In The Salmon: Recent Episodes
Nuwan Ranasinghe & Hasith Peiris
Sports lovers Nuwan Ranasinghe and Hasith Peiris give you their insight, thoughts and analysis on all the hot topics and latest news happening in the world of cricket
The West Indies have recently achieved a bit of success against India in their home white-ball series, despite the visitors bringing over a power-packed side. Nuwan and Hasith explore what this means for India's preparation for the 50-over World Cup, as many pundits believe they were not taking this series very seriously. The absence of some of India's big stars in this series, along with the relatively low team totals in the T20 matches makes many wonder if they even cared about this series at all.
The Ashes has ended in a tantalising draw, with both teams winning two Tests apiece. Nuwan and Hasith unpack the Ashes as whole to work out who was the better side overall despite the stalemate, and review the highs and the lows of arguably one of the most exciting and entertaining Test series for the ages. The conversation meanders towards the future of David Warner, and the duo sit down to examine where he truly sits among the pantheon of modern-day batting greats.
Nuwan and Hasith wrap up the first Ashes Test, where Australia scraped home by just two wickets despite it being a rain-affected game. The In The Salmon duo discuss whether the merits of Bazball have really helped England in this game, and examine if a more typical Test match batting approach would have helped in this situation.England fast bowler Ollie Robinson has come under intense criticism in Australian media, with some news sources labelling him as the 'ultimate Ashes villain.' Nuwan and Hasith unpack whether the backlash from some ex-Australian Ashes legends is warranted given that the home team are already on the backfoot in this series.
It's all about red-ball cricket in this episode of In The Salmon. Nuwan and Hasith unpack and analyse why it all went wrong for India in the World Test Championship Final, and speculate on whether their once-strong batting firepower is on the decline. The Ashes is also upon us, and the In The Salmon duo get stuck into talking about this Test series that has been highly anticipated by all the purists of the cricketing world. Will this be Warner's last series ever? How does Australia counter Bazball? Which Aussie fast bowler will miss out in the first Ashes Test? All these questions and more to be answered right here on In The Salmon.
In The Salmon is back with a bang for season four, with the duo getting stuck into all things finals cricket related. The recently concluded IPL final saw the Chennai Super Kings clinch their fifth title against a gutsy Gujarat Titans, with the ice-man Ravindra Jadeja hitting a six and a four off the last two balls off the final over of the match to script one of the most incredible fairytale finishes. Nuwan and Hasith discuss this game in detail to unpack why the Chennai Super Kings have remained dominant under MS Dhoni's captaincy. They divulge further into what this means for the great man's legacy as a cricketer and leader, given that he alone continues to win the hearts of Indian cricket fans across multiple generations.The World Test Championship final is also due to start this week - Nuwan and Hasith chat about red ball cricket and name their preferred teams for India and Australia in this much-anticipated contest.
After a lean run of form that threatened to have him axed from India's World Cup plans, Surya Kumar Yadav burst back into the white-ball spotlight with a magnificent 83 off 35 balls in the IPL. His sudden resurgence gets Nuwan and Hasith excited about what this means for a potential second coming for SKY's international career, prompting discussions around where he fits into the Indian squad going forward.The ICC has released their annual earnings for this year, coming to a gargantuan amount of USD $600 million. With India set to take almost 40 percent of this profit share, Nuwan and Hasith get together to discuss what the implications are for one country having such a large financial control over the game.
After a brief hiatus due to Nuwan's travels holidaying in Sri Lanka and gaining a brilliant new role in sports media at the Seven Network, the boys are back to chatting cricket and recapping all the latest stories in the cricketing world. Nuwan reviews his experiences watching the inaugural Sri Lanka vs Ireland Test match live in Galle, and the duo go on to recap the series, discussing the highlights of Ireland's spirited but unsuccessful campaign. With the World Test Championship final not far away, finalists India have made a bizarre selection to allow Ajinkya Rahane back into the squad, given his recent good form in the IPL. Nuwan and Hasith analyse whether this is an innovative idea or not given the failed Dinesh Karthik experiment during the Men's T20 World Cup last year and nominate a few other names that could replace Rahane ahead of the final.
