THE ABC Grandstand team is on the verge of losing its spot as Australia’s favourite and pre-eminent cricket broadcaster.

The first ball on Thursday signals not only the start of the Ashes but also the beginning of the summer radio wars.

Both the Macquarie Radio Network and Triple M have invested huge sums of money to attract top class commentary talent and draw traditional listeners away from the ABC with the promise of something different.

The ABC has to navigate this carefully otherwise these new challengers could send its coverage into obscurity and irrelevance. Put simply, the ABC Grandstand team has the most to lose.

LISTEN! With the Ashes battle set to commence, we dissect the teams both on the field and in the commentary boxes and The Sun’s chief cricket writer John Etheridge gives his take on upcoming hostilities.

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Historically, it has been the long-time favourite of Australian cricket fans but they must win over a new generation of listeners.

The legendary ABC voices of the past have been replaced in recent seasons by former players Simon Katich, Chris Rogers and Dirk Nannes alongside traditional ABC names.

This new ABC Grandstand commentary team is yet to be embraced by the Australian public and hasn’t established a new identity. They need to capture the imagination of cricket fans and provide the searing analysis and criticism required of top-class commentators.

Rogers, Katich and Nannes need great summers behind the microphones or risk being overtaken by the flashier stations.

The newest commercial network to cover Test cricket is Triple M who entered the scene last season. They splashed out on an all-star cast and recruited ex-Channel 9 producer Brad McNamara.

media_camera Kerry O’Keefe will be on the Triple M Network this Ashes series.

They provided an alternative style of coverage that included comedians, celebrities and rookie cricket commentators with varying levels of success.

Triple M’s broadcast had energy and, as a listener, you felt immersed in the atmosphere of the cricket ground. But at times last season it felt like the crowded commentary box got in the way of the on-field events.

“The biggest thing we learnt from last year was to be able to get the balance right and make sure we were calling the cricket correctly while also having a light hearted nature in our commentary mix.” said Triple M commentator Isa Guha.

For the Ashes they have added Kerry O’Keefe, Ian Botham, and Adam Gilchrist. They just need to the balance right between cricket analysis and Malcolm Turnbull impressions.

O’Keefe is the biggest asset they have. An astute analyst and at times very funny, he was a long-time favourite on ABC Grandstand and has the potential to attract Aunty listeners, if they can stand the commercials.

The final network to provide Test cricket coverage, and least well known, is the Macquarie Radio Network. This is their fifth season of cricket broadcasts and they have a host of notable and veteran cricket commentators including Ian Chappell, Mike Hussey, Damien Fleming and ex-ABC Grandstand commentator Tim Lane.

media_camera Simon Katich and Chris Rogers are now part of the ABC expert panel.

Last season they provided a great mix of intelligent cricket insights and light hearted entertaining banter. It is traditional, insightful and hard hitting.

The only downside is the ads but they are my pick for the best radio coverage of the Ashes.

This week on the Cricket Unfiltered Podcast the Commentary Critique Segment is making its debut. Join me in muting the TV and moving the radio dial around each session to assess the various broadcasts and email your review to auscricketpod@gmail.com or tweet to @auscricketpod

This week’s episode features Australian T20 player Jason Behrendorff who talks about his recent T20 international debut, dismissing Virat Kohli and his battles with stress fractures. Our foreign correspondent, The Sun’s cricket writer John Etheridge, also makes his debut.

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