Everlasting Summer 02 | Synthetic cricket

11/13/22 • 25 min

After the tumultuous Bodyline series, Australia toured England in 1934 and 1938. The technology of the day wasn't up to live direct broadcasts from the other side of the world, so a different method of bringing cricket to Australian audiences was developed. Make believe was involved!

Cables were sent from the match venue on the other side of the world to the ABC. From this brief information, commentators in the Sydney studio elaborated a description of the play. They added their own sound effects of the ball being hit, and crowd noise was played off a gramophone recording.

It was ingenious but what did listeners at the time think they were hearing? Did they know it was largely made up?

It was ingenious but what did listeners at the time think they were hearing? Did they know it was largely made up?

Previous Episode

Everlasting Summer 01 | Bodyline broadcast

It was a great start. Over the summer of 1932 and 1933, the brand new Australian Broadcasting Commission presented its first live, national sports broadcast.

It was Test cricket, played by Australia and England—the Ashes. It also just happened to be the infamous 'Bodyline' series, designed to limit runs by the brilliant young Don Bradman.

Bodyline caused a great deal of ill-feeling between Australia and England, in a climate of broader tension in Anglo-Australian relations.

But to what extent was the drama and controversy of these matches heightened because they were broadcast by the ABC, and for the first time could be followed live by large numbers of people all over the country?

Next Episode

Everlasting Summer 03 | Pictures as well as sound

It's hard to remember now, but televised cricket in Australia was led by the ABC for over 20 years. From the beginning of television in 1956, ABC TV was the country's predominant broadcaster of cricket.

Then in 1977, Kerry Packer created World Series Cricket; a move ultimately designed to get the exclusive rights to broadcast cricket on the Nine Network, and off the ABC.

It was called a cricket revolution, but to what extent had the relay technology, the camera angles, the action and slow-motion replays — as well as the commentators — been pioneered and nurtured by the ABC?