Mystery Guest Match Special

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1:29this week. So Greg's not with us because he's probably cycling somewhere towards Edinburgh and we're also joined for the entirety of the show due to phenomenal public demand. Matching Tendulka, King of the Sea. Hello. Hello. How you doing, Matching? Yeah, not bad, mate. Hurry up. I've got a hundred better things than to talk to you right now. So if you could crack on. Oh, very, very topical. You've actually ruined, I had punchline for that in our news bullet and we'll have it in a second. Jimmy, how you doing? Good, thanks, mate. Yeah, what's cracking? County cricket training?

2:04Felix White:Yeah, we're going on pre-season tour tomorrow, so I'm quite excited. Things are gearing up. And where are you going? Spain. Spain. Play cricket? Yeah, Italy was fully booked, so we've gone Spain. Do you know what I didn't mention to you guys? Italy, on the show, Italy got to the semi-finals of the World Baseball Tournament. Who did they beat to get there? They didn't knock out the USA, but in a group stage they beat USA. Wow. But it's quite a Wayne Madsen situation in that I think most of them probably are not, look, they're not as of Italian origin as Waynos Madasinos, put it that way. Yeah. How you doing, Fee?

2:44How was your charity bike ride this week? Thank you for asking me, matching. I joined Greg, for people that don't know, I joined Greg for a little bit at the end of his, I think the third day. It was so good, you know. I got on the bike with Greg for maybe an hour or not even at the end of his cycle up to Birmingham. But we went into Edgbaston together. And it is actually mad what he's doing. The streets are lined with people everywhere you go. And I don't think people can see that I was on the back, but we got so many go-wells. He was getting people shouting go-well to him. Oh, nice. Everywhere he went.

3:22I don't know physically how he's doing it. I don't know how you can just carry on cycling for that long. Are you thinking about that, Jim, like the physical feat of it, being an athlete? Because he's being treated like an athlete as well, as you have to be.

3:35Felix White:Yeah, I actually texted him last night because, I mean, I was going to ask you whether, was it hard, the bit that you did, and whether he's just making a meal of it going, oh, I'm tired.

3:49Felix White:When I texted him, I was like, I don't think it's just impressive what he's doing, the distance he's cycling but he's on the radio pretty much i know seven till five six yeah it's mental he's mic'd up all the time he's got an earpiece in listening to the show i just don't know like it must be taking so much out of him mentally and like focus concentration wise as well as physically this is incredible this is why i said i saw him in bristol when he when he cycled through here and i was like aside from like the physical exhaustion to come up with like a nice little soundbite asking for money and coming up with something like nice to say every time you step off the bikes one shoves a mic in your face and be like how are you feeling yeah what's hurting and you've got to come up with something original and something beautiful to say yeah i don't know how he's doing it what's what's the most physically tired you think you've ever been jimmy what's the what's the most you've ever been exhausted is it a game the one that stands out is after the 2010 11 ashes in australia where i played every game bowled don't know how many hundred overs i flew back in the middle of the series for two days for the birth of Ruby my youngest and I remember when we won at the SCG and when we finished I laid down on my spot in the dressing room and then woke woke up like an hour later hour and a half later I was just exhausted my voice went I felt so ill so I think that's probably like the only time well probably there's been probably in a couple of other times but that's the one time where I thought I've properly maxed out my body yeah is that a good feeling it must be a good feeling though when you know like i've given everything i remember that at the end of the gig feeling like oh that's i quite like this feeling of being completely empty yeah when you've emptied every last reserve into something that you're passionate about then it is satisfying but obviously you don't feel that at the time you feel horrendous but give it a week or two yeah i said to i said to greg as well like just imagine like as you get closer to the end just just picture that first nap with barney on the sofa watching like the 2005 Ashes or something.

5:51Yeah. I was genuinely emotional for him. I didn't expect to be as emotional as I was when I was there because the thing you don't realise is it's actually real. Do you know what I mean? You can see it a lot on your phone, but when you feel like, oh, he's actually doing this, it was really crazy. And he did have one, just before I saw him matching, he had a slightly glazed look in his eyes before we saw each other. I was like, oh, this is going to hurt. but he had his he might have had his Elvis and a mountain moment just as we were going to Edgbaston he was going he just went to me like we supposed we weren't anywhere near Edgbaston and he went wow look it's at the lights of Edgbaston they're beautiful it was just like it was like a little five-a-side court and he was like hallucinating it and so like to the finish line I was sort of talking him through who's your favorite Warwickshire player and so we were saying things like Jim Troughton as we got into Edberston on the tandem.

6:46Brilliant. So it was good times. Anyway, Sharky's prepared for me a little news bulletin. This is mainly for Greg because Greg will not have been on top of cricket news this week because he is riding that bike for comic relief. So Sharky's prepared. What are we going to call this, Sharky? News at 10. Tell Enders News at 10. For the benefit of the tape, he's got his thumbs up. Quickly, before I do this, Sharky, can you tell everyone what you were saying before we went on air? because Jimmy was eating cereal and you were telling us how you have your Weetabix. Am I faded up? Yes, you're faded up.

7:18So I have my Weetabix. By the way, we're discussing breakfast because Jimmy was having his breakfast. Yeah, I've done that. I've context-sized it. Sorry. I have my Weetabix. So I get a Weetabix and then I spread on the top of it. Normally between two and three. Weetabye, plural. Weetabye, whatever the plural of Weetabix is. And I spread on it butter slash margarine and have it like a big cracker. oh that is grim just have a think about that that guide into Sharky's

7:46Felix White:mouth and how many hours does it take you to eat that the three wheater bix oh it's really quick much quicker than waiting for toast there you go it just fit like my mouth is like drying up just thinking that should be Lixie's Sharky's comic relief challenge see if you can get five mil for that how many wheat a bite sticks in his mouth with margarine on top of them. Oh my God. You should try it. You should try it. Anyway, cue the tail end of news at 10. Sharky bong, please.

8:21If you're having selection problems, I feel bad for you, son. I've got 100 problems in Liam Livingston 8-1. Liam Livingston has criticised the England set-up, saying there, inverted commas, there wasn't any part of me that wanted to be involved in the England team that reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. Sharky bong, please. This isn't really very good news, but Batradi Piper said the perception that England weren't fussed about winning the Ashes is hard to take. Bong, please. Kent head coach Adam Hollyo, legend, revealed the club brought in a faith healer to try and help them get rid of injuries.

8:53Story courtesy of Nick Friend and the cricketer. Bong, please.

8:59A father and son combined to hit 590 in a mammoth partnership in an Aussie amateur game. Bong, please. And finally, the sun's out, so me and Sharky have both had nets, and I've bowled appalling areas. And that is the Tailenders News at 10. Let's delve into that quickly, Jimmy. I don't know how much you want to talk about Liam Livingston. I know you're close to him, aren't you? Have you seen that? It has to have been the big cricket gossip this week.

9:26Felix White:Yeah. Obviously, it's quite a brutal interview. He's just tried to be honest. It's as if he's sort of, you know, I don't think he's got any plans to get back in that England team anytime soon because of saying what he said. So he's just come out and been open and honest. And yeah, it's a bit messy, isn't it? Especially after the winter. But, you know, he's obviously got a lot to get off his chest. If any of you missed it, there was an interview with Matt Roller in ESPN Crick Info in which Liam said that the Champions Trophy was the worst experience he's had playing cricket. as aforementioned he said there wasn't any part of him that was jealous of being involved in the semi-final team he talked about some phone calls he said that he tried to speak to Rob Key about it Rob Key said on Sky Sports I don't know if he's got a phone he's allowed to ring he's 32 years of age it's not hard if you want to find out where you are you've got my number mate and then Liam Livingston said that Rob Key told him there are a hundred more important things that even speak to you so that's all a little bit messy there are two sides to every story and England have insisted the door remains open to Liam Livingston and they dispute the nature of the conversation between Livingston and Key.

10:36Matching thoughts please? Obviously context is everything but to be told a hundred better things to do than talk to you right now I think sort of taking a step back on like from the cricket side of things just on a human level whatever goes on like behind the scenes that's not really an acceptable way to speak to anyone it doesn't really matter if you're like an international cricketer or working in any other job like basic respect should be given and i know that rob key must be under a lot of pressure his decisions are under the microscope but speaking as a captain of industry that's when standards of communication matter most and in any job you know you can be honest and you can be direct you can even be critical but there's a way to do it and it doesn't have to cross the line into sort of dismissiveness or disrespect.

11:23Jim, do you remember in the past, have you seen a player come out swinging in the same way as Liam has this week? Classically, yeah.

