The game, the money, what comes next

The two-day Boxing Day Test continues to spark a wider
conversation about the state of Test cricket. Corbin Middlemas
and Ed Cowan begin in Melbourne, unpacking the fallout at the
MCG, Matt Page facing the media, and how a Test meant to anchor
the summer instead triggered public unease, with one listener
summing it up starkly as “the death of Test cricket.”


The discussion then moves through the financial cost of shortened
Tests and why, as Cowan puts it, “it’s not a slow slippery slope,
it’s a snowball,” before turning to the Big Bash, where a
potential sale is unpacked through the realities of revenue
distribution and governance, and why those decisions now sit at
the centre of cricket’s future. Attention finally shifts to
Sydney, where the unexpected spotlight falls on SCG curator Adam
Lewis, and what Ed says there is “a lot riding on this
Test.” Cricket always finds room for the absurd, it ends
with an unlikely opening partnership: Salt and Pepper.


ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by
Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to
keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big
issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes
results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of
cricket banter.


Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by
Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts,
and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This
podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’