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Seven: 2022-23 Summer of Cricket: guide

Commentators, scheduling and more for Test series and BBL events on Seven.

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Seven Network has unveiled its commentary team, for its upcoming Summer Cricket events: Australia v West Indies Test, Australia and South Africa, Big Bash League, Women’s International Series.

Seven’s commentary team has received a boost with the arrival of former Australian Cricket Team coach, Justin Langer. Also joining is Ricky Ponting, former West Indies fast bowlers Ian Bishop and Michael Holding, former South African fielder Jonty Rhodes.

Returning to Seven’s commentary team are Greg Blewett, James Brayshaw, Trent Copeland, Callum Ferguson, Holly Ferling, Damien Fleming, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Erin Holland, Simon Katich, Tim Lane, Andy Maher, Mel McLaughlin, Alison Mitchell, Alister Nicholson, Jason Richardson, Lisa Sthalekar, Simon Taufel and Elyse Villani.

They will be joined by former New Zealand wicketkeeper Katey Martin off the back of her role with Seven’s WBBL coverage, while current Big Bash stars Sam Billings, Alex Carey, Aaron Finch, Moises Henriques and Glenn Maxwell will be regulars on Seven’s BBL coverage.

Head of Network Sport, Lewis Martin, said: “With an epic season that includes a super-charged new season of BBL, an energetic week of WBBL Finals, two fantastic men’s Test Series and a Women’s International Series, the new summer of cricket will be bigger than ever – and Seven has assembled an all-star commentary team to match.

“With Justin Langer joining Ricky Ponting in an on-air line-up that was already outstanding, only strengthened by the arrival of some of the game’s most iconic international stars, Seven has you covered this Summer.

“The only place to see it all live and free, is on Seven, Your Home of Cricket,” he said.

Test Cricket

With a Test rivalry dating back to 1930, Australia and the West Indies have produced some of sport’s most memorable moments.

This summer, fans can look forward to more unforgettable Test cricket action as the Aussies square off with the West Indies over a two-match Test series, live and free on Seven.

From the opening day of the first Test at Optus Stadium on Wednesday, 30 November, Ian Bishop and Michael Holding will be part of cricket’s premier commentary team, while Justin Langer joins for all five Australian Tests, alongside the game’s most astute commentator, Ponting.

Former West Indies fast bowler, Michael Holding, had a message for Australian cricket fans gearing up for the iconic test match.

“Here in the Caribbean, we don’t just like cricket, we love it,” he said.

“We have created legends in Brian Lara and Sir Viv Richards… a new generation of West Indies greats are coming to break your hearts.”

From Saturday, 17 December, Seven’s cricket team will head north to the Gabba for the first of three Tests between Australia and South Africa.

The heavyweight battle of the world, Australia will face rivals South Africa in what is set to be a nail-biting Test Series, headlined by many of the world’s greats.

Joining Seven’s team for the South Africa Test will be Jonty Rhodes, who will provide expert commentary across the entire series, alongside Seven’s team of commentators.

Ahead of his commentary debut for Seven, Justin Langer said: “My favourite place to tour as a player, and coach, was the West Indies.

“Each country in the West Indies has its unique characteristics, but what is consistent is the West Indians’ love for the game of cricket. Their athleticism is elite, and their fast bowlers are always fun to watch. The West Indian fast bowlers love bowling bouncers and this always provides great entertainment. West Indies and Australian cricket each have a rich history. Let’s hope this summer adds more layers to that story.

“There is no love lost between Australia and South Africa. The last time the two teams met will be remembered in the folklore of cricket, albeit for the wrong reasons,” he said.

“Both teams have an amazing fast bowling cartel and I believe it will be the batting team that can best fight through these onslaughts that will come out on top. There is always plenty of spirit between these two teams and with the memory of their last Test series five years ago, it will be electric to watch.”

Big Bash League

Straight after the Australia v West Indies Test wraps, a new season of the Big Bash League kicks off on Seven – and it promises to be the best yet.

