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Chris Mallaband - profile
Volunteer commentator: Chris Mallaband Chris Mallaband started volunteering for MCC’s ball-by-ball commentary team in April 2007. Less than a year later, in March 2008, he had secured a full-time job as BBC Radio Lancashire's cricket correspondent – a perfect job for a self-confessed cricket fanatic.
Unlike most of the ball-by-ball team, Mallaband had substantial broadcasting experience before he heard about MCC's initiative.
After developing an interest in broadcasting as a student at Loughborough University, he began freelance football reporting when he started working for Unilever near Chester.
His football work took him to Anfield, Goodison Park, Eastlands and the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul to cover Premier League and Champions League for Liverpool and Manchester radio.
Broadcast experience
However, while many stations covered football, opportunities for cricket commentary were few and far between.
Consequently Mallaband jumped at the chance to send in a demo tape when he saw MCC's competition for ball-by-ball commentators in 2006.
His broadcasting experience meant he could bring in equipment to conduct roving interviews and increase the interaction with people listening to the streamed coverage on the internet by encouraging them to email in to the commentators.
Amongst the famous names Mallaband has talked to during his ball-by-ball stints are Alastair Cook and Matthew Hoggard.
"When I first started, because I was used to covering football, I commentated at 100mph. My mum listened to my first stint and told me to slow down!" Mallaband explains.
"I quickly learnt that commentating for blind and partially-sighted people required as much description as possible and cricket matches last long enough to be able to do that properly."
Mallaband's big break came when he covered MCC's tour of Uganda in February 2008 as a reporter, scorer and blogger.
Simultaneously he heard that BBC Radio Lancashire needed a cricket correspondent for the summer. Because of MCC's interactive coverage of that tour on its website he was able to put himself in the shop window from Uganda and impress Radio Lancashire from afar.
MCC players meet disabled cricketers in Uganda "The combination of going to Uganda and my previous football radio experience really helped me but undoubtedly what swung it was the fact I had built up experience as a ball-by-ball commentator."
He is convinced the fact that anyone can access MCC's commentary on its website from anywhere in the world will open up a greater audience for a service initially borne to aid the blind and visually impaired within Lord’s.
"When I commentated on MCC versus the West Indians last year we let relevant websites and radio know about us. As a result, we received e-mails from listeners all over the Caribbean.
"It was great to hear from people from Grenada and St Lucia as well as those listening closer to home."
Mallaband's MCC work has helped him in his new role.
Guest summarisers with him on Radio Lancashire have included the umpire John Holder and Cheshire player Adam Syddall, who umpired and played for MCC respectively in Uganda.
Syddall bowled at the New Zealand batsmen in the Old Trafford nets to try and replicate Ryan Sidebottom's threat.
Despite now working as a professional commentator, Mallaband continues to volunteer for MCC and you can hear him on 29 July at the Royal Navy v The Army match from Lord's and MCC v Bangladesh 'A' at Durham on 1 August.
