COOK AND FINN TO HELP TNT RAISE THEIR GAME
FORMER England captain
Sir Alastair Cook and fast bowler Steven Finn are set to lead a beefed-up TNT Sports production of the second Test next week, after criticism of the spartan coverage of day one in Hyderabad.
With TNT only signing a five-year contract for India’s home internationals last week, there was insufficient time to assemble a punditry team before the start of the series, leaving presenter Matt Floyd to voice first-Test coverage without any studio presence.
TNT will continue to take a broadcast feed of the Indian commentary team for the rest of the series, which includes former England captains Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan, but will have their own pundits from the second Test onwards. Cook and Finn are understood to have been booked for next week along with Kate Mason, who will present from a studio in London.
Mason impressed when hosting TNT’s coverage of England’s white-ball tour to the West Indies before Christmas, which was also presented from London. Cook and Finn would ordinarily be engaged working for Test Match Special, but are available after BBC Sport lost out to talkSPORT in the battle for radio rights.
TalkSPORT have committed considerable resources to covering the series, with former England bowlers Steve Harmison and Darren Gough sent to India as part of a full team, led by experienced South African commentator Neil Manthorp.
‘The proximity between the agreement to show England’s tour of India on TNT Sports and the start of the series has meant we have been unable to implement our usual pre-production process for the first Test from Hyderabad,’ a TNT spokesperson said. ‘However, we will have an on-screen team in place as usual for the remainder of the series, who will be able to offer expert insight and analysis for fans watching on TNT Sports. ‘We’re excited to be bringing all of the action live on TNT Sports and discovery+, including timeline markers, a brand new innovation meaning fans can catch up on every key moment from the day’s play.’