There’s a fantastic article on the Oz Grauniad from a couple weeks back by Geoff Lemon on how the current channel 9 commentators with Mark Nicholas are killing the legacy of Richie Benaud in the commentary box. The article is fantastic, but the comments thread is astounding. If you like cricket that is. It is the only public comments thread I’ve gone more than two posts through (outside this place and the old places anyway). The comments are just shy of 800, with I’d guess 99.99% agreement on the article. Amazing.
In fact it seems like there’s been a toning down the banter in the last couple of World Cup games on Channel 9, although that might be SkyTV related as there are other commentators piping up besides the usual 9 club. Mark Taylor has been much more to the point, and thankfully I haven’t heard James Brayshaw at all.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/feb/13/channel-nine-destroying-cricket-legacy
I read ALL the comments which is a first for me and you’re right the uniformity of opinion is stunning. I saw it some time ago and commented a couple of times on the thread, I was the bloke who suggested that since they spend so much time promoting reality shows they should turn the commentary panel into a reality show, “If you want to vote off James Brayshaw dial…”
Brayshaw is an interesting one. One thing Australia does not lack is former test cricketers and yet here is this bloke talking to Ian Healy about the difficulty of keeping wicket in Chennai. He is so far out of his depth I occasionally feel sorry for him. You get the impression he knows he doesn’t belong there and it makes for uncomfortable listening. You have to wonder why he got the gig. Who thought it was a good idea?
The reality show idea is a good one, and it’s not like they’re above making money off those interminable KFC Classic Catches text-ins.
But we’re going to have to disagree slightly here – Brayshaw needs to go. I feel no sympathy at all. Sorry, that should have been AT ALL. Because I’m shouting you see. I’m shouting in my head right now but keeping inside so I don’t scare the dog. Brayshaw’s in the wrong place doing the wrong thing for the wrong sport and buggering up the atmosphere for everyone. That doesn’t excuse the rest of them (Chappell excluded), but he’s probably a good sized chunk of the problem.
As a UK viewer, I sometimes think that our commentators can be annoying at times. Then I see coverage from other countries and count my blessings.
I could quite happily live without the old grump that is Ian Botham (who by his own admission would usually rather be fishing), but in their own ways Mike Atherton, Michael Holding, Nasser Hussain and especially David Lloyd are all excellent.
It may be an impression that I get from being English, but I do find that commentators in other countries seem to be more one-eyed than ours. The South Africans are particularly culpable in this – they have a habit of referring to SA players by their first names which is extremely annoying. However, the Aussies are definitely the worst. I’ll excuse mark Taylor and Ian Chappell, who usually manage to maintain some level of neutrality, but the others are dreadful. I especialy dislike Shane Warne (so far up himself he’s met himself coming back) and Ian Healy, who is the ultimate boor. I used to think that dear old Bill Lawry was a bit biased, but he had nothing on Healy. Makes you pine for the late Tony Greig and the sadly absent Richie Benaud. I’d never heard of James Brayshaw before this Aussie summer (who the hell is he? Not a ex-cricketer as far as I can gather), but he has kept the Channel 9 standard in the depths.
Brayshaw was actually a decent cricketer, he averaged 40 in the Sheffield Shield over a ten year span which would have taken some doing. He was never close to Test selection though, the era he played in was a good one for Australian cricket and better players than he missed out.
His dad is something of a local legend who once took ten wickets in an inning for WA against Victoria. As players I actually remember his father better than I do him.
None of that qualifies him to ruin every summer with his prattle!
Interesting piece. I can’t imagine who might enjoy a lot of the asinine coverage that is put out, who does it appeal to ? I am glad we have the TMS coverage in the U.K which I still find so good (about time that Blowers was put out to grass though) that I look forward to the rain breaks.
Well I accept,all you,say about Brayshaw and Cookie Boy is correct to point out his record ins a strong era – he’d probably walk into a test team in different eras. But more importantly he was behind the campaign to save the financially bereft North Melbourne Football Club and on that basis he can do no wrong.
Nice set of reggae live albums. Usually they aren’t so good Duco and I’d put live at the Roxy ahead of the earlier live album.
Hmm cricket reggae I see the connection but that is a seriously misplaced post.
Blessed as I am to live in the States, I get to watch Willow TV as part of my cable package, which is my cricket channel.
I have therefore seen some of said Australian TV coverage. It is….well…..it’s…a bag o’shite. Just horrible.
In the intermissions – I presume it was lunch or tea – they had a fun spectacle of playing catch with players’ WAGS. Clearly it was for the science, and not at all about keeping viewers by having attractive young ladies running around in summer attire. Oh yes. Deffo the science.