Test cricket is back (almost)!

After a heavy diet of T20 cricket over the past couple of months, the Black Caps are in India to begin their defence of the World Test Championship mace.

• In unfamiliar conditions, there's a spin-heavy look to the New Zealand squad, but who will make the starting XI?

• How much will the Black Caps miss Devon Conway?

• India has rested half their side, including Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli (back for the second Test) - how will they line up on Day 1?

• Will we be talking about anything other than the pitches over the next few weeks?

• What would be a good result for New Zealand in this two-Test series?

• And what do the neutrals (Baldy and Binksy) think will happen?

Is T20 the most important format in the game today?

Recorded just prior to the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup, this two-part episode charts the evolution of T20 cricket from novelty or experimental format to the present day, when big-money franchise tournaments have become a major part of the cricketing calendar.

• Was Martin Crowe's Cricket Max ahead of its time?

• Has there ever been a better T20 innings than Ricky Ponting's 98* in the first T20 international?

• What impact has T20 had on spinners, batters, pace bowlers and wicketkeepers?

• How has it impacted Test and ODI cricket?

• And what does the future hold?

Is T20 the most important format in the game today?

Recorded just prior to the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup, this two-part episode charts the evolution of T20 cricket from novelty or experimental format to the present day, when big-money franchise tournaments have become a major part of the cricketing calendar.

• Was Martin Crowe's Cricket Max ahead of its time?

• Has there ever been a better T20 innings than Ricky Ponting's 98* in the first T20 international?

• What impact has T20 had on spinners, batters, pace bowlers and wicketkeepers?

• How has it impacted Test and ODI cricket?

• And what does the future hold?

Remember to listen to Part 2 of this discussion, which is also out now, and keep an eye on your feed on Monday (afternoon NZ time) for our preview of the New Zealand v India Test series.

The T20 World Cup ended with Australia being crowned the champions of the world as New Zealand were heartbroken again in another white-ball tournament. We re-live the emotions of the final and some incredible batting from Kane Williamson, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh.

• Did the toss decide the game?

• Could the Black Caps have done anything differently?

• Did anyone see Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazelwood having such a starring role for Australia at this World Cup?

We also look back at the tournament as a whole to discuss the format, schedule, key players and our favourite moments. It was a tough episode for the Kiwis - but Baldy kept the gloating to a minimum and saved his shoeys for after the recording.

Keen listeners of the show might be looking for our discussion about the evolution of T20 cricket, but two brilliant semi-finals had us buzzing with excitement so we decided to jump on the mics again for this extra episode to look back at these great games and then look forward to the big dance.

Emotions were running high, but Binksy remained gracious in defeat in the face of Lippy's celebrations as we discussed the Black Caps' impressive victory against England, which had a few eerie similarities to that memorable World Cup final in 2019. We talk about the outstanding knocks from Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham, the impact of Devon Conway's injury and whether match-up cricket has gone too far.

Later in the show, Baldy attempts to claim underdog status for all Australians, despite Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis powering them across the line against Pakistan. Raj wants to know why David Warner walked off the field despite being not out and we discover that the secret to winning at cricket is to not play cricket.

Of course, we finish with predictions, but these have now become so meaningless that they've morphed into a strange game of reverse psychology - good luck trying to decipher that nonsense.

The T20 World Cup is the focus again this week with the semi-finalists now confirmed after New Zealand's win against Afghanistan booked them a date against England to compete for a place in the big dance.

On the other side of the draw, the only unbeaten side left in the tournament, Pakistan, will face a resurgent David Warner and an Australian team who could well be hitting form at exactly the right time.

• Did the best four teams make the semi-finals?

• Can Australia and New Zealand upset the top seeds?

• Will the Black Caps make any changes?

• And will it be Babar Azam, Eoin Morgan, Aaron Finch or Kane Williamson holding the trophy aloft in just a few days' time?

We'll be back again next week to re-live the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup and hopefully, with three runners in the race, at least one of us will be celebrating a famous victory. In the meantime, on Friday you'll see two more episodes drop into your podcast feed - our take on the evolution of T20 cricket as a format and what that means for the global game. A big topic and once we started talking we kept talking for a while, so the episode will release in two parts, both dropping on Friday afternoon New Zealand time.

It's another case of World Cup fever this week and there's plenty to talk about, despite Pakistan and England having a jump on the field so far.

We start the show by reflecting on an outstanding performance by the Black Caps against India, in a game so crucial that many described it as a World Cup quarter-final.

• Was Daryl Mitchell's promotion a happy accident?

• Ish Sodhi was man of the match, but did he bowl the most important spell of the game?

• Will Virat Kohli's final T20 World Cup as captain end in disappointment?

• And could Afghanistan still spoil New Zealand's party?

As we continue our jaunt around the World Cup, we move to the two most impressive teams of the tournament so far: England and Pakistan.

• Should we already pencil these two teams into the final?

• Is anyone hitting the ball better than Jos Buttler at the moment?

• Maybe Asif Ali?

• Who will finish second in Group 1 behind England?

• Should Australia drop Steve Smith?

• And is it just a coincidence that teams batting second are winning the majority of the games?

Plus Ben Stokes is heading to Australia for the Ashes (will Jofra Archer join him?), the IPL is expanding, Lippy's got a name to watch for the India v New Zealand Test series and Sophie Devine eats Super Overs for breakfast.

We'll be back again next week to preview the business end of the T20 World Cup, but also look out for another episode of our Men's Test Cricket Hall of Fame on Friday - there's even a New Zealander in this one!

The T20 World Cup has reached the Super 12 stage and there's been some cracking games already.

We start with a shout out to Namibia and Scotland for their superb efforts during the group stage, before reminding ourselves that we've pretty much got every prediction wrong so far in the tournament. That hasn't mattered a lick, though, because the cricket has been fascinating and there's a huge week ahead.

England smashed the West Indies, Pakistan beat India by 10 wickets, Australia sneaked over the line against South Africa and Lippy's already nervous about a massive week ahead for the Black Caps that could well define their success or otherwise in this World Cup.

We hit on a few key questions for the remainder of the tournament:

• How will the pitches change the way the games are played?

• Will this be the World Cup of Babar, Kohli, Smith and Williamson, rather than the out and out power hitters?

• Is being in the 'Group of Death' actually a good thing?

• And will any of our predictions come true?

Plus there's a quick preview of the bidding process for the IPL teams, the Old Trafford Test has become the Edgbaston Test and there's a quick round up of impressive Kiwis at the WBBL and during the first round of the Plunket Shield.