Ashes 2025 Preview: Steve Smith in Form, Cummins Update & Remembering Barry Knight

With the Ashes just around the corner, Menners and Damian Watson dive head-first into the hype, headlines, and history — joined by English cricket writer Alex Bowden, co-author of The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments. The trio relive hilarious and chaotic Ashes memories, unpack the latest injury news and selection updates for both teams, and reflect on the future of Test and one-day cricket. Menners also shares a heartfelt tribute to Barry Knight, the legendary coach who shaped his love of the game. (01:55) Ashes build-up and English headlines — “Captain Complainer,” “Average Joe,” and Barmy Army songs eight years in the making. (07:40) Australia’s injury and form update: Cummins bowling at 90%, Starc and Lyon firing, and Smith’s dominance on a tough wicket. (15:45) England’s preparation and selection: no warm-up matches, Ollie Pope at No. 3, and Broad’s comments on losing the Gabba advantage. (25:15) Alex Bowden interview — the most ridiculous Ashes moments: Shane Watson’s chaotic run-out, Chris Rogers’ bizarre LBW, and Ashton Agar’s unforgettable 98. (36:30) ICC news: Two-tier Test cricket scrapped, ODI Super League return, and the evolving global game. (42:15) Sheffield Shield and WBBL updates — standout performances, strange scheduling, and the rise of new stars. (55:00) Tribute to Barry Knight — remembering a coaching pioneer, gentleman, and lifelong influence on Australian cricket. Cricket Unfiltered Merchandise is Here! We’ve launched our official Cricket Unfiltered merch store thanks to a brilliant partnership with Exactamundo, a longtime supporter of the show. 🛒 Shop now:https://www.chickensaltoftheearth.com/shop/category/Cricket-Unfiltered?c=5469591 🎁 Use Promo Code: CU10 for 10% off your first order! From caps to tees, rep your love of cricket with some top-quality gear. Exactamundo is a video, animation, design and content production company. They produce digital signage, on-screen graphics, sideline animations and videos for sports teams like the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League, Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL and numerous American NBA, NFL and MLB teams.  They also create high quality videos and animations for the corporate world, such as product promos and explainer videos. Check them out at exactamundo.com.au Get the inserted AD’s FREE VERSION of the show on our Patreon Page Subscribe to our YouTube page for live streams: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk7koDKpKxe0e3yC7NXQx6Q Linktree for listening on podcast apps and finding us on social media: https://linktr.ee/cricketunfiltered Show twitter: https://twitter.com/auscricketpod Menners on twitter:  https://twitter.com/amenners TIKTOK: @cricketunfiltered Sponsorship enquiries for host read ads: [email protected] Email the show your cricket takes: [email protected] Piccolo Podcasts: https://piccolopodcasts.com.au/ Founder Andrew Menczel. The first episode aired August 2013.  It is a multi award-winning podcast team, the show has featured 15 Australian captains and some of the greatest legends of cricket and an episode is archived in the Australian National Film and Sound Archive. Menners is an accredited cricket journalist and commentator and his interview with Alex Blackwell won a Cricket NSW Media Award. The show was the first ever regular weekly Australian cricket podcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices