Erin Molan gets huge promotion at Channel 9 for World Cup
Erin Molan is the big winner in a Channel 9 shake-up for this year’s Cricket World Cups in a move that has sidelined a network star.
Channel 9 has confirmed popular presenter Erin Molan has been given a big promotion to be the face of this year’s cricket World Cups.
The Daily Telegraph first reported the shake-up in Nine’s broadcast teams for the Women’s T20 World Cup, beginning Friday in Australia, and the men’s T20 World Cup, beginning in October Down Under.
The report outlined Nine’s decision to promote Molan to host the network’s coverage of the two tournaments, sidelining Aussie tennis great Todd Woodbridge, Nine’s host for last year’s Ashes series in England.
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Nine confirmed on Wednesday morning that Molan and sports presenter James Bracey will host this month’s Women’s T20 World Cup after a production decision to move the network’s coverage from Melbourne to Sydney, where Molan and Bracey are based.
Last year Woodbridge and Rebecca Maddern hosted the Ashes and ODI World Cup out of Nine’s Melbourne studios alongside former Australian captains Mark Taylor and Lisa Sthalekar, and Australian great Ian Healy.
Despite being overlooked for the cricket on Nine this year, the network insists Woodbridge has not been axed in any way.
Fans reacted angrily to the news that the tennis great would host last year’s Ashes, despite Nine’s insistence that Woodbridge’s role was simply to host the broadcast and throw to cricket legends Healy and Taylor.
A Nine spokesman confirmed on Wednesday morning the switch was purely the result of a shift from Melbourne studios to Sydney studios.
Molan’s big promotion comes after ongoing speculation about her involvement in Channel 9’s NRL team in 2020 after the 35-year-old missed the network’s NRL on Nine launch in Sydney in November.
Unsubstantiated speculation that Molan could be shafted from her high profile host position spiked after she reportedly missed the function to visit family in Canberra.
Nine at the time showed off returning female talents Ruan Sims, Allana Ferguson and Danika Mason.
It comes after NRL immortal Andrew Johns reportedly refused to work directly with Molan on Channel 9 during the 2019 NRL season.
Nine’s coverage of every Australian game at the Women’s T20 World Cup, the two semi-finals and the final on March 8 will feature Test great Taylor and former Australian women’s international Julia Price.
Fox Cricket will be screening every match of the tournament and will feature popular stars Isa Guha, Mel Jones, Alex Blackwell and Megan Barnard.
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