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Meet the Italian International who has never set foot in the country
Stumped
May 9, 2024

Alison Mitchell, Clint Wheeldon and Charu Sharma debate whose responsibility is player welfare? Is it the players themselves, coaches, individual clubs or their countries? This comes after former England captain Joe Root has called the domestic cricket schedule “not fit for purpose”. The Professional Cricketers’ Association has found 81% of players have expressed concerns about the physical toll of the fixture list.

Plus we are joined by Australian born Italian international Ben Manenti. He tells us how he was selected for the team, his dreams to play at a World Cup and the love of playing the sport alongside his brother.

And we hear from France cricketer Poppy McGowan on allegations of “ghost matches” and players being banned by the national team for speaking out. She’s calling for the ICC to make their investigation public. France Cricket strongly deny the claims.

Photo: Ben Manenti of the Redbacks appeals for lbw not given during the Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales at Karen Rolton Oval, on March 14, 2023, in Adelaide, Australia. (Credit: Getty Images)

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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


Meet the Italian International who has never set foot in the country

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