A huge welcome back to the Bishop and Bear. The English international summer has barely got under way and yet already, it seems, we are as busy as one legged tap dancers.

 

Today our main focus is on the forthcoming World Test Championship Final between Australia and South Africa at Lords on 11th June. To help your

landlord and episcopal barman assess the prospects we have two fabulous guests. At the Baggy Green end of the bar is none other than Cricket Bat Cat, whilst bounding in like a turbo charged Springbok for South Africa is Richard Asher, Lords ticket in hand for Day 1 and a map to find our studio for days 2 to five (or 6 if need be).

 

We start by asking Richard just how South Africa got to the final by only playing the minimum 12 Tests and go on to explain just how the format works. Which oddly it seems to, as it has served up a very tasty looking Lords final.

 

It’s not, you may be surprised to know, the first Test between Australia and South Africa at Lords, so we have a brief look back to 1912, when the Daily Telegraph reported that “there is a surfeit of cricket and English supporters have little interest in watching South Africa play Australia”. Fortunately cricket fans’ attitudes have changed. Perhaps not so much those of the Telegraph?

 

We also move on to chat about England getting on their bikes to win a fairly one sided one day series against West Indies and to celebrate Virat Kohli’s IPL win at the 18th attempt. Good for him we say. Keep those Kohli Cam

operators in business!

 

We’ll be back in our new studio to bring you every ball of the WTC Final and the West Indies T20Is before that. If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

 

All the best

 

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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