gets very thirsty. What time has there been?

9:35Michael Vaughan: There's been no charge and we're waiting on the ECB. They're giving themselves a bit of time to kind of... What time has there been? I believe it was 3am.

9:47Phil Tufnell: He must be thirsty.

9:49Michael Vaughan: I think it was 3am. I'll just read you

9:52Phil Tufnell: Is he going to ring problem? Ring Rob Kish?

9:57Sir Alastair Cook: Well if he hasn't been arrested and he hasn't been charged

10:00Michael Vaughan: Just a little bit of a summary It's not a great look Just a bit more of a summary Stefan Shemmett from the BBC has written If you're keeping score we're now up to eight England players involved in incidents of this kind since Halloween last year Harry Brooke was punched by a nightclub boundary in Wellington with Jacob Bethel and Josh Tong present Ben Duckett was filmed drunk in Noosa. Then Stokes and Gus Axson were there when a member of England's security staff was struck in a London nightclub in June, breaching a curfew in the process. To put it another way, there are 30 men currently on England's central contracts.

10:32Michael Vaughan: Yes. More than a quarter of them have been caught up being bothered in the past ten months.

10:39Sir Alastair Cook: What are the others doing? I don't know. We're all right. What are they doing? They're all staying in. There was no curfew. Let's go back. There was no curfew. They were playing for Durham. It's not good though, lads. No, no, I'll talk about the Stokes you want. It isn't good. It isn't good.

10:52Phil Tufnell: Terrible. Do you not think you've just got to be a bit more savvy? Because it's obviously a member of the public who's, oh, I'll video all that. And then he comes out in the executive... I mean, the police had arrested him.

11:04Sir Alastair Cook: It wasn't, of course. And I think also there might be now something creeping in where they're becoming a little... They might be getting a little bit targeted here. You know, they might be turning up somewhere, you know, and like, oh, hello, lads, here's the England cricket team, let's wind them up, you know what I mean?

11:20Phil Tufnell: We did in the 1990s. Investigative journalists were following players. Yeah. Especially away from home.

11:30Michael Vaughan: There might be a bit of that involved. My concern with Brydon Carter, I've heard his name mentioned a lot of times now. I heard it mentioned so many times in the winter, and by the way, he bowled all right, but it wasn't for his bowling, it wasn't for his batting. Yeah. Now, if he's that kind of character, you know, the team that he's playing for must understand that he needs looking after. And I believe he hasn't drunk for a while and then he goes out and has a bender because they've beaten Derby, pulled him out for 84. Celebrate a win, no problem with celebrate a win. But when you've got an individual player that you know is a little bit...

12:04Michael Vaughan: Loose. He's likely to do something or he's a bit loose. Yeah, loose is a word. I think it's down to the team to understand that you just can't allow him to do that.

12:14Sir Alastair Cook: Or just do it in a slightly more private environment.

12:17Michael Vaughan: You know, the two-day test in Perth, who was the one in the casino at night who loaded cash falling out of his pocket? It was Bride and Cuff. Who goes out to...

12:27Sir Alastair Cook: Adelaide, when they'd lost the ashes,

12:31Michael Vaughan: who was the one that journalists were talking that was out and about? Bride and Cuff. Yeah, yeah. So he clearly has got a brilliant cricket ability, but he's probably one of those impulsive characters that needs managing by his own teammates. Yeah. Need to get a grip. How old is he? What's that got to do with it?

12:50Phil Tufnell: Well, he might grow out of it.

12:55Michael Vaughan: Shall we have a look? 31. 31. 31 years. So he's not young. He's not a kid. He's enjoying himself. He's an England cricketer. I agree. I know. On the back of what's happened over the course of that. Since Halloween, we've just mentioned a quarter of the 30 contracted players.

13:12Phil Tufnell: You were both captain to say, you're going to have a word with him, aren't you? You've got to smarten up a bit.

13:17Sir Alastair Cook: Yeah, I mean, the thing about this is not under the England thing, is it? No. This is like a Durham night out. It's just being, I hate using the word smart, but they've obviously won. Great times, you know, great win. They're going to win Division 2, which is not the be-all and end-all, but it's a little stepping stone. It's something to be celebrated. Absolutely. But just have some kind of brain cells amongst you saying, what's just gone on in the last little bit. And it's not as if they are, you know, I know Stokes doesn't play anymore, but Pots and Cass are around this England set-up. Surely does someone say, either don't go to that place, or at 12 o 'clock, 1 o 'clock, say, come on, Cass.

13:59Sir Alastair Cook: Let's go and find somewhere else a bit quieter if we want to carry on. If they want to carry on. Just stick a little bit out of the limelight.

14:06Michael Vaughan: These camera phones now are a problem, aren't they? So surely you've got to be aware of that.

14:12Sir Alastair Cook: I mean, they're not...

14:12Michael Vaughan: They're not going away, if anything, they'll be...

14:14Sir Alastair Cook: They've been around a while now, camera phones.

14:16Michael Vaughan: Yeah, but the one thing, when we used to play, there wasn't a camera phone, particularly in your time, Phil. But I don't ever recollect an England cricketer in my time. We went out a lot. Yeah. I don't ever recollect anyone getting handcuffed. I don't ever recollect the old busies coming in and putting any of the players. I actually don't remember any kind of... Too drunk. Yeah, I saw. Fracars.

14:41Sir Alastair Cook: I don't remember any. I can't.

14:44Michael Vaughan: Do you remember any? I can't remember any fracars. Maybe it is that they're going to get prodded and probed a bit more. So they have to be even... Have you been involved in a fracar?

14:53Sir Alastair Cook: Yeah, it's now becoming... You're right, it's just becoming too regular, isn't it? Are you sure it wasn't one of those... Do you think the curfew's coming back? The curfew's lasted a week. That'll have to be for Durham, won't it? You know. Every county. Yeah, every county. Yeah. I don't know, but he's got, as you say, he's going to have to have a little look at himself and he's going to have to look at himself just for his own body as well, you know what I mean? He don't want to be out, you know, like one o 'clock. Hard on the body getting cut. Get the old bracelets on. They tie it out. Wasn't he out for three months with a wrist anyway?

15:33Sir Alastair Cook: A wrist? Yeah, is he out for that? Well, no. Only at home.

15:45Michael Vaughan: Stick to Cricket is brought to you by Betfair. We've got something really exciting to share. For the very first time, we're launching a competition. We're giving away four Skyline hospitality tickets to England versus Pakistan at Edgbaston. Day one, Wednesday 9th September. Thanks to our competition partner, Impulse Decisions. Impulse Decisions create unforgettable experiences, offering VIP hospitality, premium seating and exclusive access to some of the world's biggest sporting events, from cricket and football to Formula One golf, tennis, rugby and more. The prize includes premium matchday seats on the Skyline balcony, breakfast, two-course street food buffet, afternoon tea, complimentary bar including house wines, beers and soft drinks.

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17:21This episode is sponsored by ZocDoc. Have you been putting off a doctor's appointment or need a dentist and don't know where to start? We've definitely been there and that's why we use ZocDoc. Actually, over the holidays, Michael had a dental emergency and seemingly every office was closed. But we hopped onto ZocDoc, found an in-network dentist, had great reviews, saw real-time appointments available, which was key. It was on New Year's Day and booked an appointment in just minutes. It took so much of the stress out of the already stressful situation. ZocDoc makes it easy to search and compare over 250 ,000 local in-network providers across more than 200 specialties.

