Ricky set to be new Richie

Cricket champion swaps bat for mic

TASMANIAN Ricky Ponting has signed as the face of the cricket coverage Channel 7 has won from longstanding broadcaster Nine.

Ponting, 43, agreed to the multimillion-dollar deal with Seven executives yesterday, confirming his plan to take on a significant commentary role in preference to coaching. He said he was looking forward to the role: “I couldn’t be more excited to be joining Seven.”

THE boy from Mowbray is about to become the new doyen of Australian cricket commentary.

Ricky Ponting is padding back up as the face of Channel Seven’s cricket coverage, in a radical shake-up of TV broadcasting rights.

Channel Nine has lost the rights and Seven has turned to the nation’s record run scorer to be “its Richie Benaud” — the late legend of cricket commentary.

Ponting, 43, agreed to the multimillion-dollar deal with Seven executives yesterday, confirming his plan to take on a significant commentary role in preference to coaching. The move puts him into direct opposition with his former Channel 10 BBL stablemate and vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, who has signed with Fox Sports.

Ponting said he was looking forward to the role.

“I couldn’t be more excit- ed to be joining Seven and being part of an exciting new era of cricket broadcasting,” he said.

Channel Seven’s Dave Barham said the network would now turn its focus to building a team around the legend of the Baggy Green.

“We are absolutely rapt Ricky has decided to join Seven,” Mr Barham said.

“He is a key signing and we will be building a formidable team around him.”

Fox Sports and Channel Seven recently signed a joint $1.2 billion broadcast deal to win the rights from Channel Nine and Channel 10.