Viewers don't warm up to Warne the commentator

Melbourne, Jan 3 (PTI) Shane Warne's exploits with the ball don't necessarily translate into jugglery with words as Channel Nine's viewers observed in a recent poll.

The network asked people to vote whether Warne was likely
to prove as successful a TV commentator as he was a bowler.

Of those who responded, 73 per cent said no and the rest
said yes leaving Tony Greig to comment that it would be quite
a coincidence if the world's best bowler also happened to
become the world's best cricket commentator.

The Boxing Day Test was Warne's serious trial as a
commentator and there were mixed reactions from experts.

Lack of a distinct voice puts Warne at a disadvantage and
unless he in on screen, viewers can't be sure who's talking,
observed people who have been associated with broadcasting.

"Personally, I had trouble telling him from Michael
Slater. Slater has a more educated voice than Warne, but
they've got the same sort of cadence and the same hard A
vowel," said a leading sports broadcaster.

"I'd put a camera on Warne, and whenever they ask him for
a comment I'd let the viewers see him. That way, viewers would
start recognising his voice."

Another criticism is that Warne laughs a lot while
commentating, perhaps expecting people not to take him
seriously.

"In many of the things he did, he tried to be funny. I'd
be telling him to forget that. 'Just give us colour, Warney,
and if you've got a good story to tell then tell it. But don't
try to be funny, because it's not your bag. You're not Kerry
O'Keeffe,'" the broadcaster said.

"Warne's biggest asset is his enormous credibility, based
on the fact he's one of the greatest bowlers the world has
seen, and this is what he should be capitalising on. When he
says what he thinks about Nathan Hauritz's bowling, we sit up
and listen. He has value. He's got a nice smile and a kind
face and he comes across as a nice bloke," he added.

That seems to be the general perception and his ability
to communicate with people is another strong asset.

"Warne is a good communicator. He can string words
together. His stuff on-camera down on the field with Mark
Nicholas is very good. They ask him for an expert opinion, and
he gives it. He's really an interviewee in this situation, and
he's very good at it," said a sports executive from a rival
network.

"As a commentator, though, you're expected to lead, to
call what you see, which is a very different role that Warne's
not yet comfortable in.

"At the moment, he's a bit tentative, a bit guarded. That
will change with time," he said. PTI RSM
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