WEBVTT - High-tech – and hilarious – cricket commentary

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<v Speaker 1>From The Australian. Here's what's on the Front.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm Kristin Amiot. It's Monday, December twenty nine, twenty twenty five.

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<v Speaker 2>The voices that defined summer for generations of Australians Richie Benno,

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<v Speaker 2>Tony Greg, Bill Lourie and others. Now a new generation

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<v Speaker 2>of cricket commentators is heralding the game into a new,

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<v Speaker 2>high tech and sometimes hilarious era. Today, The Australians Media

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<v Speaker 2>editor and big time cricket fan James Madden reflects on

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<v Speaker 2>cricket's storied.

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<v Speaker 1>Broadcast history and the path forward.

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<v Speaker 2>For one of the nation's favorite games. So, James, most

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<v Speaker 2>listeners to the Front will know you as The Australian's

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<v Speaker 2>media editor. But last time we talked about cricket broadcasting

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<v Speaker 2>on the Front, it was also revealed you have a

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<v Speaker 2>pretty solid Richie Beno impression.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, it was a It was an overcast in Melbourne

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<v Speaker 3>and the Victorians were sent into bat after losing the toss.

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<v Speaker 4>They're in early trouble at about two to thirty.

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<v Speaker 2>I believe you can tell a lot about a person

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<v Speaker 2>by who they think is the voice of the summer.

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<v Speaker 1>Who is that for you? When it comes to the cricket.

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<v Speaker 3>Great question and you know, if you'd asked any Australian

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<v Speaker 3>twenty years ago, it would have been Richie alongside his comrades,

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<v Speaker 3>Tony Bill all the rest of the gang.

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<v Speaker 5>It's two for two through two right shut off, a

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<v Speaker 5>big right over the top the little mans.

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<v Speaker 4>It's a big gulla for six.

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<v Speaker 1>Gone again. Oh there she goes. That's a twelve and.

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<v Speaker 5>Live roller would have about as much of an effect

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<v Speaker 5>as a couple of Koala bears doing the part of

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<v Speaker 5>the come more football.

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<v Speaker 2>He's put his foot straight down the line, the ball

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<v Speaker 2>swung down the line.

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<v Speaker 5>There it is great moment history of Australian Test cricket.

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<v Speaker 1>It's been a marvel's game here.

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<v Speaker 3>But these days, in the last decade cricket commentary has

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<v Speaker 3>really evolved and some of the technology used in some

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<v Speaker 3>of these cricket broadcasts is phenomenal. And it's not just

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<v Speaker 3>you know nicks on the bat or ball tracking technology.

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<v Speaker 3>It's whether or not the batsman his body is in

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<v Speaker 3>the right position to actually be playing a certain shot.

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<v Speaker 4>It's crazy.

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<v Speaker 3>So the technology has added a lot and it's come

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<v Speaker 3>a long way since Tony Gregg used to stick the

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<v Speaker 3>key in the pitch to determine if there were cracks

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<v Speaker 3>or if there was moisture in the wicket. These days

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<v Speaker 3>you've got the lights of Adam Gilchrist Mark Wore, both

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<v Speaker 3>those guys on Foxtel alongside others. Seven's got Ricky Ponting,

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<v Speaker 3>Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer. ABC Radio has got Darren Lehman,

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<v Speaker 3>who not only a former Test player but also former coach.

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<v Speaker 3>So a lot of these former players of the later generation,

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<v Speaker 3>after the Benot's and the Chapels and the Greggs and

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<v Speaker 3>the Lorries, it's almost as if the next generation of

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<v Speaker 3>former players and now at the forefront of commentary. And

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<v Speaker 3>that's a pretty great thing because they have of unparalleled

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<v Speaker 3>insight into the game. To take nothing away from the

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<v Speaker 3>commentators such as Jim Maxwell, who is on ABC Radio

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<v Speaker 3>and has been fantastic for decades.

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<v Speaker 5>Paddy Hoardy, everybody here, we are having a bit of fun,

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<v Speaker 5>aren't we. That's you love wickets falling in games of cricket.

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<v Speaker 4>But people might recall Shane Warn.

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<v Speaker 3>A lot of people probably have forgotten since his death

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<v Speaker 3>how great a commentator he was. He could see the

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<v Speaker 3>game two steps ahead, more so than probably anyone I've

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<v Speaker 3>ever heard. So not only was he our greatest Test bowler,

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<v Speaker 3>he's also probably one of our great commentators, but that's forgotten.

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<v Speaker 3>So I think, given that the game has changed a

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<v Speaker 3>lot since the sixties and seventies, it's great to have

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<v Speaker 3>more modern commentators in a way calling the game.

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<v Speaker 2>We've also seen as great of the women's game have

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<v Speaker 2>retired and moved into commentary.

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<v Speaker 1>We've had Lisas Delaka, Isha Gua.

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<v Speaker 2>We've even got between games the current Women's Test captain

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<v Speaker 2>Alyssa Heay jumping into the country box.

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<v Speaker 1>How do you think that's in acted the way people

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<v Speaker 1>watch cricket.

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<v Speaker 3>The women's game itself has just gone from strength to strength.

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<v Speaker 3>It's amazing, and it's on all the time. Like the

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<v Speaker 3>Big Bash. The women's Big Bashes too, seems to be

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<v Speaker 3>always on, which is fantastic.

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<v Speaker 4>Who doesn't love cricket every day of.

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<v Speaker 2>The year and they I believe it was a couple

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<v Speaker 2>of years ago the men's Big Bash season was shortened

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<v Speaker 2>because just the amount of cricket that they are playing

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<v Speaker 2>at the moment, but the women elected to keep that

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<v Speaker 2>longer season.

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<v Speaker 1>They are playing dozens of games every.

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<v Speaker 3>Summer and it's rating ats socks off too, which is interesting.

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<v Speaker 3>So there's a real appetite to watch the women's game.

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<v Speaker 3>The fact that there's so many female commentators is also

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<v Speaker 3>brilliant for the game, both the men's and the women's.

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<v Speaker 3>And I can remember it was a long time ago,

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<v Speaker 3>back in the eighties there was a lady called Kate

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<v Speaker 3>Fitzpatrick who briefly had a role on the Channel nine

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<v Speaker 3>commentary team and all hell broke loose. It was a

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<v Speaker 3>different time, but of course there was all this predictable

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<v Speaker 3>criticism that what would a woman know.

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<v Speaker 4>About cricket all the rest of it.

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<v Speaker 3>That narrative is so far gone thankfully now and we've

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<v Speaker 3>got men and women commentating across men and women's games

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<v Speaker 3>and it's fantastic and it's good for the listener and

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<v Speaker 3>the watcher too.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you think it is about the cricket commentary

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<v Speaker 1>that is unique?

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<v Speaker 2>Obviously you need people who can both entertain and bring

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<v Speaker 2>those really deep insights that you mentioned, sometimes up to

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<v Speaker 2>five days, unless it's England in the first Ashes test.

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<v Speaker 2>What is it about the cricket commentary that makes it

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<v Speaker 2>different from other sports?

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<v Speaker 3>The key difference is you've got to fill in the gaps.

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<v Speaker 3>I suppose, like any sport, you've got to be able

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<v Speaker 3>to call the action, and people do it differently. Richie

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<v Speaker 3>had that beautiful, understated manner, and then there's someone like

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<v Speaker 3>James Brayshaw on Channel seven and Triple M who's great,

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<v Speaker 3>but he becomes hysterical at times, which is entertaining. But

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<v Speaker 3>it's very far removed from cricket commentary of the past.

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<v Speaker 3>But I think the one factor across all the commentators

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<v Speaker 3>is that you need to be able to talk and talk,

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<v Speaker 3>because I think there's a statistic once that about eighty

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<v Speaker 3>percent of the game of a day's test cricket, nothing

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<v Speaker 3>is happening. There is no live action, so that's eighty

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<v Speaker 3>percent of seven hours where you have to talk. And

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<v Speaker 3>obviously everyone's been in the car and they've listened to

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<v Speaker 3>ABC and Triple AM and even back in the Channel

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<v Speaker 3>nine Bill Laurie used to talk about the pigeons and

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<v Speaker 3>that sort of thing, and on ABC Radio there's a

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<v Speaker 3>lot of talk about birthday cakes and where the commentators

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<v Speaker 3>had dinner the previous night, and it's actually very entertaining

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<v Speaker 3>of itself, nothing to do with cricket a lot of

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<v Speaker 3>the time, So it's entertainment. You have to entertain for

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<v Speaker 3>seven hours. And all these guys and girls that I've

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<v Speaker 3>mentioned in the commentary positions, they know cricket inside out.

