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Channel Nine commentating team needs variety

Australian women's cricket captain Meg Lanning, left, and England women's cricket captain Charlotte Edwards (AP Photo)
Roar Guru
23rd December, 2014
26

Last week I wrote an article which focussed on the decision to oust Pete Siddle for Mitchell Starc in which I very briefly touched on the dynamics, or lack thereof, of the Channel Nine commentary team.

I was very surprised that over 90 per cent of the comments following the piece were attributed to what people thought of this summer’s commentators and who has viewers diving for the mute button every time they appear on screen. Reading the comments got me thinking about how much I dislike the current Channel Nine team and what needs to be changed in order to make it enjoyable to watch once again.

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So what makes up a good commentary team and why is the current group on Channel Nine so painful?

Firstly, it is probably worth looking at what is popular among the viewers. The best commentators for cricket realise that not every second needs to be filled with chatter and having to talk through every shot.

Obviously the master of this was Richie Benaud who was often so understated that he would simply pause and let a well hit four or six speak for itself, rather than trying to over-hype the situation. Benaud’s footballing equivalent Martin Tyler is also a wonderful exponent of knowing when to speak and when to let the action and tension build on its own.

The reason why the banter between Tony Greig, Ian Chappell and Bill Lawry worked is that it was something different and wasn’t a constant. Channel Nine have tried to replace Benaud with as many voices as possible hoping that weight of numbers would help their broadcast but it has driven viewers crazy. Of course it was never going to be easy finding someone to wear the famous bone, white, off-white, ivory or beige but simply throwing a number of ex-players together has not worked.

Mark Nicholas would be a fine presenter to introduce and sign off the day’s play but the problem is we also have to put up with him commentating throughout at least two sessions. His ability to over-hype a shot or delivery is second to none and claiming every second boundary is a “masterclass in batting” or every four-over spell is an “incredible display of bowling” wears thin and begins to grate the viewer.

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As previously stated the real issue appears to be Channel Nine looking to replace the safe hands of Benaud and excitement factor of Lawry and Greig with a number of ex-players which hasn’t worked. For all those introduced only Shane Warne delivers any real insight into the game and provides interesting listening when discussing tactics and bowling plans, but even this is mixed in with inane banter with the other commentators. Brett Lee too would be fine if confined to The Cricket Show over the lunch break, which his easy going personality seems perfectly suited to rather than the commentary box.

Of the rest, Mark Taylor and Michael Slater at least make valiant attempts to try and discuss the game while Ian Healy only seems to be able to talk about wicket keeping with any real authority. Whenever they are on the screen together they tend to drown one another out and often seem to go over the top as they feel they have to make the game more exciting.

It is almost like they feel the need to be cheerleaders for the Australian side when often viewers just want a neutral viewpoint with insight like Benaud used to provide. Whether directed to by Channel Nine or not, the constant barracking and endless chat dumbs down the broadcast for seemingly no good reason.

I think the less said about James Brayshaw the better as he seems to infuriate people with his ‘Triple M boys club’ style of commentary more suited to radio. Even with all the bells and whistles Channel Ten have added for their Big Bash coverage Brayshaw would likely be too much for even the shortest form of the game.

Say what you want about the Channel Ten team but at least they know who they are marketing too, with the Big Bash supposed to be short, sharp production with the entertainment provided for viewers and spectators almost as important as the game itself. In that regard having Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting having a bit of friendly banter seems to fit well.

Since Benaud has stood down from the main role to get a nice variety in Test commentary one must switch on to the ABC. Here one can listen to the wonderful Harsha Bhogle and guest cameos with the likes of Ravi Shastri who provide wonderful balance that the Channel Nine coverage lacks.

Imagine how much better the coverage would be listening to Ravi Shastri discuss how well Virat Kohli is batting and getting some insight from a sub-continent viewpoint rather than hearing Brayshaw and Taylor chatting about what Australia must do to get him out and celebrating when he does depart.

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Lastly, to have a current player give their thoughts would be very interesting for the viewer. Meg Lanning added really good variety and terrific knowledge of the pitches during the one day series often having just played on them hours earlier. One rare highlight so far as Channel Nine looks to revolutionise its commentary team, it was just a shame they immediately erred in not inviting her to call the Tests.

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