Channel Nine Talks Tough Over Sachin’s Absence
CHANNEL Nine, one of Cricket Australia’s key allies, has expressed displeasure at the sport’s rotation policy after Sachin Tendulkar and Mike Hussey were rested from yesterday’s one-day international in Adelaide.
Just as the network was grappling with how to resolve the scheduling clash between the March 2 Australia-Sri Lanka clash and the opening round of the NRL, veteran commentator Tony Greig labelled the decision to leave out the pair a ”disgrace”.
Greig said the network and fans should receive financial compensation, while Nine’s executive producer of cricket Brad McNamara said he expected the best players to be involved in every game.
Tendulkar was a surprise omission, and robbed the local crowd – and television audiences in Australia and on the sub-continent – of what appeared to be the perfect opportunity to end 11 months of frustration and finally notch his century of international centuries on a typically placid local pitch. The batting maestro was not injured.
Australia opted to give Hussey, who plays in all three forms of the sport, an extra few days in his hometown of Perth after Friday night’s thrilling win over Sri Lanka.
The decision to rest Tendulkar was odd. Replaced by Gautam Gambhir, he already had had a break during the Twenty20 series. He made only two in the one-day series opener in Melbourne a week ago but was in good touch during his 48 against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Tendulkar is expected to play against Sri Lanka in Adelaide tomorrow.
McNamara was also unimpressed by yesterday’s decision. ”We want the best players playing every game, as simple as that,” McNamara said. ”Anything that affects our viewing audience is an issue, it’s as simple as that. If it has the potential to do that, it is an issue.”
Tendulkar’s absence also had the potential yesterday to hurt the ratings of India’s host broadcaster, ESPN-Star.
”Imagine what it has done to the viewing audience in India?” McNamara said. ”That particular resting probably has more of an issue for the Indian audience although there are a lot of people [in Australia] who like watching Tendulkar bat. We would much prefer he was playing, put it that way.”
Nine’s contract with Cricket Australia expires next year and the two parties will soon start key discussions. If marquee players are rested too often, it could impact CA’s bottom line.
”No doubt. It could possibly be a discussion … we will wait and see what happens between now and then,” McNamara said.
Concerns over the rotation policy have come at an inopportune time for CA, with the last game before the tri-series finals shown on delay in NSW and Queensland because of a clash of scheduling with round one of the NRL.
Nine is debating whether to show both the Friday-night clash at the MCG and the NRL blockbuster between Brisbane and Parramatta on its main digital channel rather than offload the game to one of its secondary channels and leave viewers with analogue televisions unable to watch. However, this would mean the cricket would be shown on delay, angering CA.
The prospect of Australia resting one of their more marketable players as part of the rotation policy could make Nine’s decision to go with the NRL easier.
Australia’s rotation policy has caused consternation before, although this appears to be the first time Nine’s displeasure has become public. Australia’s 2001-02 tri-series campaign against South Africa and New Zealand was a disaster as players were rotated through the team and Australia missed the finals.
© SMH
