On this week's Stumped we are joined by one of the fastest bowlers in the women's game, Shabnim Ismail who has just retired from international cricket. South Africa made it to the 2023 World Cup Final at home in Cape Town but were narrowly beaten by Australia. In a revealing interview Ismail says that if players like Lizelle Lee, Mignon Du Preez, Trisha Chetty and Dane Van Niekerk were playing in the final, then they could have won the World Cup. All four of the players have retired from international cricket in the last twelve months. We look ahead to the final of the Indian Premier League, ask whether Chennai Super Kings can win the title for the fifth time and discuss Gujarat Titan's star player Shubman Gill. And the team debate whether Australian bowler Michael Neser should be in the Ashes squad. Photo: Photo: Shabnim Ismail of South Africa celebrates taking the wicket of Shamima Sultana of Bangladesh during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup match between South Africa and Bangladesh at Newlands Cricket Ground on February 21, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Credit: Getty Images)

Jim Maxwell catches up with Marcus Harris, who has been named in Australia’s squads for the World Test Championship final against India and the upcoming men’s Ashes series in England. Harris discusses competing with David Warner and Usman Khawaja for an opportunity to open the batting, explains why Steve Smith’s stint in the County Championship is of benefit to England just as much as it is to Australia, and rebuffs Stuart Broad’s claim that Australia’s win in the 2021 series is “void”. We also get Harris’ thoughts on England dropping wicketkeeper Ben Foakes from their Test squad to face Ireland at the start of June to make room for the return of Jonny Bairstow. Plus, Scotland’s Lorna Jack joins Jim, Charu Sharma and Nikesh Rughani to discuss becoming one of the first female cricketers in the country to receive a professional contract. Jack’s played almost 150 times for Scotland over a 16-year career. Away from cricket, she’s a police officer in Glasgow. Image: Marcus Harris of Australia poses before an Australian Nets Session at Adelaide Oval on December 15, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Following crunch talks in the United Arab Emirates, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Najam Sethi tells Alison Mitchell that there is still hope of holding the Asia Cup in Pakistan. The location of the Asia Cup has been in doubt for some time. Pakistan are due to host the tournament in September, but last year the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Jay Shah said that it would need to be held in a neutral venue, stating “we can't go there and they can't come here.” Sethi says he has presented a hybrid model to Asian Cricket Council members, which guarantees that India would not need to play any matches in Pakistan with even the final being played in a neutral venue. Sethi says that if an agreement cannot be reached there is “a very distinct possibility” that Pakistan’s government will prevent the national team from travelling to India for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in October. Sethi, who is currently chairman on an interim basis, says he expects to continue in the role for a three-year term and one of his plans is to launch a women’s league. He says he’s already in the process of sanctioning almost one billion rupees for the development of women’s cricket in Pakistan. Also on Stumped, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta pay tribute to the careers of England’s Katherine Sciver-Brunt and South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail, as the fast bowlers both announced their retirement from international cricket. Plus, we’re re-joined by former cricket journalist Jenny Thompson, who is travelling around the world to experience women’s cricket in as many different countries as she can. Since we last spoke with her in March, she has ticked off Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea and Papua New Guinea.

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss the volume of short format cricket. While the Indian Premier League continues to flourish, there is speculation that the ECB could be about to axe The Hundred in the UK in favour of a more sustainable T20 competition. Cricket Australia have increased its salary cap in the Big Bash League to lure the top talent to the league, due to a number of overseas players quitting the league mid-season for the T20 tournaments in the UAE and South Africa. So how many competitions is too many? We hear from Australia and Sussex player Steve Smith on playing in the County Championship and whether he will change his style of batting in the Ashes. Plus we are joined by the first female member of ground staff to work at an international venue in England. Meg Lay works for Gloucestershire Cricket Club and tells us about the importance of getting more women involved in the game. Photo: Lewis Gregory and Luke Wood of Trent Rockets celebrates victory during the Hundred Final match between Trent Rockets and Manchester Originals at Lord's Cricket Ground on September 03, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

It's been a rollercoaster of a journey for Ireland since securing Test status back in 2017. Ireland have lost all five Tests they have played but this week, made history by posting their highest Test score of 492 against Sri Lanka. Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta react to this achievement with Ireland's head coach Heinrich Malan. Following Mickey Arthur's appointment of Director of Cricket for Pakistan, we discuss how it will work combined with his current role as coach of Derbyshire in the County Championship and if it is a sign of how coaching will change with dual roles? We also discuss the return of Ajinkya Rahane to India’s Test team for the upcoming World Test Championship final against Australia. Image: Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan before the Men's T20 International match between Ireland and New Zealand at Stormont in Belfast. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)