What is Test Match Special?
Test Match Special (TMS) is the BBC’s ball-by-ball radio commentary on cricket, first broadcast on 30 May 1957 for England v West Indies as the first full-Test commentary, on a proposal by Robert Hudson. It has moved stations with the BBC — Radio 3, Radio 4 long wave, and since 2002 5 Sports Extra and, since 2018, BBC Sounds — but never publishers.[5]
What does it cover?
Under the four-year ECB agreement announced on 16 June 2023, exclusive UK radio commentary on every England home men’s and women’s Test, one-day and T20 international, every match of The Hundred, and men’s county and women’s domestic cricket, through the 2028 season — plus a daily podcast during play.[1] [2]
What is its reach and standing?
The BBC reported 14.3 million listens across the 2025 England–India series, 3.1 million for the final Test and more than 500,000 in its final hour; 5 Live and its Sports Extra station together had a weekly reach of 5.9 million in RAJAR’s second quarter of 2026. Its commentary team is a roll of the sport’s broadcasters and former internationals — Jonathan Agnew, Alison Mitchell, Isa Guha, Michael Vaughan, James Anderson, Alastair Cook among them.[3] [4] [5]
Since when?
30 May 1957. On 5 Sports Extra since 2002; current rights run to the end of the 2028 season.[1] [5]
Why does it matter in cricket?
Because for English cricket it is the radio broadcast of record, made by a licence-fee-funded public broadcaster. Being interviewed on TMS is the ordinary marker of a first-class or international career in England.[1] [3]
References
- ECB — BBC and ECB extend audio partnership, 16 Jun 2023. Accessed September 2026.
- SportsPro — ECB and BBC audio rights extension. Accessed September 2026.
- SportsPro — England–India 2025 viewing and listening figures. Accessed September 2026.
- Adam Bowie — RAJAR Q2 2026 summary. Accessed September 2026.
- Wikipedia — Test Match Special (background: 1957, stations, team). Accessed September 2026.