Betting the house on the Hundred

Season 10, Ep 14: Like it, hate it, or ignore it, The Hundred is... hunderway? The stakes are high. The bills are high. So is the risk of a stumble. Henry Moeran has been watching more of the actual cricket than anyone, leading the BBC radio coverage. He joins The Final Word to talk through the possibilities and pitfalls of the ECB's big bet.

Also on the show this week: might England bail on the Ashes? Not likely but suggestions have begun. India's reserve team gets timed out by covid, so it's time for the reserve reserves - will Rahul Dravid have to strap on the pads? While Australia dodge their own covid brush in the Caribbean and board the plane for Bangladesh.

Click here for the audio version.

Your Nerd Pledge number this week:
1.80 - Darcy Matthews

Adam's Guardian online panel

Hosted by Emma John, and featuring Taha Hashim, Felicity Ward and Aatif Nawaz - that's a good collection of entertaining cricket people. If it's your bag, info is at gu.com/guardianlive.

Story Time 55 – Dion Nash invents the scoop

Last weekend: more proof of the compelling case that the one-day tri-series must return - listen to Adam's story, then watch the fine Robelinda work in the video up the top of this post. Also an understated and underrated turn from Allan Border. The numerical quirks of Bangladesh, and a big day for Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club. Some long-term revisits take us around the Monopoly board via Arthur Shrewsbury's haunted house. And who's up for the vaccine game at London Fields?

The show is here. 

And that's July, folks. The Discord chat page is popping off, we have over 100 TFW folk in there now talking cricket and nonsense. Drop us a DM if you can't connect. And August beckons with the Daily returning for the England-India Test series. 

Thanks as ever for backing what we do.