Bangers and Mash!

Commentators are pretty funny guys behind the scenes. They communicate with us in the van by talking on the same microphone that you, the viewer, will hear them on at home. How does the viewer at home not hear what is being said to the van downstairs? Their microphones are connected to a box and that box links them with the van downstairs. On that box are quite a few buttons and one of them is a talk back button which allows them to chat to the van by pressing and holding the button down which cuts the mic and stops it going to air and re-directs it to the van instead. Neil happened to deliver a good couple of sentences on the talk back to the van instead of to air which generally gets us in stitches because they now have to recover and recompose themselves and start all over again. Neil made it even funnier because he tried to make out as if he meant to do that which makes it even funnier because we all know he never  meant to.

Some crazy things can happen when you have to stay in a hotel for long enough. I got woken up at 2am by my next door neighbour having, as Andrew put it, Sexy Times! Man I was glad when it was over and could finally go back to sleep. Ah well I suppose that can be expected to happen at some time in one’s life.

Monday is the final day of the first test match in Zimbabwe since ages ago and it looks like they are going to beat bangers and mash. And not because Bangers are really weak but because Zim had really good strategies in place from day one, and it showed. Every day of the test match was pretty exciting and I think there are really good times ahead for Zimbabwe cricket.

Check THIS short clip for play of the week.

Pete our statistician sitting in the OB van and going through some notes with Felix our graphics operator.

Good Times!

Kepler had another class comment yesterday. He reckons Neil should be on ritalin because he can’t keep to one topic while commentating. I tend to disagree and think he has done a fantastic job as have every single one of our crew!

 Dean du Plessis, better known as Dean two plus three, the only blind commentator I know is also pulling a ‘blinder’. He is just amazing. For anyone wondering what I’m on about just watch some of the cricket when he is commentating and you’ll see why. He gets very little prompting from anyone regarding what’s happening on air. It’s just so uncanny!

Pete, our statistics guy, got left behind at the hotel this fine Sunday morning. That’s what happens on a production if you don’t make the 8 o’clock call time. So he’ll have to spend some of his own money to get to the ground.

Our master record machine died towards the end of the day just as we were changing tapes. We missed the last Bangladesh wicket which is a big bummer but not much we could do about it at the time. It’s one of those things I’m afraid. The engineers worked quickly during tea time to get the stuck tape out and the deck working for the remainder of the day. We requested a new deck for this morning but in true Zimbabwe tradition the new deck wasn’t here by morning but will be here later were told. This to me is a sign that tape should quietly go away and that we should look to solid state recorders.

Graphics struggled again yesterday with the outstats of the Bangladesh batsmen. It is really difficult when you don’t work with those teams often and were all hoping that they’ll get it right soon. Maybe they should study the team photos a little more? If Dean two plus three can get it right and he’s completely blind then what excuse could the graphics guys possibly have?

Andrew guarding his camera position.

Oscar looking on as some of the crew fill their down time before the long cricket day begins.

Harare, here we are!

Well, there’s nothing like getting up at 4:30am to catch a plane.

Johannesburg  wasn’t nearly as cold as I was expecting it to be but the tips of my ears were feeling the chill while we were transferring between planes so I can only imagine how cold it has been there this winter.

As I expected, the chirps began to fly right away. Seems like the dam walls just burst when OB crews get together. Story’s fly left right and centre and it’s hard to keep up, never mind document!

Andrews one chirp was classic and he started the day with a great knock knock joke and it went like this, knock knock? Who’s there? Runnip. Runnip who! This came about from talking about cricket tours to India and Indian food, more specifically dhal.

Starting a day as early as this one leaves my head fuzzy and it showed. When drawing money from the ATM in Johannesburg. I left R400, 00. behind in the jaws of the machine while I went into the bank to query something else. Another bank customer using the ATM after me noticed and came into the bank to let me know but by the time I got back out the money had already been swallowed. Bank says they should credit my account once they ‘balance’ the ATM at the end of the day. I can only pray!

Thankfully my luggage arrived, wasn’t the case (small pun?) last time, and we hit the hotel, today was only a travel day. At least we have electricity and other amenities. Internet in the rooms is woeful but the business centre is, well, the business.

Some interesting stories next time from the airport bus ride to the hotel.

The really huge space at the departure gates in Johannesburg.

My Durban cohort, Andrew.

I am sure Andrew’s shoes are going to invite his pants down for a party sometime soon.

Pete and his fabulous hanky.

 Noticed nice green crop circles on final approach into Harare.

Suppose that means they are growing their own food now?

I’m not sure if many people have noticed this but I sure did awhile back.

The microphone hanging from the ceiling at baggage collections.

What’s that all about?

Air Zimbabwe, thankfully we don’t fly with them, so I’m hoping. We may just though from here to Bulawayo. Z, our producer is not quite sure yet how we’re going to get to Bulawayo. My last flight with Zim air was, hair raising, to say the least. We’ll have to wait and see.

Since independence Zimbabwe has really flourished.