Latest news with #IanWard
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Ian Ward: It is not my job to give opinions, why would anyone want to hear them?
Late one evening in March 2001, Ian Ward was about to go to sleep when he received an unexpected phone call. A producer from Sky Sports was scrambling to fill a gap in their punditry team for the following day's Test between England and Sri Lanka. 'They asked if I'd fill in,' Ward recalls. 'I meant to say no – I was knackered – but somehow 'yes' came out. 'They said: 'Oh, great. We'll send a car for you in about four hours.' I'm looking at the watch going: 'What?' I didn't realise it was overnight.' Ward had never considered a media role before. As pundit, he was in a delicate position. Ward was on the threshold of the England Test team – he would win five caps the following summer – yet was now being asked to critique it. 'That was weird,' he recalls. 'I was sat in a bloody chair giving my expert opinion on Nasser [Hussain] facing Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan]. People at home probably thought – probably still think – who is this bloke? 'I'd never seen a TV studio. I just thought, 's---, look at this'. The amount of people, the amount of screens, the technology it takes to get the pictures back from Columbo. I thought, this is pretty cool.' From playing to presenting In between playing engagements for Surrey, where he was an integral part of the side that won three County Championships from 1999-2002, Ward started to commentate during the summer. In the winter of 2002-03, he moved into a different chair: from pundit to presenter. Ward's first engagement could hardly have been less glamorous: presenting South Africa's ODI against Bangladesh in Potchefstroom. 'Gus Fraser was my guest for a five-minute build-up, which just scared the c--p out of me – and it was over in a flash,' Ward recalls. 'It's amazing how nervous I was then. Barney Francis, my first boss at Sky Cricket, came and said: 'You will never watch any television programme again in the same way.' He was absolutely right.' As his broadcasting career developed, Ward often watched footage of himself back 'to try and learn and improve'. He particularly admired Steve Rider and Des Lynam as hosts, especially the way that they brought out the best of their guests. 'I remember someone saying about another presenter: 'He commands the studio.' I thought: 'I don't want to command the studio. That's a load of old c--p. I should be there asking the questions and facilitating.'' Another phone call, this time far less unexpected, sealed Ward's new career. In 2006, Vic Wakeling, then the managing director for Sky Sports, called up Ward asking if he wanted to join full-time; Sky had gained the exclusive rights to home England Tests. Ward requested that Sussex release him from his contract two years early. He retired from professional cricket aged 33. Such a playing career almost eluded Ward. After playing a solitary first-class game for Surrey aged 19, he was released by the club. While playing club cricket and coaching at East Molesey, he cleaned planes at Heathrow. 'When you say you're cleaning planes, people assume you're wiping the windshield. No, I'm cleaning the detritus that people leave behind. And believe me, people leave a lot of horrible stuff. 'When you get up out, and you walk to the door and you're looking left to get off the aircraft, you never look back. Look back. You'll see what people leave behind. It's vile.' Ward retains an uncomfortable relationship with planes: he is 'petrified' of being in the air. Returning from the Champions Trophy earlier this year, he exchanged messages with Mark Wood, another nervous flyer. 'Woody was in business class, and I'm back in wherever. And, of course, it helps if I have a couple of drinks, to calm the nerves. 'Woody texted me saying: 'I'll send you a little present back later.' And just after we'd taken off one of the pursers from the business class cabin came back with what looked like a latte. He said: 'Present from Mr. Wood.' I opened it up and it was full of champagne. Woody, you absolute star.' 'End of an era?' 🤔 'Mixed messages haven't helped!' 💬 'Wise not to make any rash decisions!' 💭 Ian Ward, Eoin Morgan and Michael Atherton discuss what went wrong and what's next for England after their early World Cup exit... ❌ — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 4, 2023 Life behind the microphone For most people, retirement from professional cricket means life slowing down; for Ward, it has meant life speeding up. On Test mornings, Ward arrives at the ground around 8am, and even earlier on day one. Really, though, his preparation begins several weeks earlier. The pre-match show before the first Ashes Test in 2023 was 'a month in the planning', he recalls. During match days, 'I've always got something in my ear, somebody talking in my ear, or the commentary is on,' Ward explains. 