18:05So you can find the right doctor or dentist and book instantly. Taking care of your health just got easier. Download the ZocDoc app today and book that appointment on your to-do list. That's Z-O-C-D-O-C. ZocDoc. The more you listen to your kids, the closer you'll be. So we asked kids, what do you want your parents to hear?

18:27Phil Tufnell: I feel sometimes that I'm not listened to. I would just want you to listen to me more often and evaluate situations with me and lead me towards success. Listening is a form of love. Find resources to help you support your kids and their emotional well-being at SoundItOutTogether.org. That's SoundItOutTogether.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council and Pivotal. You're probably multitasking right now, right? commuting, working out, crossing things off your list. Worth asking when check-in on yourself landed on it. Grow makes the booking part fast. The rest is between you and a therapist who actually gets it.

19:05Grow connects you with thousands of high-quality, licensed therapists across the U.S., offering both virtual and in-person sessions, nights and weekends. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. The therapist you want takes your insurance on Grow. Grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. Sessions average$21 with insurance and some pay as little as$0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com slash start now today to get started. That's growtherapy.com slash start now. growtherapy.com slash start now. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

19:53Michael Vaughan: Come on, look who's here. Superstar. Rami. Rami's Raja. Come on, Rami. Let's give him a... Welcome, Rami. Lovely seeing you again. Good to see you. Rami, nice to see you. Good to see you. Now you've got those trendy shades on, Rami. Let me sit here, boy.

20:08Sir Alastair Cook: Cheers. Nice to see you, buddy. Lovely to see you. Come on, still flighting them. What's well? Still beating them in the air. Not much of that happens anymore, does it? It doesn't. No. It's all going down. It goes out of the ground, these things. Absolutely.

20:23Phil Tufnell: Bosh. Is he in for a grilling?

20:26Michael Vaughan: Look at these shades. He's but one, anyway. I mean, I was asked to do this as a special request. Stick to cricket, then. Ram, you just said something in the green room. What did you say about Pakistan cricket? When they have a bad week, you seem to be the voice of race. I'm presented as a case study. So I'm presented as a front guy because of us. We're struggling on the field. So that kind of scenario develops, which is pretty tough to digest. We're two or three days away from what happened just behind you. What, over the course of those two or three days, have you kind of thought back of the game and thought anything has changed?

21:09I have no idea. I mean, there are no great reference points in that last game. So, you know, what do you say in a team environment? You know, is there a possibility of a huge comeback? I mean, the only comeback that I see is maybe dragging England into day four, day five. And that's going to be the challenge. I don't know how the pitch will play, but this is what we have in the Pakistan dugout. So, Baba Razam comes in and his test record is not exceedingly great as well. But, you know, it's good to have a regular captain out there. I think it's important that, you know, you have Baba Razam. He's still a bit of class, isn't he?

21:47Oh, he is. So that will help. 100%. Yeah, he'll probably see off the difficult phases, when the ball starts to move and, you know, when the going gets tough. So he'll be there for Pakistan. What about the bowlers? Bowlers? This is it, Bambal. I'm shocked. Because in Test match cricket, you can't have a one-dimensional bowling attack. This is medium-paced stuff. And it's worst. I mean, if you can't pick up wickets at Headingley, where will you otherwise?

22:14Phil Tufnell: Tactically, it looked as if the wicketkeeper has to come up to the stunts at 80 miles an hour tops to keep the batter back in the crease to bring LBW into play. They didn't bowl enough straight anyway to make a difference. Well, you'd expect an international bowler at 80 miles an hour to be able to bowl straight. I mean, Mohamed Abbas is a good bowler.

22:35Sir Alastair Cook: They've picked a team, haven't they, to try and be steady, had he challenged a top of a stump, and yet you watched them do it, and they challenged it one out of four or five balls. And they couldn't build any pressure. Let's be totally honest, if you had two really good bowling tacks on there, again, it would have been 150 plays, 150. And Pakistan couldn't have any pressure on them. The spin was decent, five wickets. Left arm picking up five wickets obviously tells you about the pace polling standard. But where's the pace poll has gone? I'm wondering as well. I mean, you know, there are two, three in the PSL circuit and they've been categorised maybe as white ball future assets, but that's not going to work.

23:16If you want to play test cricket and if you want to come here in England, for example, or go to Australia, you can't be like this. Because the world's eyeballs are on you, you know, when you're playing a series against England. And this is a great time to make a name for yourself.

23:29Sir Alastair Cook: Is it still the case? Because when I went to Pakistan for the PSL, you know, that love for cricket is still there. If they won this series, they'd go back as heroes, wouldn't they? Oh, 100%. 100%. But who's Shane? Is Shane injured? Yeah, so, I mean, I don't know what's happened with him. So, obviously, he's not 100 % after that knee injury. But people say that there's an attitude problem as well. I don't know. I don't know him well enough. But it's just the general feeling in the dugout that he's not 100 % there all the time. So, mood swings and not being treated properly. and so, you know, the administrative lapses do figure out in the performance out there on the field as well.

24:14Sir Alastair Cook: It's mad, isn't it, because England have got all the chaos. Yeah. Normally you play against Pakistan and they bring not only on-field talent but off-field chaos. Now, if you're looking at this side, it's steady eddies, the batting line-up, steady eddies, bowling, steady eddies. I've got one of them in my back garden. What, steady eddy? No, a mood swing.

24:33Michael Vaughan: it's time to get concerned what goes on at tuffnell towers you say you're on cameo i think you're on something different to cameo what's the app called i mean i watched it i watched it i wasn't here

24:47Sir Alastair Cook: obviously so i watched it a bit on the telly everything i didn't watch every ball right no but um but i watched it and it just it for the first time that was a pakistan side that looked to me a little bit bland yes yes you know you expect you know when pakistan we always said oh you don't know which one's going to turn up and you're forever on the edge of your seat waiting for that amazing spell a leg spin or seam or correct correct i mean it lacked yeah it lacked unorthodoxy also so you know with you know the wrist spinner yeah the googly bowlers and the reverse swing at pace and the batting you know but they've all got nice techniques yeah they're quite steady again steady eddy techniques yeah they're lacking that spark aren't they yeah i mean

25:34Michael Vaughan: they've always had a spark they've always had a far too nice yeah just nice what was what's the reaction been like in pakistan oh it's i mean it's nothing great actually social media is after them um they all have already lost a lot of fans uh so it's become a norm when you lose a test match has become another loss, and it means another lot withdrawing from cricket. So you're losing fans, and that's why I said the first pillar probably has fallen. You need to have the backing of the fans to be a great side. So if you don't win them over, if, you know, so nobody wants, and nobody can expect a team to win all the Test matches, but it's just the fight and your presence and your body language and that, right.

26:19The other team paid better than you.

26:21Michael Vaughan: I've watched Pakistan here probably since 1992. I think it was the tour in 1992. I think I might have been 12th man here at Hedling, actually, when Neil Mallender came. I was like a young kid just brought into 12th man. Neil Mallender? Yeah, he was playing in 92. What, here? Yeah, he got three through his first. Yeah, yeah, he made it. He played it, that one. Let's check it. I'll tell you what I'm saying. I was a young 12th. You played that series, haven't you? I was a young 12th, but what I'm saying is, from 92 to this week now, usually when Pakistan play in the UK, there's a lot of Pakistan support.