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<v Speaker 3>Can they add that entertainment factor? Not all of them can,

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<v Speaker 3>but the very good ones have to.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes.

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's what is not said as well that

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<v Speaker 2>is equally powerful. We all saw Stuart Broad's face in

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<v Speaker 2>the broadcast of the first Ashes Test in November. It

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<v Speaker 2>was just that look of pure I would say humiliation.

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<v Speaker 2>He might not say that, maybe regret for some of it,

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<v Speaker 2>despair some of the comments.

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<v Speaker 1>That he'd made.

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<v Speaker 2>The former player most recently added to some of the

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<v Speaker 2>commentary teams has been David Warner. He only retired last summer.

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<v Speaker 2>How's he faring and what do you think he brings

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<v Speaker 2>to the mix?

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<v Speaker 3>The interesting thing I suppose about Dave Warner is, as

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<v Speaker 3>you say, he's not even twelve months out of the game,

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<v Speaker 3>so he is expected, obviously to offer at times fairly

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<v Speaker 3>harsh appraisals of players with whom twelve months ago he

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<v Speaker 3>was sharing a dressing room. There was a moment in

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<v Speaker 3>the Pertest I think where there was controversy surrounding was

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<v Speaker 3>been Kwaja and whether or not he should retain his

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<v Speaker 3>place in the team. And Warner was who was a

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<v Speaker 3>great mate of Cowaja's, indeed a childhood friend of Cowaja's.

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<v Speaker 3>I thought handled it quite well, was fairly diplomatic, but

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<v Speaker 3>pointing out the challenges that Kwaja faces. So that's something

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<v Speaker 3>that somebody like Warner and even some of the other

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<v Speaker 3>commentators who haven't been out of the game so long

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<v Speaker 3>have to traverse. It's only natural they don't want to

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<v Speaker 3>dump on their mates publicly, but at the same time

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<v Speaker 3>they're paid and paid well to offer pretty strident analysis

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<v Speaker 3>of what's going on.

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<v Speaker 4>That's a tricky thing for some commentators.

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<v Speaker 2>I thought it was interesting when Osmond Kwaja was off

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<v Speaker 2>the field and therefore not able to open the batting

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<v Speaker 2>for Australia in the Perth Test, that he actually told

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<v Speaker 2>a story where he said, this has happened to.

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<v Speaker 3>Me, and in a way that goes to what we

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<v Speaker 3>were saying before in terms of filling the space of

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<v Speaker 3>a broadcast. Some of these ex cricket players, and they've

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<v Speaker 3>all got so many stories, even if it's so keep

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<v Speaker 3>talking about how he drank twelve beers with Rod Marshall

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<v Speaker 3>on the eve of a test or Daby want to

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<v Speaker 3>talking about some technicality is a game. It fills the

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<v Speaker 3>space because there are so many stories that accompany this

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<v Speaker 3>game and these ex players. It's Taylor made for a

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<v Speaker 3>few back in my day stories.

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<v Speaker 2>Someone. We cannot have this conversation in this day and

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<v Speaker 2>age without talking about someone who's become a bit of

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<v Speaker 2>a cult hero online, and that's Kerry Okey, also known

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<v Speaker 2>as Skull. What do you make of the particular brand

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<v Speaker 2>of chaos the Skull brings to the commentary.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, probably he was launched off the back of his

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<v Speaker 3>unique laugh.

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<v Speaker 1>And nobody laughs at Skull's jokes.

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<v Speaker 4>He as much a skull, That's true. That's true, and

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<v Speaker 4>there's a certain skill to that as well.

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<v Speaker 5>If I could talk technically, Jim, this pitch is drier

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<v Speaker 5>than a Teetotler's Christmas.

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<v Speaker 3>Is brilliant addition to any commentary team he's on. Obviously,

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<v Speaker 3>he cut his teeth as a commentator with ABC going

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<v Speaker 3>back quite some time, and now he's a real staple

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<v Speaker 3>of Fox Tell, a very important team member. I suppose

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<v Speaker 3>he plays in a way the court jester role. But

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<v Speaker 3>again he's a former test player of some note and

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<v Speaker 3>has brilliant insights into the game. I think the brilliance

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<v Speaker 3>of him is that when he's doing a piece to

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<v Speaker 3>camera or even offering commentary, you're never quite sure it's

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<v Speaker 3>there's going to be a real, really inappropriate gag or

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<v Speaker 3>just a real zinger at the end of a sense,

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<v Speaker 3>or if it's just going to peter out into a

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<v Speaker 3>fairly normal observation.

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<v Speaker 5>It's a special day because people come for it. It's

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<v Speaker 5>a reunion day, and there's a buzz in the crowd

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<v Speaker 5>prior to the first ball, and everybody watches the first

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<v Speaker 5>session and then they go drinking out the bag. So

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<v Speaker 5>keep the crowd shots tight for the second and third session.

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<v Speaker 2>Coming up.

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<v Speaker 1>Why broadcasters still want the cricket.

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<v Speaker 2>Last time we talked about the cricket broadcasting in general, well,

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<v Speaker 2>there was a big question mark over who would get

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<v Speaker 2>the broadcast rights that, as I understand it is now

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<v Speaker 2>locked in for the next few years. We've got Channel

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<v Speaker 2>seven has the free to air rights, Fox Sports is

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<v Speaker 2>on streaming, and then ABC Grandstand has the radio broadcast rights.

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<v Speaker 2>Is the cricket and particularly the longer formats, which some

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<v Speaker 2>people might argue are falling out of favor with viewers.

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<v Speaker 1>For something faster, more entertaining like T twenty.

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<v Speaker 4>Is it still.

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<v Speaker 2>Attractive to broadcast has given just the sheer volume of

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<v Speaker 2>it and the sheer length of it.

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<v Speaker 3>Absolutely, Test cricket is valuable to broadcasters. Last season when

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<v Speaker 3>Australia played India in five Tests out here, that did

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<v Speaker 3>amazing numbers for TV and radio, and then certainly in

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<v Speaker 3>the first Test in Perth, even though it only lasted

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<v Speaker 3>two days, I think it was up sixty percent on

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<v Speaker 3>the India Test the same time twelve months back, so

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<v Speaker 3>those numbers are astonishing. It was unfortunate for the broadcasters

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<v Speaker 3>Seven and Foxtel that was only two day tests in

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<v Speaker 3>Perth because they would have lost advertising revenue and eyeballs

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<v Speaker 3>and momentum and all of that.

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<v Speaker 4>But cricket is very valuable.

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<v Speaker 3>The three big sports rights in Australia are AFL, NRL

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<v Speaker 3>and cricket. Crickets unique insofar as when India or England

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<v Speaker 3>are in Australia it's an absolute bonanza. They are the

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<v Speaker 3>two biggest Test playing nations apart from Australia and obviously

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<v Speaker 3>they attract a lot of support given for a start,

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<v Speaker 3>the number of Indian supporters out here and same with England,

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<v Speaker 3>and it's always competitive. So when those teams are out

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<v Speaker 3>here in our summer, it's a gold mine for the broadcasters.

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<v Speaker 3>When you've got teams that don't have as much support,

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<v Speaker 3>let's say Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, those

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<v Speaker 3>summers by the broadcasters are considered down summers because they're

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<v Speaker 3>just not in the same ballpark as in India England series.

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<v Speaker 3>So I suppose with the broadcast rights it's never going

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<v Speaker 3>to be gangbusters every single season, but increasingly Australia is

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<v Speaker 3>playing India more often, so that helps the coffers of

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<v Speaker 3>the broadcasters and of Cricket Australia.

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<v Speaker 5>Mm hmmm.

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<v Speaker 2>James Madden is The Australian's Media editor. You can read

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<v Speaker 2>all the latest in the cricket right now at the

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<v Speaker 2>Australian dot com dot au