Glenn McGrath Parts Ways With ABC Ashes Coverage Over Betting Deal

Australian bowling legend Glenn McGrath was removed from ABC’s Ashes commentary team due to his commercial arrangement with a betting company.

Glenn McGrath will not commentate on the Ashes for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation after revealing his commercial partnership with betting firm bet365. The Australian bowling legend had been scheduled to provide expert analysis for the ABC during the England-Australia series.

The ABC enforced its strict policy prohibiting employees from maintaining ties with betting agencies. McGrath’s participation in a bet365 campaign with other cricketers prompted his exclusion from the broadcast team.

ABC’s Strict Gambling Policy

An ABC spokesperson confirmed the development in a statement. “The ABC and Glenn McGrath have mutually parted ways for this Ashes,” the spokesperson said.

This marks the second time in recent years the ABC has removed a commentator over betting links. Mitchell Johnson was previously removed from the commentary panel for similar reasons.

McGrath’s management had proactively informed the ABC about his new commercial arrangement nearly a month ago. They discussed potential implications before the mutual decision to part ways.

Bet365 currently serves as a “gold partner” of Cricket Australia. Their branding appears prominently during Ashes matches, raising additional conflict of interest concerns.

The ABC has appointed World Cup winner Tom Moody to replace McGrath for the first Test in Perth. The broadcaster’s commentary team for the series still includes Darren Lehmann, Jason Gillespie, Stuart Clark, Jim Maxwell, and Corbin Middlemas. McGrath’s management team has not commented further on his withdrawal from the broadcast coverage.