'You take your earpieces out at the end of the day, and then you walk down the street, and it's noisy and loud. You get into the room, you shut the door and you can just shut the outside world out for a couple of minutes, because you're constantly bombarded with information. That's your first peace and quiet of the day.' Ward's work does not end when he concludes Sky's on-pitch coverage at 7pm. Then, either on WhatsApp or at the bar, the conversations about the next day's coverage begin. At the end of the Headingley Test, which ended late on day five, Ward and Nasser Hussain willed Michael Atherton, their colleague who conducts the post-match presentations, to hurry up. 'Nasser and I look at our watches going: 'We ain't making this train.' We ended up with myself, Nasser and Ravi [Shastri] sprinting through Leeds, dragging our suitcases, trying to get the last train home,' Ward says with a chuckle. 'It's not glamorous.' In a commentary box brimming with men who enjoyed glittering playing careers, Ward sees his role as asking questions more than answering them. 'I've got opinions on techniques and games. It's just not really my job to voice them. 'We've got four international captains in there, and Stuart Broad. Why would anyone want to hear from me? So I understand that, and I agree with that, because I wouldn't want to hear from me. But I should be able to at least ask a question that is absolutely relevant. 'I very much see my role as asking the questions and just letting some of the brilliant cricket brains we've got explain the game. It's about them, not me.' To Ward, a series of abusive messages on Twitter were evidence of a job well done. 'A guy a few years ago now didn't like how I did it and kept sending me abusive tweets. I never replied, just chuckled, but I couldn't bite my tongue any longer. He said: 'What is the point of Ian Ward, other than to hold a microphone to let others speak?' And I replied saying: 'Thank you, that's the biggest compliment I've ever had.'' The master of masterclasses Sky's masterclasses do not only show the best of the great players interviewed; they also show the best of Ward as a broadcaster. His favourite masterclass remains the first that he ever did, with his long-time colleague Shane Warne in an indoor school at Durham. 'We got going and Warnie absolutely delivered. And it was like: 'This bloke is different gravy.' 'We are very lucky that we have time, and also some very good tools, which makes it easier to explain things and also to show whoever it might be. Warnie was the first one we ever did. We can go back and show deliveries, and then you can explain them. Warnie, being the genius that he was, could then go and bowl them.' While Channel 4 pioneered the masterclass, Sky's resources allow for far broader depth. 'They take an inordinate amount of work from the real hard-workers, the people behind the scenes, to get the footage. Because I want something from years ago, they've got to go back into the archives. 'They spend months digging it out. They get the 20 clips and I probably end up using five of them. They probably sit there swearing and throwing things at me.' While doing masterclasses, 'your brain's working 1000 miles an hour', Ward explains. 'Live TV can get challenging because things might be going on in your ear or changing, but you've got to listen to what the person you're interviewing is saying, because otherwise you don't ever react.' As well as making for compelling TV, the masterclasses also serve a broader purpose. After Ward did a masterclass with Ricky Ponting at Lord's, 'pretty much all of the county academies came round and said: 'We want a DVD of that.' So hopefully they're educational.' The masterclasses have given Ward a deeper appreciation of the game's very best, too. Never was this truer than when visiting Brian Lara at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad & Tobago. In a warm-up, before filming, Ward gave Lara 12 throwdowns. 'He didn't even remotely hit the middle once. Then he took his gloves off. He laid his bat up against the net. He looked up at the mountain. He said 'okay let's go'. Put his gloves back on, that mindset change, and he was fabulous. He kept middling it. He would say 'I've got four shots I can play to this particular delivery' – absolutely incredible.' Ward cherished his playing days. But he now belongs to a rare category of cricketers, better known for their lives after playing. 'I only played five Test matches. Put it this way, I don't know how many Test matches I've presented – it'll be well over 100.' And Ward has helped to illuminate each game, one question at a time.
