Cricket AM
Encyclopedia
Cricket AM is a Saturday-morning cricket
-based television programme broadcast in the United Kingdom
on Sky Sports 1
. It began broadcasting in May 2006, and is largely based on its successful football-related counterpart Soccer AM
, as a replacement during the football off-season. The show lasts for 90 minutes and for the 2010 season is presented by Matt Floyd, who has taken over from Simon Thomas
, and Sarah-Jane Mee, the latter taking over from Anita Rani
. During the English Cricket Season either an England test or game or a County Cricket game follows the programme.
all-rounder
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff
competing against professionals in a number of different sports. Freddie has competed against Ricky Hatton
at boxing, Joey Barton
at football, and has played table tennis
, tenpin bowling, archery
, baseball
, basketball
and darts
against world champion Phil "The Power" Taylor, with mixed success! Another regular feature has two animated characters ("Willow and "Stumpy") explaining unusual rules or jargon. 'Champagne Cork' features Hampshire's Dominic Cork
looking back at the best moments of the past seven days, also there is a Stat of the Week, presented by the Sky Sport Statistician Benedict Bermange
, while one of the Sky Sports commentary team is sitting behind him looking distinctly unimpressed. SHit show
The show mirrors Soccer AM very closely in many regards; the Luther Blissett Stand was renamed as the Gary Pratt
cricket pavilion
, (2006). It was subsequently renamed as the Dwayne Leverock
(2007) and the Jesse Ryder
Pavilion for the 2008 season. In 2011, it has been renamed the Douglas Jardine
Pavilion. The pavilion is filled by the members of a club cricket team, who compete in a bowl-out
in the outdoor car park at the end of the show. Throw Time, a feature in which county cricket teams were visited and contested to throw a ball at the stumps with their "wrong" hand, closely resembled Soccer AMs Crossbar Challenge.
In 2009, two weekly features called 'Ultimate Sportsman' and 'Brain + Brawn' were introduced. In 'Ultimate Sportsman', three county professionals all from the same team compete to become the ultimate sportsman. A penalty shootout, a golf pitching challenge and a 3 dart throw are completed, and the player with the most points after this is the winner. In 'Brain + Brawn', two players from the same team attempt to score as many points as possible. One player has to answer quiz questions, while the other must hold a 5kg dumbbell with their arm straight and horizontal to the body. Time ends when the weight cannot be held for any longer.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
-based television programme broadcast in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on Sky Sports 1
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. It began broadcasting in May 2006, and is largely based on its successful football-related counterpart Soccer AM
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
, as a replacement during the football off-season. The show lasts for 90 minutes and for the 2010 season is presented by Matt Floyd, who has taken over from Simon Thomas
Simon Thomas (television presenter)
Simon Thomas is a British television presenter, who worked on Blue Peter for six years.-Early life:Simon Thomas was born in Norwich, Norfolk to Andrew and Gill Thomas. He has two sisters called Hannah and Rebecca...
, and Sarah-Jane Mee, the latter taking over from Anita Rani
Anita Rani
Anita Rani is an English born ethnic Indian radio and television presenter and journalist.-Early life:Rani was born and raised in Bradford in Yorkshire, to a mother of Sikh origins, and Hindu father...
. During the English Cricket Season either an England test or game or a County Cricket game follows the programme.
Features
The show features a range of regular cricket-related programming features. Studio guests include past and present cricketers, and musicians with an interest in cricket. Aside from results, previews and commentary on ongoing cricket, there are a number of regular studio features on the show, including Ready Steady Freddie, a segment featuring prominent EnglandEnglish cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
competing against professionals in a number of different sports. Freddie has competed against Ricky Hatton
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, , is a former British professional boxer, and currently a promoter....
at boxing, Joey Barton
Joey Barton
Joseph Anthony "Joey" Barton is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League side Queens Park Rangers as either a central midfielder or a winger....
at football, and has played table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, tenpin bowling, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
against world champion Phil "The Power" Taylor, with mixed success! Another regular feature has two animated characters ("Willow and "Stumpy") explaining unusual rules or jargon. 'Champagne Cork' features Hampshire's Dominic Cork
Dominic Cork
Dominic Gerald Cork is a former English cricketer. Cork is a right-handed lower-order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium, and is renowned for his swing and seam control. Making his début in first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1990, he was selected to play for England in 1992, aged 21. He...
looking back at the best moments of the past seven days, also there is a Stat of the Week, presented by the Sky Sport Statistician Benedict Bermange
Benedict Bermange
Benedict Bermange is a Sky Sports statistician. During the summer of 2007 he presented a regular 'Stat of the Week' feature on the Sky Sports show Cricket AM show....
, while one of the Sky Sports commentary team is sitting behind him looking distinctly unimpressed. SHit show
The show mirrors Soccer AM very closely in many regards; the Luther Blissett Stand was renamed as the Gary Pratt
Gary Pratt
Gary Joseph Pratt is an English cricketer and a footballer. He is primarily a left-handed batsman but also bowls right-arm off breaks...
cricket pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
, (2006). It was subsequently renamed as the Dwayne Leverock
Dwayne Leverock
Russell Dwayne Mark Leverock is a former Bermudian cricketer.Known as 'Sluggo' and living above a curry house in Bermuda, Leverock is a policeman and also drives a prison van. At the 2007 Cricket World Cup he was the largest player to grace the pitch, weighing in at 20 stone...
(2007) and the Jesse Ryder
Jesse Ryder
Jesse Daniel Ryder is a New Zealand cricketer. He is a middle-order batsman for Tests and is an opening batsman in ODIs. Ryder also bowls useful medium-pace. He has previously represented his country in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup of 2002...
Pavilion for the 2008 season. In 2011, it has been renamed the Douglas Jardine
Douglas Jardine
Douglas Robert Jardine was an English cricketer and captain of the England cricket team from 1931 to 1933–34.When describing cricket seasons, the convention used is that a single year represents an English cricket season, while two years represent a southern hemisphere cricket season because it...
Pavilion. The pavilion is filled by the members of a club cricket team, who compete in a bowl-out
Bowl-out
A bowl-out is used in various forms of limited overs cricket to decide a match that would otherwise end in a tie. The procedure is similar to a penalty shootout in association football. Five bowlers from each side deliver one or two balls each at an unguarded wicket...
in the outdoor car park at the end of the show. Throw Time, a feature in which county cricket teams were visited and contested to throw a ball at the stumps with their "wrong" hand, closely resembled Soccer AMs Crossbar Challenge.
In 2009, two weekly features called 'Ultimate Sportsman' and 'Brain + Brawn' were introduced. In 'Ultimate Sportsman', three county professionals all from the same team compete to become the ultimate sportsman. A penalty shootout, a golf pitching challenge and a 3 dart throw are completed, and the player with the most points after this is the winner. In 'Brain + Brawn', two players from the same team attempt to score as many points as possible. One player has to answer quiz questions, while the other must hold a 5kg dumbbell with their arm straight and horizontal to the body. Time ends when the weight cannot be held for any longer.