Records have been tumbling galore lately in the white ball game, as Nuwan and Hasith centre their discussion around the second T20 match between the West Indies and South Africa. After posting a mammoth 258 for 5, the West Indies looked set for monumental victory to clinch the series, but the home team had other ideas. A blitzkreig century off just 44 balls from Quinton De Kock saw South Africa clinch one of the all time great international T20 wins. The In The Salmon duo analyse this match in detail and unpack whether this will continue to be a blueprint for batting in T20 games to come. After losing the Border-Gavaskar trophy, the Aussies had some respite against a rampaging India, defeating them two games to one to take the one-day series silverware in the white-ball portion of their tour. Nuwan and Hasith speculate over what this means for Australia and India's 50-over form coming into the World Cup later this year, and whether both sides are really as ready as they claim to be.
After playing admirably in the first Test, Sri Lanka capitulated in the second Test against New Zealand, crashing to an embarrassing defeat by an inning and 58 runs. Nuwan and Hasith get together to discuss where it all went wrong for the Sri Lankans, as Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson and all-rounder Henry Nicholls notched double centuries that effectively blew their beleaguered opposition away. Sri Lanka's heavy defeat also prompts Dimuth Karunaratne to announce his resignation from the Test captaincy.Once a whirlwind blitzkrieg batting talent, Surya Kumar Yadav's recent and sharp form slump has the In The Salmon duo wondering what's been causing his sudden failures with the bat. Nuwan and Hasith also reflect on their first-ever live cricket commentary performance, being invited to commentate the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association 3rd XI Final between the Endeavour Hills Cricket Club and the Oakleigh Cricket Club.
The first New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Test match ended in a thrilling victory for the home side by just two wickets, producing one of the most exhilarating red-ball games in recent times. Nuwan and Hasith get down to analyse this match in detail, and praise Sri Lanka's plucky fight to bring the game to the final over of the final day.Conversely, the final Test match in the Border-Gavaskar series ended in a boring draw, prompting Nuwan and Hasith to question why such games are continuously being allowed to play out which are detrimental to the survival of red ball cricket. They argue that Test nations apart from the Big Three deserve more opportunities to play the five-day game, especially New Zealand, as they have produced more entertaining cricket in this format of late.
The conclusion of the England vs Bangladesh ODI series has Nuwan and Hasith praising the services of Shakib Al Hasan, who has now become just the third men's white ball cricketer to have more than 300 wickets and 3000 career runs to this name.In red ball cricket, the omission of Pat Cummins has meant that Steve Smith is set to captain Australia once more in the next Border-Gavaskar Test match. Nuwan and Hasith debate over whether Smith is really the right candidate from multiple perspectives, with Nuwan throwing a few other names in the ring to be the Aussie Test captain. The inaugural Women's Premier League launched on March 4th, and the duo sit down to discuss all the latest action in yet another pivotal and important milestone for the women's game.
The South African women's cricket team have done the impossible, qualifying for the final of the 2023 ICC Women's T20 Cricket World Cup for the first time in their country's history. Despite a spirited campaign with victories against England and New Zealand in the group stages, the Proteas came up short against the mighty Australians who went on to clinch their sixth Women's T20 Cricket World Cup title. Nuwan and Hasith unpack where it all went wrong for South Africa despite performing so well to reach the final and wonder what the other teams can do to catch up to Australia in the near future.In the men's game, the rise of young English batting prodigy Harry Brook has caught the attention of many in the cricketing world. The In The Salmon duo discuss and speculate on how dangerous this youngster could be for England, especially with the Ashes not far away.
With a catchy new podcast intro tune, Nuwan and Hasith get stuck in discussing the highs and lows of the first Border-Gavaskar Test match, with India cruising to an innings and 132 run victory. This was despite Australia's new young 22-year old offspinner Todd Murphy taking an astonishing seven wickets on debut, causing the In The Salmon duo to analyse and dissect the youngster's performance and unpack what made him so successful on a turning track.Cries of the Indian curators pitch doctoring resurface once, with Nuwan and Hasith asking whether these are valid accusations to make given that most visiting teams are aware that spin will play a major part when competing against India in their backyard. The duo rap up the episode with an overview of the current highlights in the ongoing Women's T20 Cricket World Cup and the outcome of the WPL auction.