BBL 12 will start with a bang on Tuesday, 13 December, on a blockbuster week of live and free cricket between the Australia v West Indies and Australia v South Africa Tests. To launch the star-studded season, fierce rivals the Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars will face off at Manuka Oval in Canberra from 7.00pm AEDT on Channel 7 and 7mate.

The epic season-opener launches four-straight nights of BBL on Seven, each one featuring a prime-time blockbuster and a double-header on Friday night.

Across the 2022-23 summer, fans will again enjoy 45 games live and free on Seven, including all five Finals.

On 11 days of the season, live and free BBL matches will follow stumps in Australia’s Test series, including a super-mega day featuring back-to-back Big Bash clashes on top of a full day’s play in the Boxing Day Test.

The home and away fixture concludes on 25 January with a tantalising double-header on Seven featuring Hobart Hurricanes v Brisbane Heat at UTAS Stadium in Launceston, followed by Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder at the MCG.
The five-match finals series begins on Friday, 27 January, with the all-important Final scheduled for Saturday, 4 February.

Throughout the 2022-23 BBL season, cricket fans will once again be treated to Seven’s The Spin, hosted by Lisa Sthalekar, Jason Richardson and Brad Hodge, weekly on Channel 7, 7mate and 7plus.

Former Australian women’s captain Lisa Sthalekar is counting down the days to the start of the season.

“Given how difficult it has been the last few years operating with COVID, I expect the players and fans will see a real celebration of BBL this year,” she said.

“With the opportunity for so many of our Aussie stars to be available at the back end of the season, it brings the opportunity for an action-packed lead into Finals.

“The two most successful clubs, the Sixers and Scorchers, have again put together a quality squad and no doubt will be there in the Finals. Plus, their encounters are always nail bitting matches and I wouldn’t expect anything different this year.

“One player that we haven’t seen for a while in BBL is Andre Russell, and while he won’t be out for the entire competition, there’s no doubt he will provide plenty of entertainment. The other aspect I am looking forward to is a few of our Aussie stars coming back and playing BBL. It has been a while since we have seen Warner turn out for the Thunder and he will certainly want to show his dominance in this format!”

Women’s International Series

From Monday, 16 January, Australia’s most-loved sports team will be back on the world stage, for the Australia v Pakistan Women’s International Series.

With three ODIs, followed by three T20 matches, Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy’s adored team of Aussies will look to continue their incredibly strong form on the world stage over two weeks of women’s cricket action.

7NEWS.com.au Cricket Match Centre

Ahead of the 2022-23 Summer of Cricket, 7NEWS.com.au has created a one stop shop 7Cricket match centre. With fixtures, live ball-by-ball commentary, stats, breaking news and exclusive 7Cricket stories, 7NEWS.com.au has all cricket fans covered for the 2022-23 Summer of Cricket, including Australia’s Test Series, BBL and WBBL and the Women’s International Series.

7Cricket Hub on 7plus

Throughout the 2022-23 Summer of Cricket, fans can tune into 7plus for live and on demand cricket content, including:

• The Spin: Every week during the BBL season, Seven’s own Lisa Sthalekar, Brad Hodge and Jason Richardson take a deep dive into the wild word of Cricket, available live, free and on demand on 7plus
• The Grade Cricketer: Comedic duo The Grade Cricketer are back on 7plus joined by some of the sport’s biggest names
• Stumped: Hosted by Seven’s golden team of commentators, the cricket quiz that is so bad, it’s good returns to 7plus for the 2022-23 Summer of Cricket
• Stars TV: Stars TV takes you inside the Big Bash League’s greatest club, the Melbourne Stars, with behind-the-scenes access to some of the biggest names and rising stars of world cricket. Available to stream now on 7plus.
• Renegades Recruit: Cricketers from across Victoria come together to compete for a unique high-performance opportunity with the Renegades Academy. The winner of the show receives a unique opportunity to develop their cricket with the Renegades. Available to stream now on 7plus

