When I was living in Mumbai in the mid-’70s and cricket on television had not yet arrived, there was no greater pleasure than listening to BBC’s Test Match Special ball-by-ball radio commentary. There were such greats as Trevor Bailey, Norman Yardley, John Arlott, Brian Johnston, Fred Trueman, Christopher Martin-Jenkins. The producer’s brief was clear: convey the atmosphere on the ground and crack jokes. And don’t forget the cricket. Old ladies from Henley-on-Thames used to send Johnston freshly baked chocolate cakes which were consumed on air by the commentary team while wickets were falling! I remember the way Arlott signed off the air after a 35-year commentary career. He had, like Neville Cardus, become a legend. After his fellow commentators had paid him a fulsome tribute, Arlott remained silent and ended his stint on Test Match Special with the words: “And after Trevor Bailey, it will be Christopher Martin-Jenkins.” What a way to go!
A worthy successor to those greats is the Lancastrian David Lloyd. On TV during the recent Ashes series, he said of an English player: “If that fellow is a Test bowler, my backside is a fire engine!”
( Vinod Mehta, Outlook)
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