About this episode

Ian Botham joins the hosts to discuss Ben Stokes' recent controversy, the future of cricket, and share stories from his career.

Stick to Cricket returns as Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell, Sir Alastair Cook and David “Bumble” Lloyd are joined by cricketing legend Ian “Beefy” Botham - brought to you by Betfair! The conversation gets underway with the recent Ben Stokes controversy, which has now been resolved. Beefy gives his honest verdict on the situation. Attention then turns to the wider state of the game, as Botham discusses his concerns about the future of cricket. Is the current schedule putting too much strain on players? And does the ECB need to rethink its approach to protect both players and the health of the sport? Beefy also reflects on his illustrious career, revealing the best bowlers he faced, the toughest opponents he came up against, and sharing stories about some of cricket’s greatest names, including Viv Richards and Malcolm Marshall. Ian Botham revisits the crocodile story, where he sets the record straight on what really happened. To round things off, Beefy takes on our True or False segment. 00:00 - Intro & Meeting Lord Botham 01:58 - Ben Stokes Controversy 17:36 - The Future of Test Cricket 34:12 - The No Ball & Fishing Gear Story 37:13 - Viv Richards - Best Ever? 42:58 - Peak…

People in this episode

Hosts: Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell, Sir Alastair Cook, David “Bumble” Lloyd

Guest: Ian “Beefy” Botham

Topics covered

• Ben Stokes controversy
• future of cricket
• cricket career stories
• Test cricket
• cricket legends
• sports health

Keywords

• Ben Stokes
• Ian Botham
• cricket
• Test cricket
• Viv Richards
• Malcolm Marshall
• sports health
• cricket legends

Sponsors

Betfair

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ECB

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• Ben Stokes Retires, ‘McCullum Must Go’ & Harry Brook Captain? | Stick to Cricket EP 51 · July 1, 2026 · 1h 22m
• Stokes & Atkinson Drama, England Test Preview & Williamson Retires | Stick to Cricket EP 49 · June 16, 2026 · 1h 29m

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