11:32Felix White:Yeah, I think players have done it in the past, yeah. I think it's probably just a bit of frustration built up and I'm sure he didn't set out to just do an interview about that situation. He's obviously done a longer interview and that's a snippet that's been taken out of it but obviously it's a it's a made a headline because of the sort of brutality of it and also the the sort of state that the cricket was in the winter so it's quite it's kind of i i get his frustration i've always been wary of doing stuff like that you you want to try and speak to people first and try and get some balance and make sure you're not just saying things because out of spite or or bitterness or whatever yeah i think the thing for me to to come out of it which i can sort of understand and buy into is the kind of gist that when you're in the team you're in the team you're looked after it doesn't necessarily mean that you get special treatment or anything like that when you're in the team but you feel like there's a there's a nice security blanket around you of people and things like that and at the minute and it's what to be fair this has happened throughout my career I've experienced it when I got dropped from from an England team in previous years when you're out of the team it is literally like you've just disappeared into the wilderness and there's not that support network of yeah and it's not necessarily just the selection or the coaches or the director of cricket it's an actual like you know it can really get to people when you get left out this is your this has been your dream to play for England and all of a sudden that gets taken away you don't know if it's going to happen again and there's not really that support network that filters down to the the players that that are on the periphery So I do get where he's coming from with that sort of thing.

13:13Felix White:And I think that's something that happens in all sports and needs to be looked at. Because it can be really tough on players that are in the team for a little bit of time. And then all of a sudden it's just gone. And it's a strange place to be. You feel quite alone as well. It's such a strange thing because as you're saying that, I was thinking, you kind of work your whole life. You have this dream. You're in that moment. and it's just whoever happens to be in charge of selection at that time, their opinion governs what happens there. It's such a fragile, weird sort of coincidence, isn't it? You have to be inside to be favourable to the person at the exact time.

13:51Felix White:Yeah, I think if you're one of those sort of fringe players who, you know, unless you're a star where the coach will, you know, like a Joe Root is going to get picked no matter who coach is. But, you know, this has happened to me again in the past. you get a coach that's not I don't know if you're the right person for this series or this pitch or whatever it might be it happened to myself, I know it happened to Brodie as well and obviously more players that played a lot less that were on that fringe of the team if you're not sort of seen in or the coach doesn't have a high opinion of you then it is harder for you to get into the team so yeah it can be tough in that respect.

14:30Felix White:Do you think it's a bit different oh sorry Matt just asked a quick question I was just going to say, obviously that's going to happen in any sport, but for me, it's not so much like that individual incident, but how he said that, he said the one-minute phone call, if that's how conversations are happening, then isn't there a wider cultural question that needs to address it? It's hard to talk about that because it's sort of he said, she said. Liam said that that happened. Rob Key is obviously going to say that it didn't happen. so you can't I don't think you can really delve into that I think it's just the broader picture of you know that aftercare of someone who doesn't know where they stand that you know it's again it's not necessarily the coach's job probably it's partly the coach's job you know I know that captains I've played under in the past would take a big I'll make a point of making calling people that have been left out of squads and making sure they're okay so I think it's there's a bigger sort of thing there.

15:25Do you think there's like a, also Jim, obviously because Liam's making a living as a franchise cricketer. Do you think there's a totally different universe now where he might not even be that, do you think he's, do you know what I mean? It might not be the be-all and end-all for him to get back in England's set-ups. There's less at stake for him to say something like that.

15:45Felix White:Yeah, definitely. He's making a very good living doing what he's doing. He's playing a lot of franchise cricket around the world. And yeah, I I think he probably felt braver to say stuff like that because of, you know, he's got a safety net of cricket around the world. So, you know, yeah, it was probably a lot harder to come out and say what you think like in the years gone by. OK, so from cricketing selection murkiness to cricketing spirituality. I don't know if you guys heard this week, but Adam Hollyhock said the club brought in a faith healer to try and get rid of the Kent injuries. he told the cricketer we got a faith healer in over the winter or a spirit healer.

16:24Holyoke goes on, I'm not sure what the exact title was, but we got someone to ward off the evil spirits. I can tell Adam what the exact title was. Kent have confirmed it was a non-denominational geopathic surveyor. Jimmy, have you ever had a non-denominational geopathic surveyor come in to help with the squad's injuries? no I don't think there has been one

16:48Felix White:throughout my career right okay how would you feel if it was introduced I don't really know I honestly have no idea what to say about this I don't know in the store is it off the back it works so well for Glenn Hoddle so we'll give it a go well that's exactly what I was going to say we were talking about Eileen Jury and actually Sharky if he'll fade himself up in a second was she a non-gen

