Nicole Bolton played 55 times for Australia and spearheaded WA's first-ever WNCL title, but the former opener's remarkable 17-year journey in cricket was also one long emotional rollercoaster.

With stirring candidness, Bolton takes us through the early life challenge of fighting her sexuality, of later competing for an Aussie opening spot with her then girlfriend, Elyse Villani, and of working her way through the torturous mental health battle she faced towards the of her career, and continues to deal with today.

Also featuring interviews with family, friends and teammates, this is a compelling – at times harrowing – episode of Stories After Stumps that you don't want to miss.

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Craig Simmons was a 31-year-old club cricketer without a professional contract when BBL|03 began. A wild month of cricket later, he'd hammered two centuries and guided the Perth Scorchers to a breakthrough maiden title.

But, it wasn't all smooth sailing, with a slow start seeing him almost dropped by coach Justin Langer.

From smashing the world's fastest bowlers, to smashing down Coca Cola and Doritos, this is Simmons' story.

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Cricket.com.au has this week launched a landmark new podcast series, Stories After Stumps, which dives into the game's glorious history through half a dozen compelling episodes in its maiden season.

The opening episode of season one, 'Bevan Sent' looks at the incredible maiden season of Michael Bevan at Tasmania, which ended in a record-breaking campaign for the legendary batter and a long-awaited trophy for the Tigers.

The accounts of that season – and of the at-times polarising Bevan – are both hilarious and heroic, and you can listen here or wherever you usually tune into your podcasts.

Catch all six episodes in our first season, dropping fortnightly from June 26.

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