Last week I could not find a TV channel or radio link for the West Indies versus England match being played in Antigua.
I was glad in the end to find an Independent Radio link. I ended up very disgusted with the commentary being made – they kept complaining the match was boring, the players were playing very defensively to get runs without losing wickets.
They constantly complained about the pitch being soggy, the ball being pink like Brighton seaside rock. They went on and on about a match played in Zimbabwe that was similar, for about 15 minutes while they ranted about this they were not giving any information about the match being played!
Another time it was how to attract young people into cricket, and whether or not youngsters were seeing cricket matches in their schools again, neglecting to pass on what was happening on the field.
Remember, listeners could not see the game so they should have been describing the movement of the game!! They always mention the bowler’s name and do not give the batsman’s name. Even when a wicket is taken you hear who took the wicket and not who is the new batsman coming in.
While listening I want to visualise the game and get to know new players, and also to recognise when our Grenada players are playing and how they are succeeding. It is hard to get the score! They have a small corner for it on the screen, and minute figures that cannot even be read with a magnifying glass, but have enough space where they could be twice as big!
So I am really hoping they can improve in all ways before they reach Grenada as I will still not be able to go for mobility issues, but want to follow the game.
Please remember too, not all listeners can follow every minute and need the score often to keep up and if the commentators find it boring, go and comment on Baseball and give us someone who likes cricket and it is always interesting as anything can happen!!
Heather Sylvester
Tanteen, St George