Ashes Commentary

[howardj]

This is the place to have a dig and give a pat on the back to the Ashes commentators throughout the Summer.

Not sure who is doing radio this year, but this is the official line-up on Channel Nine this year:

Benaud
Chappell
Greig
Nicholas
Slater
Lawry
Healy
Taylor
Tufnell
and a new girl - Stephanie Brantz.

[TT Boy]

Here’s hoping Sky have their own broadcast team, usually we get direct feeds from the nine boys but I really can’t stand some of those ‘characters’. As tosser’s go Nicholas is numero uno.

[superkingdave]

Sky will have their own team, BBC i think is taking Nine's for their highlights.

I assume Sky will have

Hussain
Gower
Atherton
Holding
Botham
Bumble
+ an Aussie

hopefully not Willis.

Not much to choose between the two, don't like Botham, or Gower particularly, but i think Hussain and Atherton are improving and i like Bumble for his irreverant banter. Don't particularly like the Nine line up apart from Slater who was pretty good when he did Channel 4 in the past, Hate Nicholas and i think Benaud's on the decline.

[archie mac]

It may be another year of listening to the radio and watching the cricket. Lets just hope they have the sound in sync with the pictures this year

The radio team (ABC) will include Jim Maxwell, Damien Fleming, Skull and Jonathan Agnew

[Lillian Thomson]

I really wish we could have the Australian commentary team in England instead of the boring Sky numpties. Radio 4 in the UK will be even worse with Jonathon - I will say "quite frankly" 10 times a session - Agnew, and Graham - I can't complete a sentence without saying "and eh" - Gooch.

[superkingdave]

Originally Posted by sky website

while Ashes hero Bob Willis shares his views from back home.

good news imo, keep him as far away as possible. People need to stay awake.

Love the fact that his piece on the sky is entitled "Willis: Out of Harm's way"

[Johnners]

Will be listening to most of the cricket this year, can't exactly stop work n sit in the lunch room all day

TBH i think the ABC line-up is fantastic with a few exceptions.

Jim Maxwell
Glenn Mitchell
Kerry O'Keefe
Jonathan Agnew
Peter Roebuck
Damien Fleming
Belinda Clark
Terry Alderman
Geoff Lawson

Skull, Agnew, Robey, Maxwell, Mitchell & Blowers are all guns imo, and are always fascinating to listen to. Fleming, Alderman & Lawson on the other hand have a distinct ability to make things seem boring, and really cheese me off.

Loving the fact that i won't have to listen to Mark Nicholas all that often either, sheesh, honestly someone shut him up!!!! Will miss Slats, Benaud & Heals tbh. Top 3 Channel at Channel 9 IMO

[tooextracool]

Originally Posted by superkingdave

Sky will have their own team, BBC i think is taking Nine's for their highlights.

I assume Sky will have

Hussain
Gower
Atherton
Holding
Botham
Bumble
+ an Aussie

hopefully not Willis.

Not much to choose between the two, don't like Botham, or Gower particularly, but i think Hussain and Atherton are improving and i like Bumble for his irreverant banter. Don't particularly like the Nine line up apart from Slater who was pretty good when he did Channel 4 in the past, Hate Nicholas and i think Benaud's on the decline.

I like Atherton and Hussain a fair bit. I think more often than not they make very interesting points and you can clearly see why they were both England captains for quite a while(Hussain more so than Atherton). While Lloyd isnt particularly brilliant when it comes to his knowledge of the game, at least he provides some comic relief as opposed to the likes of Botham and WIllis who spend most of their time complaining about some ridiculous non-issue which they usually end up being wrong about anyways. Gower and Nicholas are decent as well IMO without being spectacular. At least Nicholas can get do the melodrama quite well.
From the Australian side, even though i know it wont happen(it'll probably end up being Lehmann or someone else), id like to see Ian Chappell. I think he knows a lot more about the game than almost everyone else in the box. Probably alongside Geoffrey Boycott when it comes to his opinions about the game.

[vic_orthdox]

I like Flem, TBH.

[FaaipDeOiad]

I didn't mind Fleming when I first heard him, but he's really starting to bug me now.

As usual the 9 team will have a couple of decent people and a bunch of tools. Can't go wrong with Benaud and Slater, so at least they should bring the standard up a bit. I don't really mind Nicholas that much either, he's certainly better than the likes of Healy and Lawry.

[Mister Wright]

Originally Posted by FaaipDeOiad

I didn't mind Fleming when I first heard him, but he's really starting to bug me now.

As usual the 9 team will have a couple of decent people and a bunch of tools. Can't go wrong with Benaud and Slater, so at least they should bring the standard up a bit. I don't really mind Nicholas that much either, he's certainly better than the likes of Healy and Lawry.

You can tollerate Benaud? Fair enough.

I can't stand his commentary. He hasn't added anything new since 1979.

[FaaipDeOiad]

Originally Posted by Mister Wright

You can tollerate Benaud? Fair enough.

I can't stand his commentary. He hasn't added anything new since 1979.

I love him tbh, always will. I'll cry like a little girl the day he dies.

[Mister Wright]

Originally Posted by FaaipDeOiad

I love him tbh, always will. I'll cry like a little girl the day he dies.

So will I. I just won't when he leaves the commentary box. That's assuming that he doesn't die with a microphone in hand.

[FaaipDeOiad]

Originally Posted by Mister Wright

So will I. I just won't when he leaves the commentary box. That's assuming that he doesn't die with a microphone in hand.

Don't get me wrong, he's not the commentator he used to be by a long shot, but he still adds some desperately needed class to that 9 commentary box, IMO. The likes of Healy and Lawry are such a waste of space that Benaud looks like a wordsmith by comparison, even into his late 70s as he is.

I really think Benaud was a superb commentator up until a few years ago, though. Witty, knowledgable, unbiased and professional. Certainly the best television commentator I've ever heard.

[Mister Wright]

Originally Posted by FaaipDeOiad

Don't get me wrong, he's not the commentator he used to be by a long shot, but he still adds some desperately needed class to that 9 commentary box, IMO. The likes of Healy and Lawry are such a waste of space that Benaud looks like a wordsmith by comparison, even into his late 70s as he is.

I really think Benaud was a superb commentator up until a few years ago, though. Witty, knowledgable, unbiased and professional. Certainly the best television commentator I've ever heard.

They're all fair points. While I agree on Lawry, can't agree on Healy. His enthusiasm for hawkeye is something that always brings a chuckle.

As far as Beneaud goes, I'm sick of the, "Ah yes,..." followed by a long pause, "cracking shot."