26:56Michael Vaughan: Yeah, they were hard. Just big segments on the terrace with the flag. None there. Really? There was a little... There was 30 or 40 just down on the bottom there wanting a few autographs, but there used to be like thousands or two. It made noise, didn't it? Yeah.

27:11Sir Alastair Cook: There was none here. Well, it was one of the most exciting crowds of the Lord, wasn't it? There was none here, sure. Yeah. Well, that's a worry. Yeah, it is a worry. actually and the five or six that I met says knock some sense into their heads so I mean like so I mean it's not a bit unfair on players because it seems

27:32Phil Tufnell: chaotic that administration level the top brass the politicians are getting involved the coach changes every six months they've had that many coaches who just walked away or been sacked I keep job it isn't it is now yeah but it Saffras is involved as well now. Gillespie was a coach for a while. Gary Kirsten. Gary Kirsten came. He never turned up.

27:57Sir Alastair Cook: He never did a ball.

27:59Phil Tufnell: Without getting a gig, actually. Shown the door. He keeps changing. So who makes that decision? Who changes? It has to come from the big man, actually, you know, or the guys that he's got looking after the game. Who is the big man? Who is Mr Big? He's the interior minister. So, and he's the chairman of the board. Minister of the interior? Yeah. Is that like Lawrence Llewellyn Bowie? Lawrence Llewellyn Bowie.

28:28Michael Vaughan: What is the minister of interior? So that's, it's become a political poster fleet. Right. So it's, so then he's got his own team and the team looks after, you know, cricket and domestic cricket and all that kind of stuff.

28:40Phil Tufnell: Are they cricket? Bram, bram. Yeah, I mean, you've got Miss Foulhug now involved. Oh, that should be good. Who else? There's Wahab Riaz who's looking after women's cricket. Umar Ghul is looking after the bowlers here. Umar Ghul is here looking after the bowling players. That's pretty decent. But it's just that the... I don't know what's happened to this team. Maybe it's wrong selection. You can't play a test cricket without having a fast bowler who can not bowl... Fast?

29:07Michael Vaughan: Well, I don't... I mean, unless I missed... You watched every ball, Phil. I do watch every ball, Mark. Did Pakistan bowl a bouncer? Yeah, that's a good call, actually. Zero. Maybe for one over. One over, yeah. I don't think one ball was... Yeah, one over. Or maybe two or three, but there was no light. It was slow bouncer, if you know what I mean. Just open for a huge mistake. Ram, you were the chairman of the PCV between September 2021 and December 2022. What was it like being the chair? It was exciting, actually. I quite enjoyed it. There were challenges, obviously, more from the media. And so then I started to get everything out on PCB YouTube channel because that's how I was able to talk directly to the fans.

30:01So it was a challenge, but it was a good challenge. So we got things working in a way. So I introduced the Pakistan Junior League. So this was a novel concept because I felt if you wanted to increase the PSL teams, where's the next talent coming from? And I think eventually you'll get an under-19 World Cup, an under-19 T20 World Cup also. So right now we have the 50 overs. And so to look after that bit, so we got 70 young cricketers engaged. We got coaches from England. we had so there were five or six teams we had Viv Richards Manning one dugout we had yeah so we paid a lot of money actually so we got the best in the business looking after these under 19 kids and the idea was to create that environment where they young where they learn quickly and and they identified at a young age as well everybody 70 players got $17 ,000 each for a 10-day or a 12-day gig.

31:08And I thought, yeah, so it was a, you see, it was my vision to look after the young, because, you see, they come from humble background, most of these cricketers. So it's important that they're looked after at a young age so that the talent doesn't go waste. So the parents then engage them into playing this sport as well. But that didn't last for very long. Why didn't it last?

31:32Michael Vaughan: Because, you see, what happens is the new man comes in and he feels that it's, yeah, it's a lot of money. And so they feel, they felt that it was a long-term process. It wasn't an overnight success kind of thing for them to continue with. It's never going to be, is it, an overnight success?

31:50Sir Alastair Cook: As you say, you're dealing with young talent. So we got these young kids from America, from Sri Lanka, so it's an international league. So we called in the parents as well because that was the other thing which we had to do to convince the parents from America and from England to come and be part of this because they felt a little uncertain, you know, regarding the environment and stuff like that. So we got the better of them. They were there watching the kids perform. And we had a house full at Gaddafi Stadium. The final was absolutely chock-a-block, about 25 ,000 people. Wow. Yeah. So it was huge.

32:27But then we made it to the World Cup final also, which was in Australia. So things were looking up in a way. I mean, same kind of team, but you see, I was directly engaged with Barbara Azam and company, so my doors were all open. So there was a cricketer operating. And I felt that there had to be three pillars to put things right in Pakistan cricket. So obviously cricket excellence was one, sponsorship was two, and administration excellence was the third pillar. So if cricket worked, then the two pillars would take care of themselves automatically. And so we had massive interest when we beat India by 10 wickets in Dubai, had just taken over.

33:15The PSL sort of commercials went through the roof. So it had a great impact on our sport. There were more fans watching it. But otherwise, you know, you need time, actually. So one year is no time to make changes, actually.

33:30Michael Vaughan: That's the problem with Pakistan. Yeah, there's too much of inconsistency. You just swap and change all the time. He's the Minister of the Interior. You'll probably get the call soon to go back in, won't you? Would you ever go back in if asked? So, I mean, you know, you don't get paid, actually, as the chairman of the board. So I got the family in. We were in a huddle, two boys, wife, and said, you're not going to get paid for the next three years. Do we have enough funds? and she told me that if you're interested, go ahead. We can manage. We can look after ourselves. So that's the other thing.

34:08You see, there's no money in being the chairman of the board. As a chief executive, you do earn a lot. And then I had to get out of the commentary circuit and then get back in was pretty difficult. But then there's the challenge. And so when I was sharing names with Imran Khan, who was then the prime minister, I wasn't interested in my name being put in there. He says, I don't know this guy. I don't know this guy. What about yourself? I said, look, I do commentary. He says, you've got to play a bigger innings for Pakistan at times. Forget about commentary. What is commentary? Why do you do this?

34:46I mean, he's just put me down completely. Imran, Imran, what is this? Someone's got to do it. It's a stupid thing that you do. What's his circumstances now? He is in isolation. He's got a lot of fans, but it's just that poor guy is behind bars now for three years. Yeah, it's been a tough one for him.

35:11Sir Alastair Cook: Is he OK, like, physically? They got him just a week back. There's some problem in his eye. That seems to be sorted, but otherwise he's holding up. I mean, he's got solid temperament, as we all know.

35:24Phil Tufnell: Well, you'll have played a career with him, Ram, would you? Eight years with him. Eight years. Turned us over in 92. Played against him a lot. What a superstar.

35:33Michael Vaughan: How big of a superstar.

