Legendary Australia cricketer Glenn McGrath has been axed from the ABC commentary panel for The Ashes 2025/26 that is set to commence from November 21. The surprising decision was taken after the broadcaster found out about McGrath's upcoming commercial partnership with betting company Bet365. The national broadcaster confirmed about his departure in an official statement.
“We’ve mutually decided Glenn won’t be part of our coverage this summer. We hope to see him around the grounds and remain open to working with him again. Our commentary group, headed by Jim Maxwell and Corbin Middlemas, is set for the opening Test in Perth," the statement read.
McGrath is set to feature in a commercial campaign alongside Ricky Ponting for Bet365. This move goes against the broadcaster's strict guidelines which state that no commentator should hold affiliations with other companies, regardless of whether they appear in news or sport. However, McGrath will continue to call for the BBC.
Johnson was earlier removed for the same reason
This is not the first time that the ABC have removed a commentator due to a commercial partnership with a betting company as in 2022, Mitchell Johnson was removed from ABC's panel due to his deal with Bet Nation. However, Johnson had opposed the broadcaster's decision and was surprised that they decided to axe him.
“I don’t understand and you start to wonder about what you can and can’t say if you are calling for them. It’s blown me away a little bit. Do we have to make sure we have to align with the ABC’s moral compass? There’s nothing I can do about it," Johnson had said.
England announce squad for 1st Test
Meanwhile, England have announced a 12-member squad for the first Test against Australia, maintaining suspense regarding their playing XI. One of the notable omissions from the squad was that of the young Jacob Bethell. Shoiab Bashir is the only spin option that the Three Lions have chosen for the series opener.
England's squad for 1st Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
Australia's squad for 1st Test: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Jake Weatherald, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Michael Neser, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc.