BBC CONFIRMS PROGRAMMING AND PRESENTING LINE-UP FOR SUMMER OF CRICKET
With an exciting summer of cricket ahead, including the 2023 Ashes on home soil, the BBC will bring all of the action to fans with extensive TV, radio and online coverage.
From live TV coverage and highlights on BBC iPlayer, to ball-by-ball commentary and podcast specials on BBC Sounds, to features and unmissable clips on the BBC Sport website and app; cricket fans can follow every minute with the BBC.
Today at the Test returns on Thursday 1 June when England take on Ireland at Lord’s. World Cup and Ashes winner, Isa Guha, will welcome viewers from 7pm daily, and will be joined by guests Sir Alastair Cook, Phil Tufnell and Michael Vaughan, as Ben Stokes and his team embark on their first Test of many this summer. Alison Mitchell and Niall O’Brien also make up the BBC commentary team that looks back on the day’s cricket.
Before the Ashes gets underway, Jonathan Agnew leads the Test Match Special (TMS) team for commentary on the World Test Championship final at the Oval, as Australia’s men take on India for the right to become crowned only the second ever World Test Champions. Aggers will be joined by Simon Mann, Jim Maxwell, Deep Dasgupta, Vic Marks and Alex Hartley from 7 June. There will also be video highlights on the BBC Sport website and app.
Once the Ashes begins, daily TV highlights on close of play for all the men’s and women’s Test matches will continue on ‘Today at the Test’, with Isa Guha presenting the men’s Ashes Test matches. Hour long coverage will be available on BBC Two and iPlayer from Friday 16 June and conclude on Monday 31 July.
For fans who don’t want to miss a minute of the action, TMS is set to provide ball-by-ball commentary from each day of both the men’s and women’s Ashes. Kicking proceedings off in Edgbaston, as England’s men attempt to win the series for the first time since 2015, while the women face Australia at Trent Bridge on 22 June.
TMS coverage will be available live on 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, and will be led by Jonathan Agnew, alongside an iconic commentary team including Isa Guha, Simon Mann, Alison Mitchell, Daniel Norcross and Jim Maxwell, with summarisers Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook, Phil Tufnell, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Ebony Rainford Brent, Vic Marks, Moeen Ali and Alex Hartley, with Andy Zaltzman returning as scorer.
For the women’s Ashes they’ll be joined by Melinda Farrell, Henry Moeran, Melissa Story and Emily Windsor, with World Cup winners Anya Shrubsole and Georgia Elwiss, and legendary former Australia captain Alex Blackwell.
Eleanor Oldroyd swaps commentary on the Coronation to lead the reporting team on both men’s and women’s games on BBC 5 Live, and will be joined by Ashes winning bowler Steven Finn and guests.
For Ashes fans looking to reminisce on highs and lows of England over recent years, a new documentary brings in-depth interviews with legends of the game, including Ben Stokes, Jimmy Anderson, Steve Smith and Glenn McGrath. Available on BBC iPlayer on 7 June, and on BBC Two ahead of the tournament, ‘How to Win the Ashes’ relives the on-field heroics which captured a nation’s imagination, and lifts the lid on the behind-the-scenes turmoil. The in-depth interviews will also be available via a boxset on BBC Sounds.
There will be a new podcast on the TMS feed each day, bringing the best analysis and insight at the end of each day’s play, as well as feature interviews between matches. Greg James, Jimmy Anderson and Felix White’s Tailenders are creating an Ashes special which fans will be able to watch on BBC iPlayer, as well as listen to on BBC Sounds.
England bowler Kate Cross and World Cup winner Alex Hartley’s award-winning podcast ‘No Balls’ will also run throughout the series. Including some live editions, they will bring their behind-the-scenes insight into England’s Ashes campaign. A BBC Sounds exclusive will also bring together the best of the TMS archive, celebrating great Ashes moments.
On 1 July, the BBC airs England women's first Twenty20 international, as part of their Ashes series. Live TV coverage will be available to watch on BBC Two and iPlayer, as Heather Knight leads her team for the first of three T20 matches. Isa Guha presents the match, with Alex Hartley and Anya Shrubsole.
From 1 August, The Hundred returns to the BBC. The new, fast-paced format, which consists of just 100 balls, sees eight teams go head-to-head for the third consecutive year. Live TV coverage of 16 games will be available to watch on BBC Two and iPlayer, with commentary on every ball available via BBC Sounds.
The international summer concludes with England’s men playing a white-ball series against New Zealand and Ireland, and England’s women against Sri Lanka.
The series will start on 30 August, with live TV coverage of the matches on 1, 3 and 6 September, plus daily TV highlights and full ball-by-ball commentary on TMS. Record breaking fast bowler, James Anderson, and former New Zealand captain, Stephen Fleming, will be part of the coverage for those matches.
And, you can hear every ball of every county match online, with extensive coverage of the men’s and women’s domestic game also on BBC Sounds. Throughout this summer of cricket, the BBC Sport website and app will be home to live text commentary, special features, and in-play clips.
Director of BBC Sport, Barbara Slater, says: "We love being able to bring live sport to audiences and our cricket coverage is a huge part of that. I’m thrilled that we are delivering a wealth of cricket coverage this summer across TV, radio and online, keeping fans at the heart of the action. From the iconic Ashes tournament to more recent formats like The Hundred, we are making cricket accessible to all."