Nuwan and Hasith cover significant ground in this episode, as the duo start by discussing India securing their maiden global title by winning the inaugural ICC Women's Under-19 Twenty20 World Cup. They delve deep into examining what this could mean for the future of cricket and whether both the Indian men's and women's teams will become powerhouses of the game in the years to come.
With Ben Stokes coming out of retirement to play one-day cricket again, it prompts Nuwan and Hasith to open up once again the discussion around the future of the 50-over format. They lament over its decline and confusion within the cricket calendar and analyse whether any further measures need to be put in place to keep this format of the game relevant and exciting. South African legend Hashim Amla recently called time on international cricket, with Nuwan and Hasith reminiscing over their favourite memories of his fantastic career.
In this episode, Nuwan and Hasith discuss the meteoric rise of young Indian batting superstar Shubman Gill, who scored a whirlwind 126 off just 63 balls in 3rd T20 match against New Zealand. They unpack the key characteristics of his superlative knock and talk about his chances of securing an extensive career as a future Indian batting sensation.
The conversation then turns to the topic of T20 cricket collectively, where Hasith highlights the game's shortest format's ever-growing expansion through the ECB's new incentivised contract program to attract, recruit and retain more players to partake in The Hundred. The duo discusses whether this is in the best interests of international cricket and instead talk through ways to find a balance between all three formats in a bid to prevent T20 from monopolising and gaining supremacy over the game.
In The Salmon is back for another season, and this time the duo invite up-and-coming young sports journalist Mitch Bourke to have a chat all things cricket and gain a bit of insight into his incredible achievements in the world of sports media to date. Mitch has been lucky enough to secure some massive interviews with the likes of Darren Berry, Dimuth Karunaratne and even Ruwantha Kellepotha whilst also reporting on numerous local cricket and AFL games in Victoria.
The trio engage in a fierce debate over the future of David Warner whilst analysing how well Australia will fare in their upcoming Test tours of India and the Ashes. They discuss whether Australia's outstanding success in their home Test summer will translate to their performances overseas in what will become a defining year for Pat Cummins' Test captaincy.
With T20 now the overarching format of the game dominating global cricket, Nuwan, Hasith and Mitch also examine whether there's too much of it being played and whether a viable outcome can be found that balances it with Test cricket and the one-day game.
You can view all of Mitch's sports media work via his website at https://www.thesportinglandscape.com/
In this Christmas and Boxing Day special, Nuwan and Hasith discuss some of the more weird and wacky moments that have occurred in the cricket world of late.
In the Big Bash, the Adelaide Strikers secured one of the most stunning victories in the tournament's history, bundling out the Sydney Thunder for a grand total of just 15 runs in their pursuit of 140. It left us all scratching our hands wondering how this could have happened, with Nuwan and Hasith giving their take on what the Strikers did right and what the Thunder did so terribly, terribly wrong.
The women's game has seen a highly entertaining battle of late, with the India women's team securing a nail-biting victory over the Aussies in the super over of the 2nd T20 match played at Mumbai. Nuwan and Hasith provide insight into what has made women's cricket so popular and entertaining over the years, with a special mention of Smriti Mandhana and her incredible batting talent.
The first men's Test match between Australia and South Africa concluded in bizarre circumstances, with the Aussies wrapping up the game inside two days. The boys sign off this In The Salmon season finale episode by discussing whether this game was good for cricket as a whole and explain as to what more needs to be done to create a cricket pitch that provides an event contest between bat and ball.
It’s been a tumultuous week of men’s international cricket, starting with Australia humiliating a hapless West Indies by thrashing them two nil in the recently concluded Test series Downunder. Nuwan and Hasith discuss what more needs to be done to resurrect a West Indies cricket team that continues to grow more obsolete with each passing year in the red-ball format.
