Andy Maher has pondered the question whether Channel Nine’s Ashes commentary team has failed to meet the audience’s changing expectations.
The network announced an Ashes line-up of Bill Lawry, Ian Healy, Michael Slater, Mark Taylor, Ian Chappell, Michael Clarke, Shane Warne, Michael Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen and Mark Nicholas last week, which sparked a strong reaction on social media. Many have criticised the lack of female presence and diversity on the commentary team, which made Maher wonder if the demands are shifting.
“I was absolutely stunned watching the reaction to the picture that came out,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“Expect for Michael Clarke, these guys have been around for a long time and that’s a strength of any commentary team. You’ve got familiarity and you work well together. A lot of us have grown up with this commentary team and I’m not making a judgment call on the Nine commentary team at all.
“The reaction to it was staggering in terms of a lack of diversity, where are the women, you’re not trying. It was big. There were two questions that raised my attention.
“One, is there a problem with the Channel Nine commentary team, because clearly people on Twitter thought there was, which is a much more diverse audience. The second part of it, is Channel Nine half flipping the bird to everyone telling them what they got to do?
“There is this pressure when you’re putting commentary teams together to meet the demands of a changing audience.”
Triple M announced their Ashes commentary team last week, one that included Isa Guha and Neroli Meadows. Meanwhile, ABC Grandstand broadcasted the Women’s Ashes with the likes of Lisa Sthalekar and Mel Jones on their line-up, and the station also has a partnership with the Ladies Who Legspin podcast.
The Ashes begin at the Gabba on Thursday.
Photo: Channel Nine