5 Reasons Cricket On The Radio Is Better Than TV
Cricket may no longer be free to air, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the ECB blundered when it sold exclusive television rights for cricket to Sky. The thinking goes that by secreting their golden egg away from casual eyes, the ECB gave in to temptation and chose instant gratification over a more strategic long term view.
It’s hard to argue against this. The last time test cricket was free to air was the 2005 Ashes. Such was the nation’s sun spanked excitement, 7.8 million people tuned in that fateful day to watch the series’ dramatic conclusion – 7.8 million!
In this year’s Ashes instalment, our boys in white will be hidden behind a red velvet rope of exclusivity and the figures will likely peak in the hundreds of thousands. Almost all of these will be pre-hardened fans, not flirty cricket ingénues. The ECB blew their chance at the big time.
For my part, their decision has meant that I’ve spent the last ten years getting the majority of my cricketing nutrition from the radio. I’ve been to the grounds where I can, watched as much of the highlights as my living arrangements will permit, but generally I’ve followed the game on Test Match Special. And actually, far from being bitter, I’ve come to the realisation that cricket coverage on the radio is actually better than it is on TV.
Here’s five reasons why.
5. The Tone Is Better
Good sports commentary should reflect the tone of the action. The best football commentators speak in a chaotic mile-a-minute, pell-mell patois as the ball is punted all over the pitch. Rugby’s baritone chatterboxes are clashing cymbals of oval ball oratory. Darts’ finest microphone munchers are boisterous and lager-breathed.
In cricket, there are two separate tribes. At one end of the spectrum, are the TV commentators – suited and serious, commenting on the game without grin, expounding without expression. At the other end is the radio gang – plugged into the play when they need to be, but happy to break away from boring passages of play to regale their audience of funny stories or describe the lightness of a forkful of cake.
And for me, cricket should not be serious. It’s the only sport that stops for meal breaks for heaven’s sake. The radio’s tone is much more appropriate.