Even those who have steadfastly refused to read the writing on the wall will have been jolted from their lofty perches by last week’s surprise announcement that rights to Test cricket matches for the next five years would be split between ABC Radio – which has almost exclusively held broadcast rights since 1924 – and Fairfax Radio, part of Fairfax Media, owners of this paper. Triple M has picked up Twenty20Big Bash rights in a move that has been widely interpreted as a bid to widen cricket’s audience and bolster its commercial value.