Black Caps v India ODIs, Usman Khawaja's comments & West Indies v Bangladesh

In this episode of the show, Baldy and Stu look back at another busy week of international cricket, which saw the Black Caps and India begin their ODI series, the West Indies take on Bangladesh & some comments from Usman Khawaja that could re-open old wounds for Australian Cricket.

We start the show in New Zealand, where rain has been a factor in the first two ODIs between the Black Caps and India. It's been tough going for most with the bat, although Virat Kohli still looks very impressive, but Kyle Jamieson and Gurnoor Brar in particular seem to be enjoying the conditions. We talk about how the Black Caps' injuries are impacting the series, wonder how urgent it is that Shreyas Iyer finds some form and whether New Zealand needs to move on from some older faces.

As the conversation continues, we turn our attention to Australia, where quotes from Usman Khawaja have got people talking about Sandpaper-gate once again. Is this a surprise to anyone? How will the current playing group respond? And are their bigger concerns for Australian Cricket in the fall out of the test series loss to South Africa? We also touch on the upcoming white-ball matches against England, which could feature a number of fresher faces such as Mahli Beardman and Jake Fraser-McGurk.

In the final segment of the show, we briefly touch on the test series between the West Indies and Bangladesh, which has been very entertaining and featured quality individual performances from the likes of Hasan Mahmud, Amir Jangoo, Brandon King, John Campbell and a record-breaking double hundred from Towhid Hridoy. Are the West Indies showing signs of improvement? Is this a series Bangladesh fans expected to win? Will they bounce back in this second test? We'd love to hear what you think in the comments section.

To access the online game referenced on last week's show - The Greats - check out the links below and email studio@thegreats.cricket with "Top Order" in the subject line. The first 5 people who email in will have free access to the full game.
Play free in your browser: thegreats.cricket/play
The full game (Early Access, £9.99): montybeau.gumroad.com/l/uamotp
We'll be back again soon with more news and views as the Black Caps v India ODI series begins and we look ahead to the tests. Plus we'll discuss any other cricket news that catches our eyes. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or !) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

0:00 Intro
0:40: Black Caps v India - the visitors are winning in the rain
3:00 Gurnoor Brar and the Indian bowlers on top
7:10 Virat Kohli looking the best of the batters
9:30 Is Shreyas Iyer under pressure?
13:25 Black Caps' batting injuries and struggles
20:35 Black Caps' bowlers
25:05 Usman Khawaja's comments about Sandpaper-gate
33:25 Mike Hussey joins Australia's coaching staff
34:55 Australia's white-ball selections for England series
39:00 West Indies v Bangladesh test series