blockeverythingmolesworth recently alerted me, with some alarm, to the Talksport IPL commentary which featured (and I quote): “a jingle for a tools catalogue with something that sounded like the Euro ’96 Vindaloo song as its backing music. That’s just for starters.” In the spirit of intrepid journalism, I decided to categorically not check this out and opted instead to listen to some white noise interspersed with the sounds of foxes screeching, in the sure and certain knowledge that this would be more tolerable.
News followed soon after that Talksport had been awarded commentary rights for the T20 Blast and Royal London One-Day Cup (is nothing sacred any more, ECB?). With the BBC facing yet more cuts, we’ve got every available appendage crossed that TMS doesn’t go the same way any time soon.
With yesterday’s awful news that Tony Cozier has died, it occurred to us that somewhere in the great commentary box in the sky, there’s a team of Arlott, Johnston, CMJ and Benaud, now joined by Cozier, opining on the fourth Test of the flagship series between the Cherabim & Seraphim Combined XI and the Chairman’s XI (aka The Big Man). The series is rivetingly poised at 1-1 with two to play. The same commentary team will be in place for the upcoming tour by the Forces of Darkness XI (tour manager S. Lucifer).
This thought depressed me somewhat, as the BBC’s transmitters aren’t yet good enough to pick up the erudite, witty, nuanced and mellifluous sounds that would undoubtedly be drifting gently from the commentary box window on yet another perfect day for cricket on high.
Instead we’re stuck with commercial radio chucking out ads between overs. At least TMS will be back on on Thursday. With that, summer can begin in earnest, and Aggers, Blowers et al can distract my troubled mind from the thought that rampant commercialism might infect the world’s finest radio programme any time soon.
RIP, Tony. Your commentary stint is about to start.
Two Grumpy England Cricket Fans 