News that Nine will make a play for the BBL rights can only be greeted with alarm.
The network hasn't covered itself with glory or earned a reputation as a dynamic force with its handling of the Test series, one day internationals and T20 games that it already telecasts.
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Scorchers turn up the Heat
Perth Scorchers beat table topping Brisbane Heat with some fantastic fielding and a hat-trick from AJ Tye.
While the purists will probably never be persuaded by this high-spirited, crash-and-bash brand of cricket, the Ten network has turned the Big Bash League into a winner. Since 2013, Ten has built the BBL into a summer sport institution, a firm and popular fixture in a period that didn't previously seem short on sport.
Lacking the kinds of lucrative associations with the prestige sporting codes that draw viewers in droves, Ten identified a gap and filled it in distinctive fashion. It tapped fresh on-air talent, developing a good-humoured approach to its coverage that fits the fast, family friendly nature of this game.
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The commentary is relaxed, chatty and given to joshing. But it also comes with insightful analysis, notably from Ricky "Punter" Ponting – because everyone on this TV team needs a nickname: Damien "Flem" Fleming, Adam "Gilly" Gilchrist, Mark "Howie" Howard, Mark "Junior" Waugh.
The network has introduced women to a formerly male bastion: in the commentary booth, in studio anchor roles and on the ground for player interviews. It has miked players on the field, allowing the commentators to chat, for example, to Melbourne Stars batsman Kevin Pietersen as he's about to face a delivery, or asking Adelaide Strikers captain Brad Hodge what he's planning as he juggles his fieldsmen.
The commentary crew lights up as brightly as the excellent zing stumps when Brisbane Heat's Chris Lynn hits successive sixes or Perth Scorchers' Ashton Agar takes another speccy catch. They generate an infectious excitement about the contest, as well as its appealing accompaniments, like the Legends competition, which showcases the efforts of kids playing in their backyards as well the dedicated volunteers who enable club cricket to tick.
Nine's coverage, especially by comparison, seems stale and complacent, anachronistically blokey and unjustifiably self-satisfied. Its offerings have been looking tired for years and the network has done little, aside from the introductions of Shane Warne and Michael Clarke, to infuse them with new life.
Ten deserves kudos for the spirit and the innovation it's brought to the BBL. And while business is business and money talks, even if Nine brings out a big chequebook, Ten's earned the right to remain the BBL's broadcaster.
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