‘Piece of sh*t’ controversy, ‘eye black’ experiment, and batting order relevance

Usman Khawaja has unloaded on the Perth pitch. How justified is
the spicy criticism and how much is reputation management? The
opener is racing to be fit, but the conversation has centred on
whether Travis Head should open. 


The South Australian believes batting orders are overrated and
Pat Cummins agrees. Steve Smith is trialling NFL style ‘eye
black’ will it make a difference? One factor that will matter is
the absence of English tearaway Mark Wood, the boys discuss how
England could adapt their approach in Brisbane.


PLUS, the team hit international cricket, Sheffield Shield and
Ellyse Perry doing Ellyse Perry things in the WBBL.


Across the 2025-26 Ashes series, 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,
Corbin and Ed are here to keep you up to date on the game in
Australia and abroad.


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’