David Lloyd will still be present at the Ashes test this summer. Photo: Telegraph/Paul Cooper
“Analysis. Ohhh analysis. No,» David Lloyd (to most of us, clumsy) begins in his wide, easily recognizable Lancastrian accent.
«I hear all the time that we're trying to simplify things, to make them more watchable for people who not usually customizable. «His grip»… oh for heaven's sake, let him rest!»
Lloyd's eyes dance to his words. He admits, as if it weren't obvious, that the analysis in the game evokes in him a pet hatred. “I think it tires them! Be more simple. There is a huge place in the master class for this with Jimmy Anderson, Kurtley Ambrose or Ricky Ponting. They are great for kids because they get back to having fun right away. Absolutely brilliant. This is the time and place, isn't it?»
Lloyd is a lodge elder who has spent more than two decades as one of Sky's most recognizable and beloved cricket broadcasters. He retired at the end of 2021.
He explains that 80% of the work is done off screen, “because it doesn’t make sense to go into people’s houses and talk about what’s going on there, right?” He strongly opposes the growing trend of deleted comments: “You are energized by the occasion and you rise and fall. It can't be done from the studio.»
And another thing that annoys him is content based on statistics: “How many people read statistics? Damn brilliant! And they are mostly irrelevant. It's when they can't describe what's going on…read the stats. There is a statistician who is well paid: if there is a statistic, he will give it to you.”
Lloyd pauses. He takes a breath. «I'll take it off right now,» he continues, before listing the oratory honor roll, which includes Henry Blofeld, Christopher Martin Jenkins, Ian Chappell, Tony Greig, and Richie Beno. “Never seen them with a note. None of them. Describe what is happening. Next ball. Say what you see. The next shipment is not in the book you wrote in last night.”
Bill Lowry was the subject of Lloyd's comments «…by a mile. He was that one-eyed about Australia. He had a fantastic voice and vocabulary.» Now Lloyd mimics Lowry's tone as he reminisces about their time together at the MCG. “There was a pause, and I said: “Do you know Bill? this is pretty decent land. «Decent land, this is MCG.» He completely removed the fly from the water. He went into overdrive.
“I listen to new commentators — one-night commentators — and the golden rule is not to speak when he runs in. If you talk and tell him about Jimmy from five years ago in this match, land, you're dead in the water. Silence has unspeakable value.»
Lloyd now works for LancsTV. Photo: Telegraph/Paul Cooper
Lloyd's work was a source of great pleasure and pride. Does he miss him? «No, absolutely not. Because I'm there on every test. They are here, there and everywhere. Go do something from there; Here; there below; backup here. I watched last week and they were there when the sparrows were farting in the morning and then still there at half past six in the evening. I was in the pub. Fantastic.”
So things have changed a bit? Another pause. Then a nod. “Now it’s not uncommon to have nine or ten commentators. Too many miles. You can go to the cinema in the afternoon and not miss a single day.”
Lloyd chooses his own concerts. After leaving Sky — an exit he describes as «dirty» — he worked with Channel 7 in Australia, Sunset and Vine in Dubai and, through his great buddy Paul Allott, returned to Lancashire. Old Trafford has changed a bit since he played. Draft Bass Harry, who poured out a pint every time Lancashire lost a wicket, and the «hate pit» in front of the pavilion disappeared. There are new stands, the field has changed. But stays at home.
Lloyd speaks to Telegraph Sport before performing on LancsTV, the club's internal live broadcast. It's T20 night, and blurry bodies streak past the door, each putting the finishing touches on an impressive 15-camera setup. The BBC's Scott Reid is heading the coverage, while Keith Cross, Alex Hartley, Allot himself, Stuart Lowe and Phoebe Graham are all regulars.
Lloyd speaks lyrically about Badger & Combes, local tech company: “I've worked all over the world and they're just as good…better than most. Everything is absolutely fine.» So it's no surprise that LancsTV took second place in the YouTube Channel of the Year award at the 2022 Broadcast Sport Awards.
And all of this means that Lloyd, who has been on the job for 10 days, is hungry for more. He doesn't need it, but does it out of joy. “County cricket has a rich history,” he explains. “This is the fabric of society in England. I don't buy into that «oh no one's looking». That's not the point: people are working. Think of all those who interfere with you wherever you are [talking about it]. They look in newspapers, social networks, blogs. They just check the county's cricket scores on the tablets. It won't change.»
David Lloyd, when he worked for Sky Sports' cricket lighting. Photo: PA/Mike Egerton
Lloyd's claims are supported by the numbers. Last year, LancsTV had over 3.5 million views on Facebook and YouTube, and another four million views on Jio and FanCode, the Indian platforms that Lancashire is using as part of a targeted strategy that sees commercialization as its next step.
It's not like all this airtime is giving Lloyd celebrity status at Old Trafford, it seems, «They denied my car today,» he laughs. “Health and safety, obviously. I said I can drive; I have been doing this for a long time.”
The swing between humor and cricket was the key to Lloyd's longevity. There is «Bumble»: eccentric; bright; never takes himself too seriously; I've never been happier than singing Sweet Caroline. «It's just natural,» he replies when asked if he's overdoing it at all. «It goes back to my father, a lay preacher, who said, 'Just be yourself.' This is the beauty of life.”
And then there's David Lloyd, the former England cricketer and coach who professionally scored 45 hundred and 276 wickets. “There is a switch,” he explains. «When Stuart Broad is in the middle of a game, you don't think, 'Ho-ho-ho, do you remember that from 10 years ago?' This is the moment when it's real cricket. No fuss. Filled. You don't need color. Just play cricket.”
Lloyd is 76 years old, but he looks good, his hands and face are the color of mahogany. «There's nothing better than getting on your tractor,» he smiles, before gesturing to tell the story of buying the York Cricket Club's bandit mower at «friendly rates» through a neighbor.
He has a plot, too much tomato plants and several fields. One of these is now a «dummy» cricket field, which he scarifies and sows despite never intending to use it. The other is a golf course.
The winter was hard. Covid delayed and this led to rheumatoid arthritis. Then, to relieve the «severe» headaches, an operation was performed to cauterize some of the nerves at the back of the head.
“It confused me a little. I'm a walking chemist now!»
But now it's summer. Bumble has a microphone in his hand. And life became a little brighter.
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