There are two sets of commentators covering the Ashes tests from Australia. In the Green and Gold corner is the Channel Nine team comprising a mix of former Australian players, an Englishman, and one who can't quite work out where he's from and who he supports; Tony Greig. In the Red, White & Blue corner is the UK Sky commentary team featuring some of England's finest players. There's little love lost between them.
After the Adelaide test in December we blogged about thwe scrap between Ian Botham (Sky) and Ian Chappell (Nine). That blew over fairly quickly, but full scale hostilities have broken out this morning. The Sydney Morning Herald sets the scene:
AUSTRALIA'S most fearsome foe, Alastair Cook, last night turned friend for an instant, leaping to the defence of Phillip Hughes after the opener was branded a cheat by former England all-rounder Ian Botham and the British press.
The accusations were launched after Hughes claimed a catch to dismiss Cook that, with the benefit of replays, was shown not to have carried to him at short leg. Botham was furious and promptly unloaded on the 22-year-old Australian opener. ''Terrible. Cheating. How much do you want it to bounce into your hands?'' Botham growled, commentating on Sky Sports. ''He [Hughes] knows he hasn't caught it. There's no appeal. Someone else says something and then he goes up.''
Botham has got this one completely wrong, in our ever-humble opinion. Hughes did not initially appeal. Nor, tellingly, did Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin who, along with Cook himself has the best view of the "catch". It was referred (correctly) to the third umpire (Tony Hill of New Zealand) who ruled (correctly) that it was not a catch.
So on cue, the Channel Nine commentators have ripped in to Botham this morning. In particular, they have wondered out loud why he didn't make the same claims against English batsmen Ian Bell. Bell was given out caught behind yesterday, eventually asked for a review, and the decision was subsequently overturned by onfield umpire Aleem Dar after consultation with Hill. Dar's initial instinct was spot on, and Snicko, which is not available in the review process, showed a definite knick. Botham's silence on Bell has been deafening!
Ian Chappell has not been at the microphone yet today. We are working from home this afternoon, and we'll keep an ear on the action. Chappell is not known for holding back with his views, and the commentary wars might just escalate - watch this space!
In ther meantime, England is still batting on, and the lead over the Aussies is now 243. Despite Tubby Taylor's best efforts to talk the Australians up, only one team can win this match now.
9 comments:
Insert Paul Henry as host and watch the ratings soar!!
Nah, Beefy's spot on. Hughes will absolutely have known that bounced into his hands, it wasn't one of those fingers-and-turf-simultaneously jobs by a long way.
Healy and Slater were a joke yesterday, Nicholas appears to have decided that going with the Aussie-love flow is his ticket to year-round employment and Warne just about makes it bearable by tweaking the bias into a cricket-is-all-about-spinners theme.
Beefy Botham was way out of line and it annoyes me that he cant admit he is wrong.
James, at no point did the Aussies in the thick of it really appeal that decision. They were unsure and went upstairs.
The Bell incident was similiar. Both teams trying their luck with the video evidence. England got lucky and Australia not. If you label one a cheat you have to do the same with the other. You cant have your earl grey tea and drink it too!!!
However James I totally agree some of the commentating has been shocking. Yesterday I heard Benaud going on about the no ball rule, after an English player was caught off a no ball rule, and how it should be changed to the back foot rule. blah blah Blah
At one point the channel 9 team actually went through the series and showed the 'lucky escapes' Cook had had during the series - caught off a no ball, referals etc. They would never do that with an Aussie batter. It was the worst bit of TV I had seen for a while.
@ James - to his credit, Hughes was originally unsure. It was only when one of the far less better sighted players told him it was a catch that he reacted. As I said in the post, Hughes' and Haddin's inital raections were muted. Botham is being inconsistent here.
@ Ozy - Benaud's been bleating about the no ball rule for years. The rules are the rules, and Cook was caught off an illegal delivery, and was rightly restored. It was bad luck for Beer, but really; there's no excuse EVER for a spin bowler no-balling - unless he has a bent arm.
Disagree Ozy, Hughes did the full jump and chuck the ball in the air bit. Contrast that with Swann's similar not-carried the other day. The Aussies have always played to the limit of the rules and just as far over as they can, this was just the furthest example for a while. Cheating is a strong word, but that was beyond gamesmanship.
Bell was quite clear in later interviews that he heard the noise but felt nothing on the bat so prudently asked the ump to check any batsman would do the same. The snickometer was a pretty small spike too and the physicist in me wonders whether a ball can get close enough to the bat to create a noise without actually hitting it...
Haddin's removal of the bails with his glove to stall a quick single while he went to fetch the ball was also over the gamesmanship line for my money.
@ Inventory - my wife suggests there is no such thing as a no ball (within reason) unless a wicket falls.
My big beef is the over rate. I suggest that each session become 30 overs and if you play over 120min you cant lose a wicket in the overs after that time.
James the batsman always knows when they hit it. I doubt he would have checkked if he was the opener and it was the first innings of the test. However, there was doubt and that should go in the batsmans favour.
Perhaps we should agree to disagree.
Haddin's sly act was a shocker. What gets me is that it was so good he must of planned it or at least practised it in the past.
@ James Stephenson. Cool down, have a cup of tea, or whatever. England's got this series won, and has been superb. The victorious English lads don't need vitriolic excesses from overly-triumphant supporters.
Sorry..my obviously out of place comment was meant to be under Warnies bad luck coming in threes!!
@Siena. No vitriol here, just sadness that such actions undermine the game. Haddin did at least redeem himself with his sporting keeper to keeper congratulation of Prior's century.
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