Last time around, I bemoaned the lack of cricket coverage on terrestrial television during the ICC Cricket World Cup. At the time I wasn’t aware that highlights were going to be shown on Channel 4. What I also didn’t know was that the highlights were going to be on so late that there was little chance of me getting to see them until the following day – provided the missus lets me! Sadly, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to catch up on proceedings owing to the nature of my work but at least I have recorded each match thus far even if I have only got around to seeing maybe two and a half matches. That said, I have been able to keep up with events via the excellent TMS and BBC online coverage.
Now I won’t be claiming any credit for this but it does look as if British Sky Broadcasting are open to making the final available free-to-air. Talks have apparently taken place between BSB and the ICC which has been confirmed by ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson. Obviously Sky won’t be too keen in following this through considering the money that they have given to the ECB for exclusivity but by having highlights on in the early hours is simply baffling. I grew up on a summer diet of Peter West introducing live broadcasts of Test cricket on the BBC and that’s where I developed my love for the game. Roll on 2020 when it’s back on the BBC.
Another story to surface from the early stages of the competition has involved Jaykishan Plaha. No, I hadn’t heard of him either but it appears that the Osterley CC member has been providing net bowling duties to our friends down under. Nothing particularly remarkable about that other than being poleaxed in his follow through by a straight drive by everyone’s favourite pantomime villain, David Warner. Thankfully, Plaha did not suffer a serious injury but it certainly shook up Warner with echoes of the Philip Hughes tragedy. Warner was on the field of play when the fateful delivery accounted for the young batsman.
On the subject of David Warner and Steve Smith, it was all too predictable that they would get stick from English crowds. As I mentioned above, we do love a pantomime villain but is the abuse having the wrong effect? Warner is scoring runs for fun. At the time of writing, he has amassed 447 runs with an average of 89.4. Perhaps the England fans attending games need to come up with another strategy. I propose one of silence. Silence when he walks to the wicket, silence when he hits a four or a six. But not silence when he gets out. Let rip with an almighty cheer and then follow this up with more silence as he returns to the pavilion. Silence is not nice. Just look back through your own archives and probably those on video sharing platforms and look at the reaction from the members at Lords when Ian Botham was dismissed for a pair in 1981.
S.N. Don