Alex and Vivek obsess over pitches, selections, guns, passengers, victories, defeats, and schadenfreude. From India–England dogfights to Ashes psychodramas, it’s not about the highlight reel, it's about the tightrope between brilliance and collapse.
Vivek and Alex rate the Ashes players and pick their Streets Don’t Forget XI
Australia player ratings
Steve Smith (8.25) Still elite… but by Smith standards this was “only” very good.
Travis Head (9.75) He loves the Ashes, moved up top and ripped England’s heart out.
Alex Carey (9.0) The quiet assassin: created wickets, scores runs, moved to 6.
Marnus Labuschagne (6.0) Got involved everywhere, but lost scoring options and looks fallible.
Mitchell Starc (10.0) Played all 5 games, won them the first three with bat and ball, always lethal.
Usman Khawaja (5.0) He never arrived… and yet played 4 games and retired as an all-timer.
Cameron Green (3.0) Massive disappointment with bat and ball, needs to convert potential.
Jake Weatherald (5.5) Looked promising but developed clear weaknesses, worth persisting with.
Josh Inglis (3.5) Two forgettable games with the bat but a good run out.
Brendon Doggett (4.5) Clear drop off from Starc-Boland but misused. Something there.
Michael Neser (8.0) Cult hero - did what he was asked and made you wonder why he doesn’t play more.
Pat Cummins (8.0) Came in for one game as champion but docked for sitting out after as captian.
Scott Boland (8.5) Relentless - England stuck in the mud with Carey up and reliable over 5 tests.
Jhye Richardson (5.0) Dropped a few KPHs after his latest injury and didn’t look too threatening.
Nathan Lyon (5.5) Body catching up to him and less and less used at home. Still good when fit.
Beau Webster (8.5) Absolute revelation: rocked up at Sydney and proved his all-round utility.
Average = 6.75
England player ratings
Ben Stokes (5.0) Effort always there, good with ball but poor captaincy and confusing batting.
Jacob Bethell (9.0) The one shining light - played like he belonged.
Joe Root (7.75) Monkey off the back and doubled it but 8 failures in 10. May not come back?
Harry Brook (5.5) Stagnating approach found out, needs to fulfil generational potential.
Zak Crawley (4.0) Was it ever even good in theory?
Jofra Archer (6.75) Couldn’t stay fit but England’s most dangerous bowler when he played.
Jamie Smith (3.25) Reckless and wasteful with the bat, mediocre with gloves
Ollie Pope (2.5) Lost his place for the time being, better down the order for future.
Will Jacks (4.0) Looked a stranger pick as the series went on.
Ben Duckett (2.0) Skittish and a brewing sense of inevitable disappointment.
Gus Atkinson (4.5) Bowled better than his figures, but never looked genuinely dangerous.
Brydon Carse (5.0) Tried hard and played all 5 but sprayed it and should never open the bowling.
Josh Tongue (8.0) Good speeds and lengths, should have played more and will in the future.
Mark Wood (1.5) May not play for England again, very unfortunate given his rehab.
Matthew Potts (0.5) As close to a 0 as it comes.
Average = 4.6
00:00: Intro + end of Ashes / World Cup next
02:30: USA U19 century
04:30: Cricket politics in the subcontinent
12:30: Ashes player ratings: Australia
43:39: Ashes player ratings: England
01:05:15: The Streets Will Never Forget XI
01:23:14: Outro
23 Dec 2025
6. Fixing England (Again)
Alex and Vivek discuss the frailties of the English cricket structure following England's defeat to Australia in the 3rd Ashes test in Adelaide. Changes have to be made.
Episode timestamps:
0:58 - Fixing England's cricket structure
15:54 - Bazball's rejection of the county pathway
20:09 - 3rd Test Adelaide in focus
27:55 - Defending Stuart Broad
32:27 - What Alex wants to see in Melbourne
36:06 - What we would do if we were in charge
48:51 - Records broken in New Zealand
9 Dec 2025
5. Same Old England...
Alex and Vivek debrief the 2nd Ashes Test at Brisbane. England suffer another defeat under the lights as Australia show them how to play old-school, gritty test cricket. In other news, West Indies save a remarkable test match in Christchurch vs NZ, and Kohli's back with a bang in Indian colors.
0:50 - Ashes 2nd test review
34:45 - Nathan Lyon to retire?
38:28 - West Indies save test vs NZ
44:33 - Kohli vs SA
3 Dec 2025
4. Going, Going, Gone
The 1st Ashes test has come and gone with Australia rocking England in a flash. Meanwhile, India get whitewashed at home for the second season running. India are done, but England have Starc under lights looming large.
Alex and Vivek need a therapy session.
0:00 - Intro
1:09 - India back, South Africa good
18:45 - Ashes England rant (toss)
22:08 - Crawley
27:24 - England bowling and cult
35:07 - Australia
41:34 - England batting collapse
51:42 - Ashes picking nits
57:52 - Question 1v1
15 Nov 2025
3. THE ASHES
This is it. This is the big one.
Alex and Vivek enlist resident Aussie Aryan Jain for a mega Ashes preview - spicy decks, fragile batting orders, arthritic quicks, and series predictions that we already regret.
0:00 - Intro
2:50 - Favourite Ashes moments
6:11 - Recent form
13:33 - Selections, Aryan on conditions in Australia
21:08 - Australian openers
30:31 - Shoaib Bashir
34:02 - England central contracts and Joe Root
40:45 - Nathan Lyon
45:05 - Mitchell Starc
48:31 - Contemporary bodyline tactics
50:53 - Zak Crawley
56:30 - Trigger movements
59:28 - Steve Smith
1:06:07 - Biggest antagonist
1:08:63 - First injury
1:13:51 - First player dropped
1:19:19 - Player of the series
1:20:56 - Listener questions
1:32:18 - Outro
7 Nov 2025
2. Glory, Relics, Phony War
Alex and Vivek cover India Women’s first World Cup win, Rohit and Kohli’s swansong down under, England’s ongoing identity crisis, the enigma of Babar Azam, and the shifting fault lines of world cricket.
0:00 - Intro
0:57 - Women’s WC
5:15 - Pak vs SA, Babar Azam
13:13 - Virat-Rohit
18:15 - Eng vs NZ
27:12 - Ashes - England
38:48 - Ashes - Australia
42:41 - Chris Woakes Retirement
43:43 - Global Cricket Structure
54:42 - USA Cricket
56:15 - Listener Questions
25 Sept 2025
1. Roads, Stokes, Chokes
Alex and Vivek cover pitches, selection, individual brilliance, and everything else India- England before looking ahead to whose strengths are pointier and whose weaknesses more acute in this winter’s Ashes.
0:00 - Intro
1:27 - Ind vs Eng series context
3:52 - English pitches
13:56 - Dropped catches
18:01 - Siraj
27:37 - Indian selection
39:10 - Bazball
51:31 - Ashes
1:11:32 - Awards & Categories
1:17:42 - Outro
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