Meanwhile England show the world that Test cricket is well and truly alive by securing a historic, rollercoaster victory against Pakistan in the first Test match at the Rawalpindi stadium. The In The Salmon duo debate whether this match is truly the greatest Test win of all time according to one Tik Tok video posted by a New Zealand cricket fan, who highlighted some of the risky yet brilliant tactical decisions England captain Ben Stokes had to make to ensure the game ended with a result rather than a boring draw. In one-day cricket,
Bangladesh have won the three-match series over India defeating them two-one at home. The last game of that series, despite being a dead rubber, was a spectacular run-fest with young Ishan Kishan scoring his maiden ODI double ton off just 126 balls giving India a mammoth score of 409 for eight. Bangladesh were never in the hunt to chase that down, prompting Nuwan and Hasith to wonder why India refuse to give their young stars more opportunities to shine on the international stage.
Test cricket is finally back for this Australian summer, with Nuwan and Hasith (well, Nuwan mainly) eager to get chatting about the first recently concluded match of the Frank Worrell Trophy. As many expected, the West Indies lost in typical circumstances albeit some impressive resistive batting from their captain Kraigg Brathwaite and young talent Tagnerine Chanderpaul. Nuwan and Hasith discuss why the West Indies continue to struggle in Australia especially in red-ball cricket, as well as recapping all the other major Test matches happening around the world.
Always a tournament heavyweight yet failing to win a global title in almost 10 years, India's inability to secure a trophy repeated once again at the Men's T20 World Cup. In this episode Nuwan and Hasith invite Indian cricket fan Pulkit Gupta to discuss his country's continued World Cup woes, providing some solid analysis as to why India just never seem to get to the finish line despite having one of the best teams in the game today.
England defeat Pakistan in the ICC Men's Twenty20 Cricket World Cup final, becoming the champions again for the second time in the tournament's history. Nuwan and Hasith sit down to analyse where it all went wrong for Pakistan and what England did right to add another gleaming piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet.
With the Men's T20 world cup final just over one day away, the In The Salmon duo sit down to discuss all the highs and lows of this epic tournament. England meet Pakistan in the world cup final, with Nuwan and Hasith providing their analysis as to who will take out the prized trophy. We are all set for a blockbuster T20 cricket world cup final (provided the rain stays away) and we cannot wait for the action to get underway!
As the ICC Men's T20 World Cup rapidly approaches the business end of the tournament, Nuwan and Hasith sit down to chat about all the rollercoaster action that has taken place of late. The Netherlands pulled off a stunning, unexpected victory over South Africa, causing the Proteas to crash out of semi-final contention and continue their extended run of being perennial chokers in global tournaments. It means Pakistan have now snuck into the semi-finals alongside India, New Zealand and England, causing Nuwan and Hasith to analyse who has the best chance of securing the coveted silverware.
The mood is a little melancholy here at In The Salmon, as Nuwan and Hasith discuss the aftermath of Sri Lanka's dismal performance against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup. The duo also chat about the rise of Zimbabwe in this tournament and their quest to gain the respect and admiration of the cricketing world once more.
In The Salmon sees its first guest appearance on the show, as the duo invite passionate India fan and all-round knowledgeable cricket nerd Sanjeet Ajgaonkar to give his thoughts on that incredible game at the MCG on Sunday evening. Sanjeet was lucky enough to attend the iconic T20 World Cup India-Pakistan clash and shares his experience being part of the 90,000-plus fans who witnessed a Virat Kohli special that night.
Australia's World Cup campaign is under pressure after their heavy defeat to New Zealand in the opening game of the Super 12s. Nuwan, Hasith and Sanjeet discuss the host nation's chances of defending their title and explore the options available to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
*Note: This episode was first recorded on Monday 24th October 2022.
Namibia pulled off one of the most remarkable upsets in T20 World Cup history, defeating a strong Sri Lanka side in the opening game of the tournament and still failed to qualify for the Super 12s. Nuwan and Hasith sit down to talk about what this means for the future of Namibian cricket and hope they play again in future ICC tournaments.
New Zealand demolished Australia by 89 runs in the opening game of the Super 12s thanks to some blitzkrieg batting from Devon Conway and the little-known Finn Allen, who bludgeoned an astonishing 46 runs off just 12 balls. Nuwan and Hasith examine this game in detail and work out what Australia need to do to keep World Cup campaign alive.