35:36Sir Alastair Cook: World Cup final, 92. Ram was there. You were there, weren't you? I was there. Playing? Ram, you playing? I caught one at mid-off, I think, Ramese. I got 200s. In 92. No, final, I didn't. I got the last catch, actually. You did? That was it. Amidons It was What did he do with the ball? I don't know who took the ball I think Waz took the ball actually He picked up He was man of the master

36:04Michael Vaughan: Waz was the master wasn't he Of going either way Oh my god Was it the ball to Chris Lewis Chris Lewis and Alan Lamb And Alan Lamb The two great two Was that just pure shining of one side

36:21Sir Alastair Cook: Toughest, did you play the final? No, not selected. Not selected. No, I played in four games. Yeah, Illy played the final. We played in four. Left-arm spinners in the squad. Don batting left-arm spinners. We got to the final. You didn't play. No, I played four games. Did you? Yes. You were gazed. Bowled India out at... Check, check. Can we check this, please? Check. Played in the 72 game. 72 game. The 72 Adelaide. Oh, yeah. That was the game. That was the matter for saying to you.

36:54Michael Vaughan: There's one point that we should... Did you get a ball that day?

36:57Sir Alastair Cook: No. No, so you didn't ball in one of the games you played. Old Zimbabwe out. That's on Zimbabwe. And West Indies and Australia. Australia. Did you play in the semi? Yeah. No, no, no. Played in the quarterfinal against Australia. And what happened? How did you play in the semi? I thought I did well.

37:14Phil Tufnell: I'll tell you about Lazim when he was at Lanks and we'd have a practice day and a bag of balls. He got a bag of balls. all our lads they can't ball with these they're ridiculous we're going to get some proper balls Wazim would go in the bag and he'd pick something that you wouldn't let the dog play with he'd come out he'd all tatty ball and he'd shh shh shh and all the others said oh these balls are rubbish and then he'd turn up he'd say we were had a day off we were had a couple of days off I want to come in and practice ok so he sort of net out with the groundsman Pete Merrim and he turned up in his jeans with this little fella.

37:54Phil Tufnell: He just had his pads on and I'm sort of there watching. He's coming running in, this little bloke, hopeless. He has absolutely no... Who was he? I said, you've got to slow down, you're going to hurt him. I said, who is he? He said, housekeeper. I said, what's he doing? He said, he's there to throw the ball. He was having a knot. He was having a helmet on and stuff. No, just a pair of pads, this little blow. And he didn't ball short at all. He was just pitching it up there, but rapid pace. He'll break your foot. Yeah, and this...

38:30Sir Alastair Cook: He just had to throw it back. Well, Imran was injured. Yeah, he busted his shoulder. Yes. Yeah, so he would only bat, actually. And he batted three. And the decision, yeah, to bat at number three was a critical one, actually. So we felt that he was woefully out of touch. Yeah. Bowling, batting, and we were struggling as a team also. And then everything turned round just when it mattered. Talk about peaking at the right time.

39:01Phil Tufnell: Do you remember Imran changing from when he was at Worcester, an excellent university, he used to ball nothing more than dear alfs. He used to ball slow in swing. Yeah. I'm talking about Jeremy Corny pace. No, he didn't. I'm telling you. No, he didn't. I'm right. And then suddenly, he changed. He probably went to Sussex. Yeah. And there's Gartleru at one end and Imran at the other. Come in racing. That lethal. Yeah. That lethal. I had Imran Khan's book.

39:35Sir Alastair Cook: He had his book. Weird, isn't it? Cricket book. He had a cricket book. Imran Khan. Yeah. I had that. Have you still got it? Did you read it? Did you get it signed? It was like a proper picture book.

39:45Michael Vaughan: as in, like, how to play a big toss. I reckon Imran's right. If you go Shane Warne, Sir Garfield Sobers... Beefy. I'm having Imran in that list. There have been iconic crickets in legends. Well, when I was growing up, it was Hadley, Imran, Beefy, Kapil.

40:04Sir Alastair Cook: They were like, you know, like Smith Root is now with the Fab Four. It was the Fab Four. You might have to. That's the persona. That's the persona. Wow. The personality. Yeah.

40:14Michael Vaughan: That means we won't.

40:17Sir Alastair Cook: I mean, it's got to be bad if he says this. He's gone for, might have to edit this.

40:20Phil Tufnell: Come on, Dave, go with it. So when you were at Sussex, you know, I mean... So far it's in. Good-looking bloke. Still in. Used to clear off to Paris. Still in. Yeah.

40:34Michael Vaughan: Is that it? Yeah. Why do we have to edit that? Well, he's a prime minister. Well, Paris is a nice place. He thought so. Yeah, you can get on a train to pack.

40:45Sir Alastair Cook: The tunnel can't have been built then. How did he get on the old plane? Oh, my God.

40:49Michael Vaughan: Just a little bit of a rendezvous. Stick to Cricket is brought to you by Betfair. England this week were absolutely magnificent. You've obviously watched England for the few years of Baz Ball. This is the reset, reset. It couldn't have gone any better for England, could it? They were magnificent. They were magnificent, absolutely. I mean, everything worked. The number three change fast bowlers were as good as the new ball bowlers. So that is where Pakistan were troubled because the pressure was relentless. The catching was great. So it was like they were in cruise control. And the batting was also brilliant.

41:32Phil Tufnell: Bowling looked all right. Well, you're looking at the figures.

41:34Michael Vaughan: So Josh Tong finished with match figures of 8 for 89. and Ollie Robinson ended with a career-best match haul of eight for eight. I don't know if you saw it for the first thing, five and five, but they split the ball in half. Because obviously one of them went to the groundsman here, Richard Robinson. By the way, it was a fantastic pitch again here at Edenley. It was a brilliant pitch. He said he only got only a pitch. I think it was a good...

42:02Sir Alastair Cook: That was Spender's cricket wicket. That looks like the ball we got balled out with in 1992. Well, that's what they did. They split it in half. I mean, it was a... How did you split it in half? If you had two good bowling attacks on there, 150 would have been a good score. I think it was too bowler friendly. A bit too lively, isn't it? Well, I mean, I wasn't moaning. I made the medal on Saturday. I was at 12 o 'clock tea time, day four. I made the beach on Saturday morning. I think Josh Tug now is becoming better and better in all formats, isn't it? He's the Trump card friend. I think he is.

42:35Phil Tufnell: And don't forget, they've got Fisher, if he's in the wings, Fisher's a good bowler. I think Fisher and Robinson.

42:42Michael Vaughan: I could easily foresee an attack in the UK where you'd have a Fisher-Robinson-Dewitt and a Tong-Atkinson-Tong-Archer. Do you think Fisher's ahead of Cook? He probably has because he played that game against New Zealand. He didn't do that badly against New Zealand. And he bowled well this week for Surrey.

42:57Phil Tufnell: He's got a bit of pace as Fisher. Nice shape.

43:01Sir Alastair Cook: We're getting a unit now, aren't we? We're just getting a little unit. We were all worried about Broad and Anderson, oh, they've gone and everything. We're now just starting to get that. It's the unigame better, isn't it? You've got six or seven now.

43:11Michael Vaughan: You've got the four that played here, Robinson, Tong, Atkinson, Archer. Yeah. And then you've got Fisher. You've got Pride in Kars. You've... I don't know how he's going to bowl. What is Hacking going to be like? Potts. Potts.

43:26Sir Alastair Cook: He was there, though. Oh, yeah. He was there. Cook. Cook. So there's eight. And then you've got the Baker. And then you've got Sun. Sam Curran, as you're all around.

