Channel Seven’s head of cricket David Barham regards the introduction of a female voice of summer as long overdue, but the signing of Alison Mitchell has nothing to do with gender or agendas.
Barham revealed on Tuesday that English broadcaster Mitchell will be one of the network’s three ball-by-ball callers during its first season of Test cricket, joining Tim Lane and James Brayshaw.
“She’s a gun commentator,” Barham told AAP. “1983 was the last time there was a female voice in Test cricket in Australia on free to air TV, 35 years ago. It doesn’t seem right to me.
“It’s appropriate and long overdue, with cricket being a sport that has done so much for women. But she’s not picked because she’s a woman.”
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Mitchell impressed Barham immensely while calling last summer’s Ashes for BT Sport. “She’s picked because she is very good at her job. To me she is in the best two or three, that’s what you want,” he said.
Fleming suggested Mitchell, an award-winning journalist, would bring a lot of “knowledge and freshness” to the studio.
“Her research is second to none. She watches so much cricket and covers so much. It was a breeze to work with her last year on BT Sport, the stints went so quickly,” he said.
Barham also confirmed Bruce McAvaney will be part of the network’s cricket coverage, conducting in-depth interviews during lunch breaks at the MCG and SCG Tests.
Mitchell, veteran caller Lane plus former players Jason Gillespie, Simon Katich, Brad Hodge, Greg Blewett, Dirk Nannes and Lisa Sthalekar were confirmed as Seven’s latest cricket signings.
Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming and Michael Slater are among the high-profile figures to have already signed on with Seven, while Mel McLaughlin and Brayshaw will work as dual hosts.
“One we’re not going to announce yet is an English commentator. He will come out after Christmas,” Barham told the crowd at a sales event in Sydney designed to attract advertisers.
Seven, who won Test and BBL broadcasting rights as part of a new $1.2bn deal that also includes Fox Sports, will launch its cricket coverage with a women’s Twenty20 game that follows the AFL grand final on 29 September.
“We’re not looking at turning the game on its head … the change will really come with the new voices, talent and people,” Barham said. “I don’t think we’re going to do anything too outlandish outside that. What we will do is tell stories.”
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