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First Post
12-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Ravi Shastri, Ian Ward slam umpires over time wastage as Dukes ball is changed again: 'It's hard to understand'
There was another ball change on Day 3 of the Lord's Test amid the ongoing Dukes ball controversy, but this time the umpires' conduct also came under scrutiny, with commentators including Ravi Shastri criticising them for wasting time. read more Umpires face flak from Ravi Shastri and Ian Ward as Dukes ball is changed again at Lord's. Images: PTI/Sky Sports The Dukes ball is creating trouble for English bowlers as well and not just their Indian counterparts. Team India's decision to change the ball twice in the morning session on Day 2 of the third Test between India-England at Lord's on Friday led to severe criticism from some English experts including Nasser Hussain while the home team batter Joe Root suggested in the press conference that India were wasting time by asking for a change of the ball. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nonetheless, England tearaway pacer Jofra Archer was seen asking for a ball change on Day 3's morning session as he had a lengthy discussion with umpire Sharfuddoula in the 46th over when India were 156/3. However, the pacer's demand was turned down by the umpire. Dukes ball changed again in Lord's Test Not surprisingly, though the Dukes ball was changed 10 overs later in the drinks break after the 56th over when India were 197/3, having not lost a wicket and added 52 runs in quick time. England probably were forced to change the ball because it wasn't doing much to help the bowlers, as has been the usual complaint with the Dukes balls and we are not sure what Root made of the change. What we know is that the commentators, including Ian Ward and Ravi Shastri, were extremely unhappy with the umpires that they did not start the process of changing the ball at the start of the break, resulting losing valuable time. The umpires only called for replacement balls midway through the drinks break before picking one and handing it over to Chris Woakes. 'Why this procedure was not started when drinks was called. We are losing more time,' Ward said on air. "What was that not decided at the start of the drinks break?" ⌚️ "It's common sense what you're saying. It's basic!" 🤷♂️ — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 12, 2025 The ongoing Lord's Test has also been under the scanner for its abysmally slow over-rate. 22 overs of play were lost across the first two days. 'I agree. It's hard to understand. The five balls they checked did not pass the gauge test, so why are they in the box?' an angry Shashti remarked, pointing out that keeping out-of-shape balls in the box has led to more time wastage by umpires. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
7NEWS
03-06-2025
- General
- 7NEWS
Match delayed as England cricketers ride lime bikes to the stadium in London traffic chaos
The final One Day International between England and the West Indies got off to a late start after traffic congestion in London caused chaos to the teams' travel plans. Both sides got stuck on their team buses en route to The Oval in south London on Tuesday, with England's players deciding to get off and ride bikes to the ground instead. Traffic-light failures in the Vauxhall area of London, about 15 minutes from The Oval, were reportedly to blame for the chaos. While they arrived in enough time to conduct a thorough pre-match warm-up under a grey sky, the West Indies players stayed on their bus and arrived at around 12:40 p.m. local time — 10 minutes after the scheduled time for the toss. 'We probably should have walked,' West Indies captain Shai Hope said, laughing. Uncertainty permeated the ground as England players quite laughably warmed up with no opposition in sight for some time, like a scene out of a junior cricket match. 'The toss has been delayed because, basically, we don't have two teams, would you believe it,' Ian Ward explained pre-game. 'We have an England cricket team — we do not have a West Indies cricket team. The traffic in and around The Oval ... all around, is absolutely gridlock.' West Indies stayed overnight at a hotel some five kilometres from The Oval, Britain's PA news agency reported. The toss was delayed by 40 minutes and was won by England, who chose to bowl first in an attempt to take advantage of overcast conditions. The ECB released a statement while waiting for the West Indies to arrive. 'Due to a delayed arrival of one of the playing teams, who are stuck in heavy traffic north of the river, the scheduled start of play will be delayed,' the statement read. 'Once all members of the playing teams arrive, the match officials will co-ordinate updated timings and discuss any impact on the schedule of play.' The match started 30 minutes late. England had already clinched the three-match series after wins in Birmingham and Cardiff.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Retro Pac-Man and Super Mario machines to be placed outside Superdry
The Broadway is set to host a retro arcade event this February half term. From February 17 to February 21, the centre will offer gaming fans the chance to play on classic machines like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, and Super Mario. The event is free to attend and open from 9am to 7pm every day - the gaming pod will be located outside Superdry. Bookings are required between 11am and 4pm each day, with limited slots during busy periods. Ian Ward, general manager at the Broadway, said: "We're always thinking of new experiences we can bring to all shoppers, and with gaming expected to reach a massive 11.56 million people by 2027 [ our retro arcade will be a big hit. "With all the advancements happening on the gaming scene, it's always good to experience some nostalgia so we think the pop up will be a hit with both old and new gamers." In addition to the retro arcade, Impact Gamers, based in Bradford, have been awarded funding to invite local youths to design their own arcade style games. These games will be showcased in two repurposed arcade cabinets outside HMV from February 12 until the end of October. Retro arcade bookings can be made at
