Who’ll go in to bat for cricket?

For many New Zealanders, the sound of summer is not a symphony conducted by cicadas or the sizzle of a sausage on a hot barbecue.

It is the sometimes philosophical musings of two people occasionally interrupted by the goings-on between wooden ‘‘castles’’ separated by 22 yards of grass.

The more experienced listeners will happily carry on their chores, largely ignorant of that essential background hum until a rising, excited cadence alerts them to some important action or outcome. That Kiwi summer theme music will be absent next year, with Radio Sport ending its broadcasting of live domestic and international cricket played in this country.

It appears NZME, which owns Radio Sport, and New Zealand Cricket were unable to agree over the price of a new contract and its length. This is sad news for a few reasons.

Cricket has been televised on a number of platforms.

It was free-to-air for decades, before moving to Sky, and begins its new domestic residency with

Spark Sport in April.

The one constant for those unable or unwilling to pay has been the prattling of Bryan Waddle, Jeremy Coney and many others during free live commentary on the radio.

Beyond the nostalgia, there is a sense of a bigger loss.

One that we should all be worried about, and one on which our political leaders may need to step up to bat.

It is the challenge of servicing what some might describe as niche, public-service audiences at a time when all broadcasters are being asked to seek more commercial, numbers-driven outcomes for their content.

That tension played out in the drama over RNZ Concert’s future, the idea being that a smaller, older audience could be effectively sidelined in the interests of boosting a younger, more dynamic group for the state broadcaster.

Former prime minister Helen Clark disagreed and sensed a ‘‘pattern of destruction of cultural services available to New Zealanders’’. She, along with many others, made the point that Concert’s value to the country could not be fully reflected in mere numbers and metrics.

Interestingly, the Government appeared to agree, stepping in with a plan to keep Concert where it is while supporting RNZ’s bid to grow its youth audience. In doing so, it recognised the importance of Concert to the country’s heritage, implying an intangible value that goes beyond the balance sheet.

A great many New Zealanders would see a similar cultural and heritage value in live cricket broadcasts and the banter of its well-known broadcasters.

And simply in the access to a

The one constant for those unable or unwilling to pay has been the prattling of Bryan Waddle, Jeremy Coney and many others ...

free broadcast.

The Government will likely be reluctant to be drawn into the business dealings of private entities, but if it recognises the worth and argument in retaining Concert, the value of protecting and retaining heritage buildings, and even supporting ‘‘local democracy reporting’’ by the commercial media, then it can’t ignore the claims of free access to this country’s national summer sport.