Home  >  Stumped  >  What is the best way to prepare for a Cricket World Cup?
Stumped
What is the best way to prepare for a Cricket World Cup?
Stumped
Apr 18, 2024

With less than fifty days to go until the Men's T20 World Cup, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma look at how some of the twenty teams are shaping up and ask what is the best way for players to prepare for a major international tournament?

Is it game time in a league like the Indian Premier League? Is it a competitive series with your international team? Or should players have a break to make sure that they are fresh? We look at how some players are planning for the tournament.

Plus the 161st Wisden Almanack has been released and we speak to the editor Lawrence Booth. The five Cricketers of the Year are chosen by the Wisden editor, a tradition that dates back to 1889. Performances in the English summer are the major factor and no player can win the award more than once. He tells us about his selections and the reasoning behind them.

And we debate if the use of the Kookaburra ball in the English County Championship has been a success and discuss how the different balls compare around the world.

Photo: Pandya celebrates after taking the wicket of Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai during the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between India and Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on October 11, 2023. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)

More Episodes


Mar 26, 2026
IPL 2026: Can Virat Kohli lead RCB to back-to-back titles?

The IPL returns for its 19th edition and Royal Challengers Bengaluru start as the defending champions for the first time in their history.

Former IPL player and now commentator Abhinav Mukund joins Eleanor Oldroyd, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma to discuss the big IPL talking points ahead of the start of the season.

Can RCB win back-to-back titles and should teams expect “a scary version” of Virat Kohli now he goes in as a T20 specialist?

Will this be MS Dhoni’s last dance in the IPL? Mukund gives his view as his former team-mate and how he expects Chennai Super Kings to utilise both Dhoni and new signing Sanju Samson.

There’s also talk around Cameron Green and whether being the most expensive overseas player in IPL history will add extra pressure on the Australian? Plus, what to expect from teenager Vaibhav Suryavanshi and has Ben Duckett made the right decision to focus on England over the IPL?

The Stumped team also reflect on the news England coach Brendon McCullum, Test captain Ben Stokes and director of cricket Rob Key are all remaining in their posts, despite the 4-1 Ashes series defeat. Is it the right decision and how can England “evolve”?

Image: Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifts the IPL trophy following the trophy presentation in the 2025 IPL Final match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at Narendra Modi Stadium on June 03, 2025, in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)


41min 51sec


What is the best way to prepare for a Cricket World Cup?

--:--
--:--