Rigor’s resurrection: ‘It could have been all over’
Sidelined from limited overs cricket, the top broadcaster could see his prized gig slipping from his grasp, writes Mark Geenty.
Exactly 20 years ago, Mark Richardson was on his first New Zealand cricket tour, ducking and weaving against South African speedsters Allan Donald, Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock.
Once a talented left-arm spinnerwho reinvented himself as an opening batsman, Richardson scrapped and defied the world’s best fast bowlers for the next four years, averaging a world-class 44.77 in 38 tests. In the toughest spot in the order, no New Zealand opener has averaged higher (Glenn Turner next best on 44.64).
‘‘It feels like it was only yesterday,’’ he says of that African odyssey in 2000.
‘‘I look back on my career and I’m pretty proud. I battled it out. That’s all I wanted to do, my No 1 goal in life was to play for the Black Caps. I got there and I did OK for a short period of time.’’
Fast forward to last cricket season and Richardson was cranky. And a bit gloomy. The job he covets most, cricket commentary, was slipping from his grasp, 15 years after the late Martin Crowe first approached him with an opportunity.
Alongside his more highprofile TV gigs, Richardson still clutched the microphone in the Sky commentary box, but only for test matches. Much like his international career, Richardson and limited overs cricket were becomingmutually exclusive. And he hated it.
‘‘I realised that being a cricket commentator is such an important part of who I amand how I identify myself,’’ Richardson tells Sunday News.
‘‘I got my nose well out of joint because I got taken off all the limited overs cricket and only did test cricket. I was really p.. d off because I felt that my ability as a cricket broadcaster should have outweighed any lack of pedigree in one format of
the game, and what I’d delivered in the last 10-12 years with Sky was basically treated with disdain.
‘‘That’s why I’m so thrilled to be working for Spark because it could all have been over. It’s my absolute passion, cricket commentary.’’
Now, he’s the longest-serving TV commentator in the new lineup.
With Spark Sport assembling its new team in year one of a sixyear rights deal, Richardson tested the water with it and his current employer Mediaworks (Three) where he co-presents TheAMShow and fronts The Block (the latter still on a Covid19 hiatus, but tentatively scheduled to return).
Mediaworks was receptive, although Richardson won’t call the first Twenty20 internationals of each tour, which are screened live on rival TVNZ.
About six weeks ago he signed, and was announced in Spark’s new lineup alongside former team-mates Stephen Fleming, Craig McMillan and Brendon McCullum and a host of other former internationals. Richardson was listed as ‘broadcaster’ on the official release, alongside RugbyWorld Cup commentator Scotty Stevenson and actor/presenter Sonia Gray.
‘‘I call myself a broadcaster now. You’re not a player any more, so the skills you bring are broadcaster’s skills, not cricketing skills. You have to learn the skills associated with commentary.
‘‘I cringed when I went back and listened to my early stuff. I don’t think anyone is a natural at it. They say Richie Benaud’s early commentary was pretty average, and then you find
your style and you don’t really have to think about it.’’
It irked Richardson that the commentary box was seen as a domain for greats of the game who slipped in seamlessly on retirement. Much like coaching, Richardson believes a ‘‘workmanlike’’ player brings an invaluable perspective.
He never viewed himself as a gifted cricketer, but he settled on awatertight gameplan and battled the mental demons all top players face. His lack of athleticism earned the nickname ‘Rigor’ (Mortis) and his wonderfully titled book, Thinking Negatively, gave a rare insight into his mindset.
Richardson’s only regret is his lack of success against the great Australian team of the early 2000s. ‘‘I’ll take that to the grave,’’ he says (even if he had the satisfaction of catching Shane Warne for 99 in Perth in 2001, then bowing to the crowd).
‘‘The only reason I got to where I was as a cricketer was because I had to work so hard
‘ I will definitely call it as I see it with an element of tongue-in-cheek ... You entertain first, inform second. We’re there as a specific part of the entertainment.’ MARK RICHARDSON
and think so hard about it. Thinking about the game becomes a really genuine part of who you are and it definitely helps. ‘‘I wanted to go out and bat like Gilchrist, McCullum or Gayle, but I couldn’t, so you know the reason why you can’t and you really appreciate when you see that ... you can understand when a player is in the zone and you can understand what it’s like to be playing for your spot and hopelessly out of form.’’
It also means some banter with the likes of McCullum, whose careers famously intersected at the Sydney Cricket Ground on the future skipper’s one-day international debut in 2002.
They opened the batting together in one of Richardson’s four career ODIs, and it ended badly for McCullum, run out for five.
Said Richardson with a laugh: ‘‘Yeah. When he didn’t realise when you run between the wickets, you run as a pair. You might be a hare but the bloke at the other end is a draught horse. Your sense of a single has to reflect their ability to make the run as well.’’
Richardson’s TV persona can be a polarising one, notably the right wing curmudgeon that emerges on TheAMShow. In the cricket commentary box there will be an edge, and he’s looking forward to bouncing off his fellow microphone clutchers bringing areas of expertise like captaincy and tactical analysis.
‘‘I will definitely call it as I see it with an element of tongue-incheek. If you are going to say something controversial it is nice if you can hit that ‘is he for real or not?’ sort of feel.
‘‘You entertain first, inform second. We’re there as a specific part of the entertainment. Being informative can be entertaining, it’s not just sticking on a funny hat and doing a jig, it can be when you’re being critical as well. In the sports industry, the broadcast industry and the media industry, you inform but if you inform in a boring way, no-onewants to listen do they?’’