Fox Cricket showed off the depth of talent it has signed for the summer of cricket at a season launch last Friday.
Foxtel Group chief executive Patrick Delany conceded this summer might be harder to lift subscribers to Fox Sports via Foxtel or Kayo. However, Fox Sports is hearing none of that and is off and running with a commentary dream team that is sure to attract attention.
With Pakistan and the West Indies visiting Australia, the Fox Cricket commentary team has reignited memories of the heritage of these two great cricketing countries.
Fox Sports took the launch of its season to the people of Sydney with an impressive season launch in Parramatta with the public crowding into the suburb to see the biggest names of the sport fielding questions and balls as some of them also padded up.
Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins at the launch event
The launch also coincided with Foxtel Group revealing multi-year rights extensions with the cricket boards of South Africa, England and India.
Those long-term deals, secured in negotiations led by Foxtel Group executive director, commercial – sport, Rebecca McCloy, will see all competitions and all Australian men’s and women’s Test, One Day International (ODI) and T20 tours played in South Africa, England (except The Ashes) and India, exclusively available on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
Cummins with Fox Sports’ Sarah Jones, Brett Lee and Mike Hussey
Fox Cricket commentary box
The impressive line-up is worthy of the accolades unleashed about them via the Fox Cricket PR team.
The international legends joining the Fox Cricket team this summer include Wasim Akram, Ravi Shastri, Isa Guha, Harsha Bhogle, Brian Lara, Michael Vaughan and Ian Smith.
The local commentary team members include Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Mark Waugh, Mel Jones, Mike Hussey, Kerry O’Keeffe, Mark Howard, Sarah Jones, Brad Haddin and Brendon Julian.
Current Australian players include David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Alyssa Healy. Khawaja made a special effort to get to the Parramatta launch, having played he first Big Bash League game of the season the night before in Brisbane, he boarded the first flight out Friday morning in a dash to the event.
Managing director of Fox Sports, Steve Crawley was correct to call his collection of cricket experts “the best of the best experts in the world, the most diverse commentary team the modern game has seen”.
In addition to showing off the evolution of stump technology, Crawley also detailed additional innovations including enhancing AI and AR graphics, player-tracking Spidercam, and advanced ball-tracking technologies across the coverage. Mic-ups during games will also continue.
David Warner at the launch. He has just a handful of matches left before joining the Fox Cricket commentary team
Keeping cricket fans entertained
If you have a channel dedicated to one sport you need plenty of content.
Despite recent rights wins from Amazon and Nine, and long-term deals in place at Seven, Fox Cricket retains a packed fixture.
Rebecca McCloy said last week: “We have been proud partners of Cricket South Africa, the English and Wales Cricket Board and the BCCI for more than a decade. These renewed deals mean that the Foxtel Group will continue to deliver customers unrivalled coverage of the biggest and best line-up of international and local cricket.
“Alongside our comprehensive rights to domestic cricket, which we have until 2031, this announcement is great news for our millions of subscribers who can continue to enjoy the most extensive coverage of cricket in Australia and around the world.”
In addition to these partnerships, Fox Cricket is also home to New Zealand Cricket and the Indian Premier League as well as all Australian men’s and women’s Tests, One Day Internationals, T20s, and Big Bash League and Women’s Big Bash League Matches.
Top photo: Fox Sports’ Steve Crawley surrounded by some of the world’s best cricket talent at the Fox Sports season launch in Parramatta
