CA's foray into commercial radio has been a well-guarded secret for weeks and has been made amid administrators' urgency to maintain the relevancy of Test cricket and take it to new markets as well as a drive to further boost revenue. The ABC's broadcasting of Tests at home and abroad has been an institution since it covered its first match, between Australia and England in 1924, and its exclusivity in the radio sphere has rarely been broken.

By adding commercial AM and FM partners for Tests and the BBL respectively, cricket joins the country's other leading codes the AFL, which has games in Melbourne called by the ABC, 3AW, SEN and Triple M, and the National Rugby League, whose radio rights in Sydney are held by the ABC, 2GB and Triple M.

Cricket's revamped radio and digital line-up has not gone down well, however, at the ABC, where there is a belief that CA has cheapened the national broadcaster's contribution to Test cricket over more than 80 years.

Grandstand's team of callers includes the iconic Jim Maxwell, veteran commentator Drew Morphett and the colourful former Test spinner Kerry O'Keeffe.

A key reason for discontent at the ABC is CA's refusal in negotiating the new agreement to allow the public broadcaster to live stream international cricket online as it has done previously. CA is keeping the digital market to itself, announcing in June it had partnered with Nine for a $60 million digital rights alliance that will have televised games streamed live on smartphone, tablets and its own website.