TalkSPORT to borrow Sky's big guns in Sri Lanka this winter

HUW TURBERVILL - EXCLUSIVE: Sky are prepared to lend Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton and David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd to the radio station for occasional stints on the tour

^{Mike Atherton could be on the air for TalkSPORT this winter}

Cricket’s great battle for the airwaves is about to hot up, with talkSPORT planning to wheel out some big guns in Sri Lanka.

Sky are prepared to lend Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton and David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd to the radio station for occasional stints on the tour, as talk prepare for the exclusive coverage they won over Test Match Special.

It is the first time the BBC has lost the rights to an England away tour since 2005/06.

The commercial radio station will also cover the tour to the West Indies after Christmas, as well as the ODIs and T20Is on both trips.

There is no plan yet for Sky’s main men to double up for the radio in the Caribbean, however.

^{Nasser Hussain is also being lined up for stints on the broadcaster}

TalkSPORT Drive presenter Darren Gough, who also hosts Cricket Week on talkSPORT2, seems certain to be in the line-up, with Mark Nicholas, Steve Harmison, Matt Prior and Gareth Batty also in the frame. Jon Norman is talk’s cricket editor and will be on the trip. England’s ODI series starts on October 10.

News UK took over talk’s parent company, Wireless Group, in 2016 in a £220m deal, so the cross-pollination of talent should not come as a surprise.

News UK is part-owned by the Murdoch family, who also part-own 21st Century Fox, a 39 per cent stakeholder in Sky Plc. 

Atherton is also cricket correspondent for News UK title, The Times.

The presence of Hussain, Atherton and Lloyd, if confirmed, certainly represents a real coup for talk. It would be a return to radio for the latter – he used to be a regular on TMS.

Scott Taunton, CEO of TalkSPORT owner Wireless Group, called winning the rights "a great victory", adding: "I'm delighted that we will be with England fans for every ball of the day throughout these winter tours.”

Jonathan Agnew, the BBC’s cricket correspondent tweeted when the news broke: “I know our loyal @bbctms listeners will be very disappointed and I’m very sorry. I hope I can still provide news coverage on BBC. To be clear, it has nothing to do with @ECB_cricket. SL and WI Board decision.”

^{David Lloyd is another who could double up duties}

Amol Rajan, the BBC’s media editor, wrote: “For devotees of TMS – an international club comprising hundreds of thousands of people, if not more – the sound of Jonathan Agnew and his colleagues isn't just part of summer. It is the summer. That is why this news has caused shock and dismay. Fans need to be aware it could be a harbinger.”

TalkSPORT is also hoping to secure the rights for England’s 2019/20 tour to South Africa.

They covered the trips to Pakistan/Sri Lanka in 2000/2001, West Indies 2003/04 and South Africa in 2004/05, plus the ODIs in Bangladesh in 2016/17. They also had non-exclusive rights to the World T20 in 2009 and the Champions Trophy in 2017.

Geoff Boycott, Chris Cowdrey, Mike Selvey, Tony Greig and Jack Bannister have being among the talk commentators on those past assignments.