They should at least be at every Fox exclusive match. I’m not sure if they’re even doing that though.
I honestly haven’t watched much BBL yet, once the test series is done today I’ll probably start taking an interest.
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We can say they should be doing this until we’re blue in the face…
The commentators have clearly been given a directive to push “Fox Ray” (the weight transfer rubbish) big time over the last three days. Heard plenty about its 6 4K cameras at 250fps or whatever. Must be trying to get it funded for next season.
I feel if they actually used it properly it might be useful. Give context to the data, maybe do pre-planned analysis cutaways like you see overseas or on Seven. Compare different batsmen, compare different shots. Do something like comparing Ben Stokes’ wicket yesterday, when he couldn’t move his feet, to an ordinary cut shot. Or find a good analyst that can do something with the technology to help viewers understand. Right now it means not a lot. I reckon if it shows up on Sky UK in the winter they’re gonna do a better job.
There’s a longer post in how sub-par and uninspiring Fox’s cricket coverage has been over the last couple years despite how much they pump their own tyres.
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Didn’t they have the Fox Lab when they started with Mr Cricket Mike Hussey? It made Trent Copelands one look shit. But I don’t think they have done the lab in years
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They used to have that Michael Hussey analysis thing that name escapes me.
That’s the one.
Yep it was this
It did look good and make 7’s one look inferior. I think the last time it was on Fox might have been 2021/22 Ashes?
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It has definitely been missed in the coverage
Yep. I watched both Fox & 7 when they started to see who was better. And I will say I was more on Fox as Fox seemed like an A rating while 7 was probably a C rating.
But now after all these years it feels like Fox have done cost cutting measures and taken away some of the good things while 7 have actually stepped up and put more effort, gotten more international pov for commentary or overall coverage etc. I think it started with the 2021/22 Ashes series when 7 really stepped some and caught up to Fox
I would say currently Fox would be a B+ ratings while 7 is B. Fox is still slightly better with no and slightly better coverage and commentators but they have definitely taken a backwards step
I reckon 7 is still closer to a C, personally at least at test level.
The gap between the quality commentators on their broadcast and the ones who aren’t is larger than Fox imho.
Not the thread for it but 7’s international coverage sometimes seems like it’s lacking direction or flow.
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Fox deserve to be dropped at least a half mark for Snicko lol
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This isn’t a Fox thing, this is a world cricket thing, but do we really need to be hearing from the third umpire every single time? Feels unnecessary to hear them say the same canned thing over and over. If during the last Weatherald call, Dharmasena had said something along the lines of “there’s a murmur but no clear spike on Snicko, therefore isn’t clear evidence of bat” or something, then that’s a case where it’s useful. He didn’t (he isn’t a broadcaster).
But I think broadcasting it live just adds noise. You could go back to it afterwards if it turns out to be actually insightful.
maybe i’m just in a whinging mood on the last day of the summer
I feel next summer or from Bangladesh series CA will ask Fox to use Ultra Edge. Especially since 7 uses ultra edge for BBL & Women’s Cricket.
Also this test match 3rd umpire has repeatedly said ‘ultra edge’ instead of Snicko because that’s what’s used everywhere in the cricketing world.
Is that a ICC thing though? Or was this only brought in because the broadcasters around the world thought it was a great idea?
I think there was a lot of controversy with the Ashes series in England 2015? where 3rd umpires made questionable decisions that left commentators and viewers confused.
So I think the open communication to broadcast was added so people could understand the thought process of the umpire and not just see the process and be confused by the decision.
I think it was an ICC decision for better transparency
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7 need to move away from the lead caller concept, it was something new for Test cricket when they started in 2018 but it’s gotten too sterile. Lane, Mitchell, and Brayshaw don’t have the gravitas or modern reputation to lead the Test coverage. Although I do think Fox suffer with that also by having Howard in a prominent role.
I think Mitchell is good and does have international reputation and experience.
I think they are moving slightly away from Lane as he only did 3 of 5 test matches.
I don’t see them replacing Brayshaw since he’s part of 7sports overall & now with MMM.
I don’t mind the commentary box having a caller and 2 experts.
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There’s always going to be a lead caller, just a matter of whether you want that to be a specialist broadcaster or an ex player. I think 7 might be oversubscribed with the former.
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I think they need to mix it up by allowing others to be the lead caller and not be rigid, Fox have Gilchrist and Guha who are on a different level to any of the lead callers on 7. Neither is the concept to only have specialist broadcasters lead the call a thing outside Australia. Blewett and Fleming have experience from their days at Fox, but 7 never tried to develop them as lead callers. They also had a very good opportunity to experiment with the coverage a bit in the BBL.
Probably for the 7 thread now - but agreed, the format they use feels dated.
I can understand it in BBL to an extent and think it actually suits that format having a broadcaster a little more to lead, but not in tests.
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