43:36Phil Tufnell: Sonny Baker, Sam Curran. Is there an influence of Troy Cooley, who's a bowling coach, who wants them to bowl? Yeah, but he was excellent with me back in 2005.

43:45Michael Vaughan: He knows exactly how to run programmes for bowlers. And I think he, over time, might be that person that would go, that's why England have got their test game back on track because he's operated this bowling cartel.

43:58Sir Alastair Cook: Yeah, I looked at it. Cartel? Eight bowlers, haven't they? Eight to ten bowlers, but none of them, I reckon, were world-class, like a year ago, and I think you're going to see them develop into world-class bowlers. Really? I think so, not all eight.

44:11Michael Vaughan: It's hard to judge them. I'm not being disrespectful to Pakistan. It's hard to judge them against that Pakistan bilateral.

44:17Sir Alastair Cook: No, no, but I'm saying you're looking at at least two or three of those to go to the next level. Well, it happens. And that's improving. Tung goes at four and a half runs and over, which is fine as long as you've got balance. Yeah, but he'll get that down.

44:29Phil Tufnell: Ret Lee, four and over.

44:31Sir Alastair Cook: You don't want to stop him thinking about economy, right? I think the biggest challenge for England moving forward is how well they play in subcontinent, for example, with this bowling attack. A reverse swing, whether somebody can do a bit of reverse. Spinner. Spinner. I mean, if you want to become a full force in world cricket, I mean, you know, Sri Lanka, Pakistan on the... Well, they go to Bangladesh. Bangladesh has become a really good team. Well, Leach surely might have got...

45:01Michael Vaughan: Hey, I'll tell you a player that you mentioned last week, I don't know if you mentioned it on the show, but you certainly mentioned it off the show. Don Bess, 28 years of age, just got off Eiffel. He's balled very consistently for Yorkshire. Again, are we a team that, you know, because he's been in England several five or six years ago, he didn't quite work out when he was 23? Don Bess is now 28, started probably to really understand himself.

45:24Phil Tufnell: If he had been playing for England same at 24, 25-year-old, he said, I learnt about offspin when I was 28.

45:33Michael Vaughan: Well, Swanee was 27, 28 when he came back into the England side

45:36Sir Alastair Cook: and he was ready. I very briefly watched him at Essex in a one-day game. It just looked a bit better. I didn't realise he was quite as young as he was. You think you are allowed to get better. We're asking Harry Brook to get better. Don Best, I'm not saying he's never going to be a Malurithran. That's no disrespect to Don Best. Well, no. Because Dom's an electrician.

45:55Phil Tufnell: Who? Dom Best. In Sidmouth. OK.

46:02Michael Vaughan: Well, you need a lekkie on tour, don't you? Well, it'll be down to worth it. You're on fire. You are. It'll be down to worth. Yeah, so those kind of... Yeah, Dom Best, keep an eye on Dom. Now, Headingley. We know this is a historic venue. I'm a bit biased because I used to play here. But in recent times, England have had an incredible record here. Yeah. I mean, there's been all the noise since this last week. There's no Headley Test match, Ashes next year.

46:32Phil Tufnell: Or Old Trafford.

46:33Michael Vaughan: Or Old Trafford. Now, if you're managing the England set-up and you're trying to win the Ashes back, we need the Ashes back. You know, you would think... I mean, Joe Root's come out with a quote. He's come out with a quote. Let me get it somewhere, I'll find it. While you're finding that, Mike...

46:49Sir Alastair Cook: Yeah, please say something. What, out of Old Trafford and Heddenley, if there could only be one, which one would you choose?

46:56Michael Vaughan: Well, I'm going to go to some stats, Phil. Oh, OK. Joe Root has said it's a shame that there won't be an Ashes match here at Heddenley next. Summer Ben Stokes has called it shambolic. Oh. So he reacted and said it's not just that, it's shambolic. All right. Now, England's test record at each ground, that's why I've kind of put him ahead of Old Trafford, because I would say both because of this. England's test record at each ground since 2000, the win percentage record. Top of the tree, the riverside, 100%. We've played 6-1-6 up in Durham. Old Trafford is second, 67%. Right. Sophia Garden's 67%, only plays three there.

47:34Michael Vaughan: Headingley sits at fourth, 64%.

47:37Phil Tufnell: How many matches?

47:39Michael Vaughan: 22. Not since 2009. So the five Ashes Test matches next year to try and get these Ashes back, to give Joe Root and Stephen Fleming the best chance of grabbing them back. are at England's worst five venues. The Rose Bowl, 33 % win record. 1-2 in six. The Oval, 50%. 13 in 26. Lords, 54%. 27 in 50. Edge Bastion, 12 in 22. Trent Bridge, 12 in 22. That's a lot of numbers. A lot of numbers going on, Phil. But what I'm saying is... Where would you go for the five? Headingley and Old Trafford would be the first two. And then Lords in the Oval and then A another. Why, but then I don't think...

48:20Sir Alastair Cook: That's a great answer. Now, I don't think that necessarily Headinley has got to do anything with figures. I think it's got to do with history. Would that be fair enough? I know what you're going to say. Why are you looking at figures? Well, because they're the facts. No, OK, but, you know, why then shouldn't we be playing at the Riverside? Well, it's just, it's not a test venue anymore. Well, there you go.

48:44Michael Vaughan: Well, but then...

48:45Sir Alastair Cook: No, but you know what I'm trying to say? Headingly, you know, Botham and all these wonderful games... I've been here. You know, it's not necessarily... You know, the pitches change, teams change. It's not necessarily about, oh, where are we going? I think headingly...

49:00Michael Vaughan: So, all right, I'll say to you, do you envisage ever going to Australia... There you go. ..and Australia go, I tell you what... We're not going to play in Perth and we're not going to play in Brisbane. No. So that's pretty much what's happening next. But they've only got six venues, so they don't have that problem. Well, they've played in Darwin, they've played in Hobart. I didn't play this last week. By the way, that was a day and a half game.

49:21Sir Alastair Cook: I don't think it got to T on day two. You could have played in two medals, might I? Or played nicely, I must admit. It's tough, because you want the ground. You want grounds like Southampton to say, right, we're going to spend our money to get a test match. You do, you want to encourage them. It's ironic, because you encourage them and then you make it worse.

49:39Michael Vaughan: Do you think that the captain and coach combination, I know we've had a change, so it's quite difficult, you have to plan. Do you think the captain and coach combination should have at least a say in at least one or two of the venues?

49:50Phil Tufnell: Did you two?

49:51Michael Vaughan: No. No. I mean, I wouldn't have played a game of Trembley. No. But do you think we're in the modern world of sport that you're trying to prepare the best you possibly can to give yourself the best chance to win? Yeah. Do you think, particularly in an Ashes series and an India at home series, where, you know, they're the big series for English cricket. Isn't that a bit naff, though, Mike? You want to win, don't you? Why are you giving Australia the best chance?

50:14Sir Alastair Cook: But do you want to win on a dodgy old pitch in somewhere or do you want to play in the main grounds and beat... This is the main ground. Well, that's what I'm saying. This is why I think there should be one here. You know, you just don't want to... No, no, no. Which one are you getting rid of? Well, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. But as I'm saying, it's not all necessarily about the winning. Like Southampton without... It's about the winning. Well, it's not because otherwise you just prepare crap pitches and tossing a coin and let's see what happens.

