What is happening here! Just after I commenting on how memorable his commentary is, I discover he’s been axed!

Shame really. We do get 9’s coverage over here when Sky broadcast tests from down under and I was kind of looking for to catching some of the coverage with Nicholas on this winter. I personally can not stand Bill Lawrie and his over praising of everything Australia and his complete and utter bias against anything that is not. Tony Grieg just makes you laugh with his “Welcome to this Telecast” and “Hard and Fast” comments.

Anyone know the line up for Channel 5 highlights team for next year or are they just going to use Sky’s coverage of the test. I hear that only Atherton is making the switch to Sky. What about Boycs and Simon Hughes? Surely they aren’t lost from the commentary/analyst box forever! Please no more Bob Willis.

Nicholas is a pet hate of mine, I’m hence delighted.

No Dave, I’m not a Bob Willis fan, I have not come across such a thing as a ‘Bob Willis fan’ in my lifetime, but I never said I was a Sky fan. Beefy gets on my nerves, as does Paul Allot. Nasser Hussain even with his fascinating dressing room lingo, sometimes is a bit more partisan then you’d hope for, and this summer Greg Blewett and Darren Lehman weren’t particularly insightful or enjoyable by any means either. But I enjoy Bumble, Gower and Holding. Channel 4 had a better mix with Atherton & Benaud, as well Slater, not to forget Simon Hughes, but Nicholas’s presence put a big asking price on their label.

I’m sorry but just that I don’t happen to have any time for people whose favorite past time is to pretend that they’re ultra-posh. Nicholas’s style, or should I say lack of it, is characterised by phony portrayals of being someone wholly knowledgeable, tasteful and exquisite (when he’s in fact not even in the same zip code as being classy)! Nicholas actually borders on the obsessive compulsive variety (refusing to see that his 50s styled ‘explosions’ are well and truly out-dated, and that perhaps if CH 4 had done more, all the broadcasting rights wouldn’t have gone to Sky), he’s also annoyingly repetitive, self-satisfying, uninspiring and down right boring!

And Michael Holding is dull? Surely, you can’t be serious. His Jamaican accent is absolutely unbeatably delicious, and as is his understated-ness, for a man who was one of the most lethal bowlers of his time, his humility is unparalleled. Compare him with some one like Boycott for instance, for whom reminding your fellow commentator of how many more test matches he has played or how many more runs or centuries he has made then him, along with frequent references to what his grand mom could have done are customary rituals. These forms of slow-witted sarcasms are worse then even the negativity syndrome Bob Willis perpetually has.

And Bumble is not a “comical circus side act” (I’d rather be tempted to describe Nicholas by that phrase). No way, he’s adorable. Nothing like a sympathetic ex-player-turned-ex-coach-turned television commentator with a light touch and genial sense of humor, Lloyd gives you wonderful and honest insight, with a sort of enthusiasm that is absolutely infectious (and harmless), and one that I find easy to relate to. He is one my favorite commentators, and people.

Horses for courses. MCJN seems right at home up front of the Channel 4 crew (oops that should be past tense), but in my opinion he simply does not gel as part of the Australian channel 9 team. Having him as anchor only goes to show how shallow ch9’s home-grown talent is. Close the eyes and it almost sounds like Frank Tyson is behind the mike again.

I don’t think Nicholas is half the master of ceremonies he’s touted to be. I saw him compere the ICC Awards night and I thought an Easter Island statue would have done it better!

Re:Aus vs NZ odi Perth

Turning point of the match: Extremely dubious lbw of Vincent. What is obvious is that the commentators were completetly unaminous of the out even though it was obvious from the live view that he hit the ball with the bat. It took them 3 or 4 slo mo replays to concede that it went nowhere near the pad and then later they call it as ‘unlucky’! In this game it only takes one missed wicket or one lost wicket to change the result.
These commentaters are wankers! They should stop treating their viewers as dh’s