Kate Cross and Alex Hartley are publicly documented as close friends, former England cricket teammates and co-hosts of No Balls: The Cricket Podcast. The programme’s current description calls them “teammates, rivals and best mates”. No reliable source reviewed for this article confirmed a romantic relationship between them.
For readers searching for the Kate Cross Alex Hartley relationship, that distinction answers the central question: their friendship and working partnership are well established; describing them as a confirmed couple would go beyond the available evidence.
Research checked on 5 October 2026.
Are Kate Cross and Alex Hartley a couple?
The reliable public descriptions reviewed identify them as friends. In a February 2023 interview with Cross, Sky Sports described Hartley as her close friend and former England teammate. The Guardian also identified Cross as Hartley’s best friend in March 2021.
Those descriptions support reporting a close friendship. They do not establish either woman’s complete dating history or justify assumptions about their private lives. Likewise, the absence of a verified romantic announcement should not be turned into a claim that either person is single.
The friendship behind No Balls
Their connection was already the subject of a joint interview in May 2020. SportSpiel’s episode, titled Alex Hartley and Kate Cross: An inseparable ‘car crash’ friendship, introduced them as best friends and explored the beginnings of their podcast. Its summary also noted that relationship advice was among the show’s features.
That detail helps explain why searches about their “relationship” can be ambiguous. They have discussed relationships as podcast hosts while also speaking publicly about their own friendship. Giving relationship advice together is not confirmation that the presenters are dating each other.
BBC Sport reported in July 2021 that they shared a flat. This historical detail does not confirm romance or current living arrangements. BBC Sport
How their podcast partnership began
Cross gave a particularly useful account of the show’s beginnings in her 2023 Sky Sports interview. She said they had long discussed making a podcast and decided to try after Hartley lost her England contract. Their initial recording was informal: they sat on a sofa with a phone between them, talked for roughly 90 minutes and tried to edit the conversation down to 20.
Cross also explained that sharing experiences through the programme helped her recognise a value beyond her performances as a cricketer. Her account shows that the partnership involved talking through difficult career moments as well as enjoying the conversation.
The programme had been available since December 2019 and joined BBC Sounds in 2021, according to radio industry publication RadioToday. Its current listing identifies No Ratings Studios as the producer and continues to name Cross and Hartley as hosts. The BBC association is therefore part of its history; readers looking for the show today can consult its current feed.
Their connection continued through career changes
Hartley, a left-arm spinner and member of England’s 2017 World Cup-winning team, announced her retirement through No Balls in August 2023. The International Cricket Council confirmed both the announcement and Cross’s role as co-host.
Cross subsequently retired from professional cricket in 2026. Lancashire Cricket reported that she played her final game against Yorkshire on 12 September. Meanwhile, the current podcast feed lists September 2026 episodes featuring both presenters. Their professional playing careers have ended, but their podcast collaboration remained publicly visible during that transition.
Conclusion
The supported account of Kate Cross and Alex Hartley’s relationship is a close friendship and a sustained podcast partnership rooted in cricket. Readers can follow that shared work through No Balls, while claims that they are romantically involved require evidence that the reliable sources reviewed here do not provide.
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