I bet you a thousand pounds that Ian Botham’s Sky contract includes the stipulation that he must be referred to, at all times, as ‘Sir’ Ian. How else to explain the extraordinary, forelock-tugging obsequiousness of his Sky Sports colleagues, who are now compelled to defer to him as some kind of feudal overlord. He’s not just ‘Sir Ian’ for formal links and handovers. – but every single reference, no matter how throwaway, jokey, or informal. It must feel...
The Commentators’ Ashes
At 11pm GMT tomorrow, England and Australia’s cricketers will be stretching their limbs, applying their war paint, and counting their jelly beans in preparation for the first Ashes test. But what about the battle of the commentators? The rivalry inside the Gabba media centre will be equally intense as the likes of David Lloyd and Richie Benaud dust off their microphones, clear their throats, and practice their pronouncement of Usman Khawaja. Since Channel Four died long ago and ITV have only...
Just to get you in the mood…
With less than three days to go, and the nerves starting to jangle, we’ve decided to adopt a twin-pronged policy here at The Full Toss.
1. Unabashed patriotism.
2. Reminiscing about great Ashes moments of the past, just in case it all goes pear shaped from midnight on Thursday morning.
And what better way to start than with this…
History has taught Ashes rivals little
The omission of Nathan Hauritz from Australia’s squad for Brisbane sadly wasn’t a surprise. The press had been talking up Steve Smith (first class average 50) and Xavier Doherty (average 48) ever since Hauritz dared to have a couple of bad matches in India. Admittedly, Hauritz has a similarly underwhelming record in Shield cricket, but his test record is pretty good. And the Aussie selectors have seemingly forgotten that Hauritz performed admirably in 2009, when Australia probably would’ve won...
Sky’s Ashes Adverts: Pick up a bat and wallop an Aussie
Four years ago, Sky would never have positioned our cricketers backstage at a coliseum in the vicinity of roaring lions. The expectation would’ve been ‘it’s feeding time’ for the big cats. Confidence is so high this time round, however, that Sky’s latest advert for the Ashes portrays Pietersen and Co as gladiators, about to avenge the wrongs of 2006/07. It’s optimistic, it’s heroic, and it’s … err … a bit naff. Sky obviously forgot that Russell Crowe is an Australian. But perhaps...
ITV to show Ashes highlights
Good news – TV viewers in Britain will be able to watch an hour of Ashes highlights on free-to-air television, every day of the series. ITV yesterday announced they’d secured the rights to the coverage, which will be screened on ITV4, so you’ll need to have Freeview or other digital service to get access. The idea of cricket on ITV still seems a bit weird, even though the commercial channel covered the IPL earlier this year. But their coverage should feel very familiar, as...
