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Channel Nine slammed for all-male Ashes commentary team

"Where are the role models for young girls to take up cricket as a sport?"

"Where are the role models for young girls to take up cricket as a sport?" Photo: Twitter

On the same day the women’s Southern Stars won the Ashes, Channel Nine has been slammed for its all-male, all-white Ashes commentary team, with one commentator decrying it as a “sausage fest”.

To promote the Ashes coverage, Channel Nine promoted their commentary team with a photograph of eight cricket commentators, all male, in a Twitter post on Friday.

“Did Cricket Australia sign off on this sausage fest? Where are the role models for young girls to take up cricket as a sport?,” one Twitter user blasted.

“Cricket commentary team or the next batch of men appearing on The Bachelorette,” another Twitter user quipped about the all-male line-up.

Another joked that the team was indeed diverse, as former Test skipper Ian Chappell was wearing a hat.

Former test cricketers Bill Lawry, Ian Healy, Michael Slater, Mark Taylor, Michael Clarke, Shane Warne and Chappell were among the all-male crew to commentate the Ashes series starting Thursday, November 23.

Nine's all male ashes commentary team

Mel Jones (R) at a 2015 match between England and Australia. Photo: Getty

Writing for News Corp, sports journalist Selina Steele blasted Nine for what she saw as an insult.

“Let’s recap some Southern Stars figures for the women’s Ashes: 4.1 million minutes watched live; 3 million+ video views on social, 236,068 broadcast views — [star player] Ellyse Perry alone pulled over a million views for her double century,” Steele wrote.

“The likes of Mel Jones and Lisa Sthalekar have been a consistent voice this summer and Nine have also crossed to injured Australian captain Meg Lanning. Wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy is also great for a TV grab.

“Good enough to commentate cricket, but apparently only when women are playing. How can Channel 9 read the room so wrong?”

The New Daily approached Channel Nine for comment.

Cricket’s Ashes coverage stands in stark contrast to other male-dominated sports such as NRL where women such as Sarah Jones, Erin Molan and Yvonne Sampson and Lara Pitt feature large.

Women also have a presence in AFL coverage, with the likes of The Footy Show panelist Rebecca Maddern, and commentator Kelli Underwood, Lauren Arnell and Daisy Pearce.

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