50:42Phil Tufnell: We were chatting before we came up. I would say it's a lovely ground at Southampton. One day cricket, one day. Put one day in there. With the odd test match there. No, one day. I'd call it a one-day venue. The approach isn't great, actually. No, that's six for everything. You can't get it out, you're right.

51:02Sir Alastair Cook: That's the cover tag. This ground here, the history.

51:08Phil Tufnell: You talk about the history of the ground. and you look round, it's working class is this. You look at all the chimney pots all around, and it's now in a student area. It's got a vibe. This ground has got a vibe.

51:22Sir Alastair Cook: Yes.

51:23Phil Tufnell: It just has.

51:24Sir Alastair Cook: It's in the middle of nowhere, the other places and stuff.

51:26Phil Tufnell: But all eyes on that Lord's pitch this week, because they've had a problem recently. Is it right? Did they steam the pitch? I don't know. They what? Steam the pitch. They should dry clean it.

51:39Sir Alastair Cook: Dry click. Dry click. You need the interior fan. Get the interior fan. Big fan. Big fan. Was that you? Was that you involved? No, no. Do you remember that? Correct. You see, that's what I was trying to say. You know, it's all very well. You know, Pakistan, when they beat us there, they got the thing on it and it was all like, oh, well, I flippered a coin. You want to play, it doesn't matter where you play, you want to play in the venue, not on the... Just to try and win something. That's short term. It is short term. Thank you, Rami.

52:07Phil Tufnell: He's in Middlesex, man. but what's this pitch going to be like? It's on you, this. I'd better get me iron out.

52:14Sir Alastair Cook: I'd better get me iron out.

52:16Phil Tufnell: I think it's the story this week in the media. It's going to rain. Because there's no test matches in the north against Australia, all eyes on this Lord's pitch.

52:25Michael Vaughan: You're not saying that we're going to take it away from you. Well, this is going to be my question. Is it an absolute certainty that every single year the Oval and Lords have to have a test match? Yes. Yes, why?

52:38Sir Alastair Cook: Because it's near your house. Well, it's nice. I mean, every week I come up here to the podcast. It's nice to have a mate you travel. So that's your reason. Well, Lord has to.

52:48Michael Vaughan: Surely they generate more money.

52:50Phil Tufnell: Oh, good man.

52:51Michael Vaughan: What are you doing, then? But does it, though? I'm throwing out the question. That's your reason. Because grounds like Heddenley, Old Trafford, Southampton, all these other venues, they're going to kind of pick... What's Heddenley's record against Australia? Well, I'm going back on 23, we beat them here. Right. which was a great game. 2019, Ben Stokes. Mark Butcher in 2001. So it's been a very good... It's been a great ground for... Because we feel a bit jittery whenever we play England here because of the past record. So it sticks to your memory. So that's an advantage. If you've beaten a side, put them in again.

53:31So you do obviously play...

53:32Sir Alastair Cook: But do they get more money at Lords? Of course they do. Yeah, of course. The ticket prices are through the roof. I agree.

53:38Michael Vaughan: Well, every single year it must be written in that they have a test match. I think... Do you not think... And some other venues don't get... So there's not a test match here at Henley till 2029. And that's the warm-up test against India. There's a women's one next week. Next year, next year.

53:53Phil Tufnell: So, Catalan, for a Lord's Test match, I might not... Who gets the money? Is it MCC or ECB? You're the Middlesex player.

54:04Sir Alastair Cook: Well, yeah, but Middlesex, it's not even their ground.

54:06Michael Vaughan: No, it's not. I think Middlesex should leave, Lord. Well, I think they virtually have. I think they play about three games there. I think Middlesex need to go and stand on their own two feet. Got to the final of the Metro, which is good for them.

54:18Phil Tufnell: Where could they play?

54:19Sir Alastair Cook: Radlett?

54:19Michael Vaughan: Yeah, I've heard Uxbridge.

54:21Sir Alastair Cook: Uxbridge, Radlett, they play all over the place. I played at Uxbridge. Virgin Taylor's they play?

54:24Phil Tufnell: Against Wayne. I played for Cumberland. Quick as well. Fast. That was a quick pitch. Gat's at second slip and first slip, and I've gone in. I'm like 38-year-old. Gat, do you think Gat's at first? because you call him diamond diamond diamond yeah and i've opened the batty for gumberland yeah the gillette cup match and that yeah the voice from second slip straight up to his miles away diamond nothing in his half

54:58Sir Alastair Cook: i've got very focals on yeah yeah what a little bullseye hat on little cat no no i'd have had helmets oh you've had it on there's been diamond coming yeah right we'll show wide open yeah

55:10Phil Tufnell: what about can we do the diamond story about the you know the blind physio remember john the blind physio yeah diamond diamond had a problem with his thigh yeah yeah he's yours probably have to

55:24Michael Vaughan: edit this no we don't it's a good one it's true it's true i was in there i brought him off he was

55:29Phil Tufnell: 12th man i was in it was 12th man so go on you tell the story i was 12th man diamonds come in

55:35Sir Alastair Cook: i think it was a gillette cup game like that i forget his name john yeah john johnny miller no no john john he was all john yeah that's right and um diamonds come running off like that he's He's gone, oh, toffee, toffee, toffee. You know what I mean? He said, I've got it, you know, my thigh, my thigh. So he's come in, laid on the physio's bed like that, and old John, he said, my strapping's come loose, my strapping's come loose. So he's lying on the physio's bed like that, and John, he's taping it up like that, like that, and he didn't realise that he'd got his tie. He'd got a tie on as a fit?

56:10Sir Alastair Cook: Yeah, he used to wear a shirt and tie and, you know, jacket and everything. It was old school. Yeah, it was old school. And he didn't realise that he'd taped his tie into his strapping on his tie. So, have you finished, John? He said, yes, I've finished, Wayne. So he's thrown his legs off. He's gone, get it.

56:33Sir Alastair Cook: He's thrown himself off. I had to get a pair of scissors. I got a pair of scissors. Chop his tail off. Chop his tail off. He was walking around for the rest of the day. With a little tie on.

56:49Phil Tufnell: We had one called Chris. A physio called Chris who used to wear platform shoes. He's gone down low. Some fastballers hit this bloke. He's hit this bloke on there, no helmets, and he's sparkled. He's gone down. So shout for the physio. Chris, you've got to go out there. All he did in the physio's room were ultrasound. That's all, you know, they're ultra turkeys. All he did was injury. So this bloke's far caught at Old Trafford. Chris, don't forget your ultrasound. He said, well, there's a plug behind the pit, just behind the stump, there's a plug. So he takes his ultrasound out. This bloke's flat out.

57:31Phil Tufnell: And he's looking, where's his plug? And he's asking around, where's the plug for the ultrasound?

57:40Sir Alastair Cook: What did Ultracel do? Oh, it was lovely feeling in the gel. A lovely feeling in the gel. With a gel. Oh, lovely. Oh, well, that was lovely. Thanks so much. What does it do? No one can see it, can they? You can see it that far. Oh, lovely ultrasound. Oh, I feel my eyes better now.

58:00Michael Vaughan: Stick to Cricket is brought to you by Betfair.

