Channel Nine has named their commentary team for the first Test between Australia and South Africa, with one much-maligned commentator seemingly missing out on a gig for this year’s season opener.
James Brayshaw, one of Nine’s more-criticised members of their cricket coverage, appears set to spend the South African series away from the microphone, with Daniel Brettig tweeting the commentator won’t be on Nine’s team when the summer of cricket begins next Thursday.
Brayshaw’s omission comes on the heels of speculation that he is eyeing off a move to Channel Seven to focus on AFL commentary. The North Melbourne Kangaroos chairman, who is about to be replaced by Ben Buckley at the helm of the AFL club, had reportedly told friends he wasn’t expecting a busy summer of cricket during 2016-17.
Brayshaw’s absence follows the news that both Michael Hussey and Brett Lee had been squeezed out of the commentary line-up.
While Lee’s family and business commitments have seen him unable to fulfil any commentary role, Hussey will be hosting and reporting digital content for Cricket Australia over the course of the summer, providing something of a link between Nine and Cricket Australia’s digital coverage.
With the three members of last year’s team no longer in the frame, it leaves Nine with eight commentators for the South African series. Shane Warne, Ian Chappell, Michael Slater, Ian Healy and Marks Nicholas and Taylor all back up from last year’s coverage, and will be joined in the box by new voices Michael Clarke and Kevin Pietersen.
Pietersen is expected to be a notable absentee from the Nine commentary box during the Pakistan Test series due to his Big Bash commitments, and there are rumours that former Pakistani fast bowler, Waqar Younis, will take his place for that three-match series.
Barry Morgan
Guest
Healey has just said that Head sliced it. Two minutes later in a replay he said Head hit it well. What a wanker Healey is. The sooner Ch 9 get rid of him the less I will have to usè my mute button. Has any-one noticed he never comments live on dismissals.
Irene Mckenzie
Guest
Please get some variety in the cricket commentators, Talk about repeat themselves.
Col Truman
Guest
Keep bill Larwry on commentary . Lose Warne and Clarke . Larwry knows more about cricket than Warne and Clarke put together .
Barry Cumberland
Guest
Will any of the commentators explain why the Pakistani batsman continually try to pick the ball up when batting. Twice in the last couple of overs one has picked the ball up and the other tried to but Lyon kicked it away,your thoughts please?
Lorraine
Guest
What on earth are Chanel 9 thinking. The commentary team is a sham. They only like to talk about themselves and laugh at the current team. Who of any decency does that? So many people turn the volume down and just watch or try to listen to the radio. About time Chanel 9 woke up that their ratings are dropping. So obvious to all but them.
Michael
Guest
Had to laugh - South Africa piling on the runs this morning & commentators very quiet, grudging in their praise (especially Healy & Slater), unlike Healy having an orgasm was South Africa lost early wickets in their innings!
Jason
Guest
Who on earth is the South African fool in the commentary box that just said there's no reason for SA to declare? Happy to just not lose by sounds of it. A draw must be the best result he thinks he could hope for. Geez
Don Freo
Guest
How do you know then? Try listening to him. Nothing wrong with jokes anyway.
marfu
Guest
The official story is that Hussey is working with CA and Lee has other business commitments but I think this is a smoke screen as both have issues with Clarke as almost everybody does except for the wombat Warne.
Robert
Guest
Why have you sacked lee and Hussey,to keep on the moron nichols and squeaky idiots clarke and peiterson.get real!!!
Ann
Guest
Thought these cricket commentators for summer 2016 were suppose to call the game. Call the bloody game will you. How about naming the player that stops the ball, catches the ball, nearly catches the ball, who could have caught the ball. To me commentating the game should include all players & what is taking place on the field. We are not interested in your little private jokes etc. call what's happening on the field.
jack
Guest
Michael Clarke is a joke - Can't listen to him.
Doug
Guest
Michael clarks voice is not suited to this job. We are not players and don't need a lecture on every move on the field. How about we try and find another Richie?
Michael
Guest
No Brayshaw - about time!!!!! Commentary team needs more balance - what about a South African commentator?? Healy still talks too much, Chappell is boring and sometimes just nasty to his fellow commentators. Nicholas & Petersen at least temper the locker room talk from these ex-cricketers whose humour is so blokey and whose commentary gives grudging praise to anyone who is not Australian. Kerry Packer was right - who gives a s*** about their golf, and their in-jokes!
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
now to get rid of Nicholas, Taylor, Chappell, Slater, Healy
lilbob
Roar Rookie
@Chancho, Thanks for the link, enjoyed reading that....also kudos to Ryan O'Connell for the best belly laugh I've had in a while for the term 'Energy Tampon'...that was a new one for me... LMAO!!!! ....
Bugs
Guest
Hear! Hear!
Chancho
Roar Rookie
what annoys me most is he's not going because Ch9 have seen sense and given him the boot, but because he's going elsewhere!! Getting back to Mark's anecdote, I still recall Geoff Lemon's fantastic article that covers much the same ground https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/feb/13/channel-nine-destroying-cricket-legacy And as Geoff points out, putting the commentary line-up in the hands of Brad McNamara is where a lot of the problem begins and ends.
Train Without A Terminus
Guest
To the voices in your head?
Bakkies
Guest
The producer has a lot to do with dumbing down the commentary. The commentators are doing what they're told. None of them are like that commentating for other networks