Craig Cumming.
Former Otago opening batsman Craig Cumming has switched
his bat for a mike this summer.
The 37-year-old retired at the end of last season, having
scored more runs and more centuries for Otago than anyone
else.
But before he has had much of a chance to miss the game, he
is involved again, albeit this time from the sidelines.
He has joined the Sky broadcasting team and is contracted for
six domestic twenty/20 games, two tests and one one-day
international.
"I'm not involved from a playing point of view but I'm still
watching and talking about it and that takes care of the
itch," he said.
"I've been given an opportunity and now I've got to prove I
can do it."
An advertising manager for The Star, Cumming has dabbled in
broadcasting, working for Radio Sport's Saturday scoreboard
programme for the past three years and now joining Mark
Richardson on Radio Sport for an hour every Tuesday morning
to talk about cricket.
Public speaking comes naturally to him and that ability has
helped open doors, but the gift of the gab is not always a
blessing.
"In radio, you have to fill time and your voice paints the
picture, whereas in TV, there are different challenges. You
have to speak about what is in front of you and you have a
certain time to talk.
"The key for me is to get the delivery right. I like to talk
but sometimes I talk too much, so I've got to learn to
sharpen it up and get to the point."
One of the reasons Cumming decided to pull up stumps was to
spend more time with his family and enjoy a regular summer,
perhaps even go camping.
That trip is still on the cards, as most of the work he is
contracted to do is in March.
In the meantime, he is happy to be "a consultant for section
two and section three" of the local club cricket scene, in
which his sons, Jacob (9) and Zac (7), play.
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