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59:12Phil Tufnell: I feel sometimes that I'm not listened to. I would just want you to listen to me more often and evaluate situations with me and lead me towards success. Listening is a form of love. Find resources to help you support your kids and their emotional well-being at SoundItOutTogether.org. That's SoundItOutTogether.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council and Pivotal. You're probably multitasking right now, right? commuting, working out, crossing things off your list. Worth asking when check-in on yourself landed on it. Grow makes the booking part fast. The rest is between you and a therapist who actually gets it.

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1:00:38Michael Vaughan: Can we preview the next test? Law is what we're expecting. I mean, there might be a bit of rain Thursday, Friday. Pitch is probably the talking point. Right, Dave. Bounce back from Pakistan. I can't see that at all. Well, a bit more. They need a bit of luck, don't they? As in, they're going to win the toss. They need to win the toss. Be dark, horrible. The pitch is the key. Pitch is the key at law. I just can't see how they can come back. I mean, you mentioned, you know, when you won the World Cup back in the early 90s. Yeah. Had a poor start and you had that Spartan came back. I just can't see how this team do something like that.

1:01:08We had great leadership as well. And we had great players individually. We clicked when it mattered.

1:01:14Phil Tufnell: Yeah. So, I mean, you know, how much do you want it? I think at the end of the day, Pakistan need to pop up that question. How much do we want this? He's Baba playing. He is. I think he should be, actually.

1:01:26Sir Alastair Cook: The only thing we should never, ever doubt, Pakistan's ability of the past to come back. So, like, you write them off at your absolute peril.

1:01:34Michael Vaughan: I totally agree with that. but I just, I hope I'm wrong. I can't see it in this team. They have to. They're just too nice.

1:01:43Sir Alastair Cook: They're going to have to get England 30 for four. Floodlights are on. They win the toss. They've got 20 overs on the end of day one or something. Keep a stand-up. And it nips all over. And they get into the game and they've got a chance. But if England have a good hour to start the game, England get ahead of Pakistan within that first hour and a half.

1:02:01Michael Vaughan: I tell you, I think Abdullah Shafiq, he looks a fine player. Yeah, he's good, actually. He looks a lovely player. Yeah, the on-drives, the way he shaped up, I thought it looked the best out of the lot. Yeah. Sean Masood has played many times. Yeah, he's a counter player. He's got his quantity, isn't he?

1:02:17Phil Tufnell: Yeah. Imad played for Yorkshire.

1:02:20Michael Vaughan: Yeah.

1:02:20Phil Tufnell: He's a good player. He played well in that first quarter. Yeah, he's a good player.

1:02:24Michael Vaughan: You put Baber into that, they've probably got four or five batters that they're going to have to get. I mean, the problem is they're the lowest from sixth down. Yeah, yeah. I think they average 39. It's the lowest over the course of the last few years, so... Also, you put a lot of batting line-ups up against that England bowling attack

1:02:41Sir Alastair Cook: on a pitch that just does a little bit. They're all going to struggle a little bit because that bowling line-up now is firing. It's motoring. Well, you look at Australia. Skillful. Skillful seamers, they are. They're proper skillful English seamers.

1:02:54Michael Vaughan: That bowling attack against Australia next summer will bowl Australia out. Absolutely. That Aussie batting line-up is there for the taking. Absolutely. It's there for the taking. Just on Australia, we might as well get there quickly. You think he's done? Failed again? What did Ricky Ponding say?

1:03:09Sir Alastair Cook: I think whatever Ricky says normally goes, isn't he? Ricky, yeah. He's like, he's got to go. Ricky.

1:03:14Phil Tufnell: Ricky. Go on.

1:03:18Sir Alastair Cook: Clicky Ponding, innit? I think they will make that change if they've got someone else to come in. You say something like Sweeney's...

1:03:24Michael Vaughan: Sweeney's in the squad four, South Africa. So they've got a tough time with Australia. They go to South Africa for three, New Zealand at home for four, then they go to India for five. and then they'll hope to be in the World Test Championship final. Pink ball first. Pink ball, yeah. Oh, yeah, that's a good trip, isn't it? Are you coming out there, Phil, in March? Are you coming, Dave? What's that for? Yeah, not heard. Centenary game. Centenary game. Oh, I suppose. It's a pink ball at the MCG. I won't know. Have you not had an invite? You'd have had an invite, wouldn't you, from Cricket Australia?

1:03:53Michael Vaughan: I'm there. Do they pay for what? Oh, yeah. Business class? You're coming.

1:03:57Sir Alastair Cook: I'm coming. Business class? I've got the invite. Oh, I shins. I'm not going to.

1:04:01Michael Vaughan: I mean, I ain't going all the way down the back.

1:04:05Phil Tufnell: I've been going playing one day of cricket. November. November. In 50 overs and T20.

1:04:12Michael Vaughan: They go to Pakistani, they go to Pakistan for some wild cricket. October. October. Sri Lanka, Pakistan and England. Oh, alright. OK. I mean, the calendar's packed, isn't it? These teams and players are playing.

1:04:25Phil Tufnell: That would be a good scene in Australia, 50 overs and T20.

1:04:29Michael Vaughan: Yeah, November, that would be good fun. Are you there for that? Yeah, and then England go to South Africa for tests. After Christmas, England are where? They get a Bangladesh for two tests, don't they? Ancient subcontent, that would be a test. Bangladesh, they look a decent size.

1:04:44Sir Alastair Cook: Their record's not too bad recently, a subcontent England's, is it? No. Well, they lost 4-1 to India. Yeah, but then they beat Pakistan 3-0. I fancy England to beat Australia there. We're not playing it. Here, as in England, sorry, next time they turn. So, I know we're quite up and down with our thoughts in English cricket.

1:05:05Michael Vaughan: Would you have England favourites now to beat Australia next summer? Yes. Yes? Right, no, yeah.

1:05:11Phil Tufnell: You would have them favourites? It was a long time before next summer.

1:05:14Sir Alastair Cook: I'm not having them favourites. You're not having them as favourites? No, not yet. I would say Australia would be just ahead at this precise amount of time. They came over tomorrow. But like we said last time, when England went to Australia, this Australia side is there to be beaten absolutely so they have to play well but if England run into there it was a bit of form and those batters for me it's those batters people like Harrybrook top order if they start consistently scoring runs against they will put Australia's batters under pressure yep so I think there is

1:05:46Phil Tufnell: a good chance they're going to find a new player Australia for Labashane Matt Renshaw's just got back into the team after a time out so they're looking for an opener Steve Smith

1:05:57Michael Vaughan: I wonder if Smith will go to three and then Cameron Green goes into four.

1:06:01Phil Tufnell: Well, he went there opening.

1:06:02Michael Vaughan: Smith went to opening and that didn't work. No, I just wonder.

1:06:05Phil Tufnell: Cameron Green...

1:06:06Michael Vaughan: I'll be interested in how long they leave Travis Head at the top of the order, although it works against England. No, I agree. No, I just wonder whether they think... It's not that Edenley. ...bat at number five against this kind of attack with the old ball.

1:06:20Michael Vaughan: Stick to Cricket is brought to you by Betfair. Ram, we've finished with some community questions. So they've been sent in by people all over the world. Has he Mr. Akram, Mr. W. Akram sent one in? Yeah, he does. This is from Mr. Akram. Two Rammies. Who are the best five cricketers Pakistan have ever produced from Wazim? So I would say Imran, Jawid, Akram. Akram? Waka. Waka. Saydan War. Oh, what a player.