17:14hashtag new team of an Asian or Geopathic Surveyors of the World Uniting Takeover. Sharky was telling me just before we went on that he has spoken in depth with Glenn Hoddle about this very situation. Do you care to fade yourself up, Sharky? I'm a faded up. Yes, you're faded up. So we're referring to, for younger Tailenders listeners, very famously, Glenn Hoddle brought in a faith healer called Eileen Jury, who did not see eye to eye with footballers like Ray Parler. Or Paul Gascon. although that's kind of not that they're spiritually minded but it was a very controversial moment Sharky and you got to the root of it over a pint with Glenn Hoddle well I'm not sure I got to the root of it but I you know I made a dock with Glenn for BT Sport a few years back and obviously this this came up and I'm probably paraphrasing what he said to me but the general gist was if you are a professional sports person yeah you will do absolutely anything to get fit again to try and make that final that world cup whatever you know 30 years ago if you'd said you know people would go and sit in a cryogenic chamber in their pants and gloves you'd have gone what's the point of that you know because you prepare to do anything and so if I remember rightly the conversation was if it works for somebody why not try it if it's if it's the last roll of the dice and you're desperate to desperate to get fit you've tried absolutely everything going why not give it a go and see if it works because you want to play in that game Do you associate with that Jim?

18:46Felix White:I can understand players getting to that point especially if there's a recurring injury or a really long lay off, you're desperate to get back and you will try anything I've never tried faith healing though and I'm kind of kind of regretting it a bit now I mean why have I not that's probably the only thing, I've been in cryo chambers, you know I've been to see various specialists about various things, but I've never got to the point where I've thought, you know what I do need? Let's get rid of these evil spirits.

19:24Oh my God, I really want to see it happen now as well. Imagine how far you would have swung it with no evil spirits. Or what if the evil spirits were swinging the ball? Maybe there's something in that. Maybe you were utilising said evil spirits. all spirits. Look, Kent have got to that place because they've only won three county championship matches in the past two seasons. So if they storm the league this year, then that Bay Thieler could be in demand. Correct. They could get rid of all the cricket analysts. They'll just be Bay Thielers. I would love to see it happen. I mean, I've probably told this story on Tellings before, but you know, the Breda Hangeland, the Fulham player, you know about this and just quickly, even if you don't know this match in, Sharky didn't know either so when fulham were relegated about 10 years ago we got a manager manager in called felix magat to try and stall the ship in the last couple of months which was an absolute disaster and also a disaster for me because i had the whole of craven cottage singing felix's every day which which was quite hard to take yeah yeah yeah or we want felix out so we want felix out really hard really difficult to hear that actually at fulham but anyway he he had similar ideas about healing people probably for the reason sharky's just said and when brader hangeland our center back got injured he said to brader hangeland take this cheese sellotape it to your injured knee tape it up when you go to bed and just before you go to sleep phone your mum and the mum what and the love you feel for your mum plus the cheese on the knee will heal it no yeah for them relegated that season and I don't did his knee heal do you know what I don't think I've never actually spoken to Brader Hangman about it oh you need to get him

21:19Felix White:on full and fixed mate yeah totally why cheese yeah why cheese I don't know why cheese and also what cheese yeah oh my god imagine telling Greg that now oh make it cover yourself in cheese you'll love that cover himself in jeans and once you've done that you can cathedral city everywhere just in a bath of cathedral city do you think just go back to greg do you think he's going to need like some sort of faith healing after this he's like what is he going to have to do is he gonna have to be like in some sort of cryo chamber for a week or two is there is there a thing where if you do something so extreme and then nothing you go from that to nothing that you can your body can actually like shut down i might be i've heard that so he might just have to taper off and actually yeah get back on the bike during the next next couple of weeks god i remember them saying that steve redgrave or something he had to train down didn't he if he was dangerous to stop after we won all his cars yeah he cycles into work don't he he'd be fine who steve redgrave

22:28anyway all right that's faith healing done what was it hashtag non-denominational geopathic surveyors of the world unite and take over don't forget to use that hashtag new merch come in that's great for n d g s of the world you know take over actually get that written up get that signed off get that on a jumper yeah so good all right tailenders we need you for county day jimmy's not going to be there the first day of county season which we're trying to make an annual thing in which you can turn up and hang out with us and we'll drink pints. We've decided because of the aforementioned langistical problems with travel of getting out of London on the Friday the 3rd of April, we're going to do it at Lourdes.