Australia v West Indies Test series

Starts 30 November
First Test: Optus Stadium, 30 November – 4 December
Coverage starts at 12.30pm AEDT on Channel 7 and 7mate on all five days

Second Test: Adelaide Oval, 8 – 12 December (day-night)
Coverage starts at 2.00pm AEDT on Channel 7 and 7mate on all five days

Australia v South Africa Test series
Starts 17 December

First Test: GABBA, 17 – 21 December
Coverage starts at 10.00am AEDT on Channel 7 and 7mate on all five days

Second Test (Boxing Day): MCG, 26 – 30 December
Coverage starts at 9.30am AEDT on Channel 7 and 7mate on all five days

Third Test: SCG, 4 – 8 January
Coverage starts at 9.30am AEDT on Channel 7 and 7mate on all five days

BBL 12

Begins 13 December – Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Stars

Across BBL 12, fans will enjoy 45 games live and free on Seven, including all five finals. The season starts on 13 December with Sydney Thunder v. Melbourne Stars at Manuka Oval, at 7.00pm AEDT on Channel 7 and 7mate, between the West Indies and South Africa Tests.

The home and away fixture concludes on 25 January with a tantalising double-header on Seven featuring Hobart Hurricanes v Brisbane Heat at UTAS Stadium, followed by Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder at the MCG. The five-match finals series begins on Friday, 27 January, with the all-important Final scheduled for Saturday, 4 February.

Women’s International Series

Begins 16 January – Australia v Pakistan

Women’s ODI Game One: Alan Border Field, 16 January
Coverage starts at 11.00am AEDT on 7two

Women’s ODI Game Two: North Sydney Oval, 18 January
Coverage starts at 11.00am AEDT on 7mate

Women’s ODI Game Three: North Sydney Oval, 21 January
Coverage starts at 11.00am AEDT on 7mate

Women’s T20 Game One: North Sydney Oval, 24 January
Coverage starts at 1.30pm AEDT on Channel 7

Women’s T20 Game Two: Blundstone Arena, 26 January
Coverage starts at 7.00pm AEDT on Channel 7 and 7mate

Women’s T20 Game Three: Manuka Oval, 29 January
Coverage starts at 1.30pm AEDT on Channel 7 and 7mate

4 Responses

  1. WHen was the last time WI played a Test in AUS? Back in the 1960s through to late 1990s, West Indies used to play a chockful of Tests in Australia, but sadly they only play two Tests this series. Unfortunately, WI has been on a downward spiral since 2001 with very few wins. The West Indies have never returned as a competitive Test Side in 2010.
    I predict that the Perth and Adelaide Tests will have an earlier finish.

    1. Last test series they played was in the 2015/16 series so it been a while ,they were knocked out of the group stages in the T20 World Cup so I think you right they may finish early , it’s a shame as they were such a powerhouse team in the years of Lara and Viv Richards to name a few.

  2. Correct me if I am wrong but this will be the first BBL in recent years to not be affected by Covid restrictions? I suspect Covid and the deal Seven chose to strike with Cricket Australia and Foxtel are the reasons for the poor performance of the tournament in recent years. When Ten had Big Bash it aired in one place, live and free. To get the cost of the cricket deal down, Seven signed up to a deal that enabled Foxtel to air the same BBL matches it was broadcasting on free-to-air, on Fox Cricket. Of course the free to air audience was going to drop if people with Foxtel could watch the BBL there ad free right? As expensive as it may be, I think free to air networks would be best to focus on prioritising one signature sports brand and going for complete exclusivity in terms of rights. Similar to what Nine does with Tennis. Foxtel is not a friend to FTA and if the FTA networks worked together to secure deals, instead of with Foxtel, it would help their overall causes.

  3. I suppose seven are required to make reasonable / good faith efforts to promote the cricket but it is difficult to reconcile the seven hype with their past disparaging comments about the quality of the BBL. Justin Langer is a good get and if utilized correctly, will make for quality commentary.

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