*Note: This episode was initially recorded on Sunday 23rd October 2022.
Initially recorded just one day before the start of the 2022 ICC Men's Twenty20 Cricket World Cup, Nuwan and Hasith give you their analysis on the teams that have the best chance of claiming the coveted trophy.
In this delayed episode release, Nuwan and Hasith sit down to discuss all the action in the Asia Cup final, where Sri Lanka emerged victorious against a defiant Pakistan in an absolute thriller of a game. Australian one-day captain and batting superstar Aaron Finch called-time on playing 50-overs cricket, and the duo discuss their favourite moments of his prolific career.
In this slightly delayed and outdated episode upload, Nuwan and Hasith discuss Zimbabwe's special win over Australia in the 3rd One-Day International match played in far north Queensland.
Also, at the time of recording this episode, India and Pakistan were due for a second big clash in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup. The duo get excited for yet another monumental game between these two Asian powerhouses and give their thoughts around the tactics and player selections that either side should employ to usurp the other.
Sri Lanka have had an abysmal start to their Asia Cup campaign, losing to Afghanistan by eight wickets in their opening match. Nuwan and Hasith lament together on their poor performance and figure out why it all went so wrong for the Sri Lankans despite coming off an impressive home series against Australia and Pakistan.
Meanwhile England have come back strong to defeat South Africa by an innings and 85 runs in the 2nd Test match. Nuwan and Hasith discuss all the action and provide their thoughts on the 3rd and final Test match of the series, which will prove to be a tantalising decider.
South Africa severely embarrassed England in the first Test match at Lord's, steamrolling them to win by an innings and 12 runs. Nuwan and Hasith analyse what went wrong for England, given how arrogant and boastful they were prior to the start of this match.
Their bullish confidence was buoyed by defeating India in their last red-ball encounter, which makes this first Test defeat to South Africa even more surprising.
Sri Lanka have also named their squad for the Asia Cup, and the cricket-loving duo deep-dive once again to discuss their country's chances of winning the tournament.
With the Asia Cup soon to start in the UAE, Nuwan and Hasith sit down to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each of the qualified teams competing. Chris Lynn, Quinton De Kock and Trent Boult have recently signed contracts to play in more lucrative franchise Twenty20 cricket leagues, prompting Nuwan and Hasith to wonder if more players will also chase money over playing for their country in the near future.
The inaugural inclusion of women's twenty20 cricket in the Commonwealth Games has Nuwan and Hasith in excitement mode, as the duo discuss their predictions and key players to watch out for in the gold medal match between Australia and India. Sikandar Raza has found a purple patch in batting form of late, prompting further conversation around whether Zimbabwe is back to becoming a competitive cricket team once more.
Angelo Mathews recently achieved a special milestone of being just the sixth Sri Lankan cricketer to have played 100 Test matches for his country. Nuwan and Hasith reminisce over his spectacular career to date, as well as analysing the tantalising prospect of Sri Lanka being a possible contender for the World Test Championship final.
The early retirement of England's dynamic all-rounder Ben Stokes from one-day cricket prompts Nuwan and Hasith to speculate and analyse what this could mean for the future of the 50-over game. Meanwhile, they also discuss Abdullah Shafique's brilliant 160 to hand Pakistan a stunning victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle.
Sri Lanka secured their first ever victory by an innings against Australia in the 2nd Test at Galle, thanks to a magnificent double century from Dinesh Chandimal. Nuwan and Hasith unpack what has suddenly brought the Sri Lankan veteran back into form, whilst also discussing India's abysmal performance in the 2nd ODI against England at Lord's.
In this episode, Nuwan and Hasith answer the biggest question our listeners have been asking - why is the podcast called 'In The Salmon'? Plus unpacking the highlights and analysis on the first Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia and fifth Test match between England and India.
In this pilot episode of cricket podcast 'In The Salmon' presenters Nuwan Ranasinghe and Hasith Peiris unpack Sri Lanka's recent success in the ODI series at home against Australia. Meanwhile, England Twenty20 batting superstar Jos Buttler has hit a purple patch of incredible form, and the duo explain what's keeping him going as a white-ball run machine.