23:18So for Middlesex-Gloucestershire, if you turn up whenever you want, as you know, county cricket happens between 11 and 6, we're going to be sat, not Jimmy because he'll be playing county cricket as captain of Lancashire this season, but we'll be sat in the lower Compton, will be drinking beers. Sharky's promising to bring some Weetabix with margarine on them. He'll eat as many of them as you want across the course of the day and that will be for charity.

23:45Felix White:I'll be going around with a bucket to collect. So please keep gentile for Greg but also for Sharky who will be eating margarine covered Weetabix. We want you to join us. Matching, looking forward to that? Yes. I didn't know where it was so definitely launch it. I think Sharky's made the call. people have got in touch with me saying we can arrange travel for you to different grounds which we could do but i think the reality is we're going to stay in lords this week and just make sure it gets done so um the same people that did last time we look forward to seeing you and everybody is welcome i could have come and used my what oh my that came in the post the other day my membership for for the benefit of the tape jimmy is holding a red book that looks like a tiny bible up to the screen and it is the MCC members.

24:33Have you only just got an MCC members?

24:35Felix White:Yeah, I think I mean it's been in my study for a bit. Do you have to get a tie as well? Egg and bacon tie. Do all test cricketers get that or something? Do you have to apply for it? No, I think it's a it's not a given that test cricketers get it. There's a few people that have got one. Right, okay. Yeah. So what, did you have to apply for it? No, no, I got it given when I finished playing for England. Yeah, of course I did. are you going to go Jim will you ever go to the Lords yeah yeah I think yeah definitely yeah yeah but I think I don't know I can't see me going to an England game just yet yeah I understand might do a women's game or something yeah lovely well let's all do that women's international or Middlesex Gloucester if I'm not fit for the first we can be outside you can smuggle us food how is it going you're not feeling Yeah, good, yeah.

25:30Felix White:No, no, I'm feeling great. It's one of those things where, like last year, I had a sort of shorter pre-season because I didn't know if I was going to be playing last year. So I sort of was rushing and playing catch up a little bit with pre-season and then ended up getting injured just before the season started. So this year, I've had a longer build up, feeling really good shape, excited to get on some grass next week. Brilliant. and yeah we're only two weeks away yeah soon do you have an idea of a team like are you having detailed conversations with people in the team do you know your team yeah going Horan and James up at the top Sharman at seven keeping yeah and then we're just going to wait to see what the pitch is like it's going to be either you or another it'll be either you or me actually at number of those depending on conditions mate I had such a good net the other day it was so good you said you bowed bad areas though really bad yeah and I was giving it I was giving it the big until my mates each all week about the areas I was going to bowl and I feel like you know when you talk too much got inside my head he smashed me everywhere really but yeah that's to be continued is that your first one of the year first net yeah oh second actually second second second okay matching and plenty cricket this year have you had any offers a few offers I think I am going to do a bit of I drove past this morning Chew Valley Cricket Club which is a lovely little cricket club on the edge of Bristol and they had the rollers out and the sun was out and you know it just felt at peace so yeah I think we're going to have a few nets I can't bowl I refuse to bowl I just can't do it but that's why you're batting top of your order for Lanks I think you've got you've got to give it you've got to you've come into cricket quite in the autumn fresh yeah

27:14Felix White:so I've seen you bowl before I think you've got an amazing leg spinning action so I think you should Try and turn yourself into a shame-worn. Sorry, I've heard that before. You think matching's a natural leg spin bowler? Yeah, because his arm doesn't get above, like, 90 degrees. Perpendicular? Yeah. Okay. Okay, all right, that's given me some motivation. Maybe you should have a cricket in goal or something. Yeah, maybe that should be your goal with summer matching, to learn to bowl leg spin. Do you remember, I did have this idea, right, for Tel Enders. I don't know if I spoke to you about it. A feature for Tel Enders called 12th Man, where I would go around all summer.

27:51Yeah. Whenever there was like a fifth or fourth team that was missing a player, I would show up. We'd record some content about like, what's it like in that village cricket club, delve into like what life is like as a village cricket. And then I'd come in and back kind of four or five and just tour around the country. Yeah. I can see this vision. Well, get in touch with us at Tailenders on the socials. Hashtag Tailenders, like night and takeover or what is it again? NDGS yes sorry NDGS or hashtag non-denominational geopathic surveyors of the world unite and take over get in touch with us on that hashtag do you remember when I went to if you want to play people had spare tickets years ago and I turned up and just was going watch the cricket with them all day yeah lovely bit like that dream but playing in lower league I couldn't do first team I wouldn't want to go above third I don't think no yeah that's quite high level you're talking about?

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