1:07:01Sir Alastair Cook: Hang on, hang on. He was playing here in 90s. No, Yunus Khan. Mohamed Yusuf. Yeah, I mean... Mohamed Yusuf? He is Jesus. Yunus Khan? So from... A thousand runs. I mean, Inzi I liked. Inzi probably beat there as well. Inzi because he... Said Anwar was remarkable. He was really... In all formats. Yeah. What was his stats? What did he end up with? The 40s, average in the 40s. Big hundreds against India. 190 in that one-day game, which stood as a record for many years. Good player.

1:07:42Michael Vaughan: Neil Madelinder would have got him out, wouldn't he, back in the early 90s? I remember watching that spell down the hill, yeah. Coastie. Yeah, balled nicely. this you've got do you Ramit Fred that was when Fred

1:07:57Phil Tufnell: commentary box was here as a hut and he parked at the back he was late he parked at the back he turned in late who's that running in from the Kirkstall lane Neil Mallinder Fred well I've never heard of him and he doesn't look a well man to me Ghost Ghost what a great guy great bowlers have run in from that Kirkstall lane and he's not one of them

1:08:23Michael Vaughan: Rames, do you foresee Pakistan coming back at test level? That's from the interior minister. Interior designer. Yes, I mean, yes, definitely. It's not all lost. Obviously, they'll pick the venues, they'll pick the sides and eventually grow into it. But right now, if you ask me, You know, they'll probably get hammered by Australia and England. India also, unfortunately. But that's how it is right now. But eventually I think we've got enough firepower to sustain it. Is there a plan for Pakistan? Is there ever a plan?

1:09:06Sir Alastair Cook: No, but, you know, we are at our best when it's chaos. The rules are there are no rules.

1:09:14Michael Vaughan: No, it's like the 13 - to 15-year-olds in Pakistan. It's still a sport that all the kids are playing. 100%. Well, you'll be fine then, in some way. You'll find some trouble. You go through high lows, but we tend to remain there for a longer time. And then go whoosh. Yeah, you'll be back. Following Erling, do you follow your football? Yeah. Erling Haaland's... Who's your team?

1:09:36Phil Tufnell: Who's your Premier League team? Manchester City.

1:09:39Michael Vaughan: Oh! Sorry, Lorienter. Last-minute winner yesterday. Bournemouth. Sorry to me. Well, they're a good question to ask then. Following Erling Haaland's recent haircut, who has the most iconic barnet in cricket? There it is.

1:09:59Sir Alastair Cook: Who are the contenders? Alim Garl.

1:10:02Michael Vaughan: Alim Garl. Alim's got a lovely booth. Jason Gillespie when he had the locks. Dug the rug with the old stick on.

1:10:11Sir Alastair Cook: Sarav. Gucci. Gucci the first one.

1:10:15Michael Vaughan: Yeah, Graham Guch. I think, Ram, I think you're the one. Well, this is genuine, actually. Well, there's not too many round here. It's a great lid. Right, for all of you, what's the best pavilion building in England? No?

1:10:31Phil Tufnell: No, I think. No, no. Best pavilion?

1:10:34Sir Alastair Cook: Trenbridge. Lords, isn't it? Lords. Trenbridge. Lords, Lords. Trenbridge. Trenbridge is nice. The oval was separate.

1:10:41Michael Vaughan: The oval's lovely and it was just being surrounded by stands. If you're quite smart, you guys, and you generally aren't, you do realise that our sponsor, sponsor that pavilion there. That's lovely. Oh, that's a lovely... That's amazing.

1:10:54Sir Alastair Cook: Lovely building to be in. I love that. To be in, looking away. Wonderful. Looking out. Lovely. Which is your favourite? Lods? Yeah. Did you play at Lords, was it? Yeah. Yeah, Rappers? Are you on the board? No. All eyes on that pitch. Just doing one test. All eyes on that pitch. We were talking about where to play and everything. Four overseas players. Lords. There you go. Every touring team should play at Lords. It's like the Mecca. You didn't want to test there, Mark.

1:11:26Michael Vaughan: I asked the question. Is it right that they get two every year? Is it right? Historic. Yeah. Lords. Just a couple to finish off with. A friend of the show, Kate Cross, has announced her retirement from cricket. Well played. at the end of the season. Well done, Kate. Tremendous career, Kate. Yeah, well played. Friend of the show of ours. You've been on. Her and Alex. Yeah. Did very well. Very, very well. Yeah. Well, what's next then for Kate? Media, broadcast. Very good on Sky, I reckon. She'll be on there, I'm guessing. Good knowledge. Got a podcast, actually. Noble's podcast. That'll be about right.

1:12:02Michael Vaughan: And just finish on this. This is a funny one. I don't know why they put this in, but I'm intrigued to see what you're going to call them. What do you call these? Saucy Rascals.

1:12:12Sir Alastair Cook: Saucy Rascal? No, what's the Saucy Rascal? No. Is it from Betty's Tea Room? Bap. Bap. Bap. What do you call them? Butterfingers. LAUGHTER They're rolls for me. It's a bread roll, isn't it? What do you call it? What are those things that you get from Betty's Tea Room? Rascals. Fat rascals. Fat rascals. I thought it was a fat rascal.

1:12:32Michael Vaughan: It's just a bread cake. It's a bread roll. That's a bread cake up here. It's a bap. It's a bread cake in your cake. Is it? Yeah.

1:12:39Phil Tufnell: I've never heard that I live in Yorkshire. Well in my ear it's a bread cake. Bread's not a cake.

1:12:45Michael Vaughan: You can tell he's worried. I would call that a bread roll. It's a bap.

1:12:49Phil Tufnell: It's a bap. Nice pair of baps. What are you calling it? Chicken. I've got a chicken bap in the car. Oh, God, it's a bit warm, isn't it? I've put it under my cap.

1:13:00Sir Alastair Cook: Oh, even warmer. It's a stogie. But do you have a bacon roll or a bacon bap? Bacon roll, yeah. You have a bacon roll. Bacon sarnie. Can I have a bacon roll?

1:13:09Phil Tufnell: I don't have a bacon roll?

1:13:10Michael Vaughan: Yeah, that's... You don't have a bacon bat, do you?

1:13:12Phil Tufnell: There's no bacon in it.

1:13:15Michael Vaughan: Lads, brilliant. Well done. Cheers, Ray. Brilliant. Well done, mate.

1:13:19Sir Alastair Cook: Well done. Well done.

1:13:28Sir Alastair Cook: This has been a Global and the Overlap production.

1:13:38you'll be. So we asked kids, what do you want your parents to hear?

1:13:43Phil Tufnell: I feel sometimes that I'm not listened to. I would just want you to listen to me more often and evaluate situations with me and lead me towards success. Listening is a form of love. Find resources to help you support your kids and their emotional well-being at SoundItOutTogether.org. That's SoundItOutTogether.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council and Pivotal. Hi, I'm Nick, co-host of The Best One Yet. You optimize your workouts, your portfolios, and that rando startup idea that hit you in the middle of the shower. But if you're not hydrated, you're already playing catch-up. So we keep a stash of Liquid IV in our studio.

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