‘I love talking about New Zealand cricket and now being able to promote the game here is pretty cool’
Katey Martin balances a Ferns recall with stint in commentary
Katey Martin has made it clear that playing cricket still comes first but she has been one of the finds of the summer in the commentary box for Spark Sport.
It started in Australia after the White Ferns tour ended last October. She had offers to join teams in the Women’s Big Bash League but they only wanted her to be available if needed, rather than a central part of their plans, so when Channel Seven came inquiring about her services, she jumped at the opportunity.
She was pushed while she was over there, tasked not only with commentating on the action but with interviewing players, doing pre-game shows, pitch reports, and the toss – showcasing a range of skills that caught the eyes of the Spark Sport producers back home.
‘‘By all accounts, they heard me over there and felt like there was an opportunity to bring a different perspective into the environment over in New Zealand,’’ Martin said. ‘‘That is how it came about, from my understanding, so I was pretty fortunate in Australia that they gave me that opportunity that allowed me to do some stuff back here.
‘‘I love talking about New Zealand cricket and now being able to promote the game here is pretty cool.’’ Martin has been a regular presence in the commentary box during the Twenty20 Super Smash, which started on Christmas Eve and ends on February 13, putting in time behind the mic whenever her commitments with the Otago Sparks have allowed her to.
While there are some in the Spark commentary crew who will commentate one day then play or coach the next – or even commentate in the morning and play or coach in the afternoon – Martin has been careful to take a cautious approach in her first season juggling both roles.
‘‘I am still pushing for New Zealand selection, so I gave Spark Sport my schedule around when I could do it and that was not the day before our games and not the day after, and they have been really accommodating with that.
‘‘I set out my weeks with training and make sure that takes priority and then the commentary comes on top of that.
‘‘It has been challenging but it has just been about making sure I fit in everything and it seems to be going OK so far and the schedule has worked out pretty well.’’
Despite being a commentary rookie, Martin has not been afraid to share her opinions in the box and has often given her
partners a bit of a ribbing, with the pronunciation of her White Ferns team-mate Amy Satterthwaite’s name a recurring bugbear.
‘‘I am a jovial person and my approach is I want to talk the way that I would like to hear someone talk,’’ Martin said.
‘‘If I am sitting there watching a game, what would I want to hear as a spectator? That has been my approach and people will either love it or they will hate it.
‘‘Sometimes I give the boys a bit of stick on certain things like pronunciations of players’ names and there is the odd bit of banter but the important thing I have found when you are working with a team is how we talk when there is two or three of us is really important – it is about making sure there is nice interaction so that is what people hear when they are listening to you.’’
A highlight for Martin came at the start of the year when she was part of the commentary team for the second test between the Black Caps and Pakistan in Christchurch.
‘‘I remember sitting there beside Stephen Fleming talking about test match cricket and tactics, not even on mic, and I just could not believe it, I was just in awe of being able to talk about cricket with Stephen Fleming,’’ she said.
‘‘I grew up with Brendon McCullum when I was younger, so with him it was sort of like we were yarning away as if we were back in Dunedin – South Dunedin as he would say – when we were younger.’’ But while she has relished the chance to talk cricket with some former stars, Martin has also enjoyed being able to provide a female player’s perspective, joining former White Fern Rebecca Rolls and playercommentator pioneer Frankie Mackay in Spark Sport’s regular rotation.
‘‘It is the same sport played differently,’’ is how she puts it, before expanding on one of the crucial differences between the men’s and women’s games.
‘‘With the men, if it is 140kmh, you can stand and whack it straight down the ground but for the women, you can’t do that – you don’t have the pace – so it is more technical and there are certain ways women play so it is not just a brutal game.
‘‘I am not saying that is just what the men do – there are subtleties as well to their style – but it is just saying, well, actually, there is no pace in it, so the girls have to do something slightly different than the boys to generate the power.
‘‘It is about just showing those sorts of aspects of it so that people can understand that, yeah, it is the same game but there are slightly different aspects to it that the girls have to consider that the boys don’t, purely because of their brute strength and the pace of the ball.’’
‘‘I love talking about New Zealand cricket and now being able to promote the game here is pretty cool.’’