Bryan Waddle
Bryan Waddle | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 15, 1948 Karori, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Sports commentator |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Known for | Cricket commentary on Radio Sport, BBC's Test Match Special, Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
Bryan Alexander Waddle MNZM (born 15 December 1948) is a distinguished New Zealand sports commentator, widely recognized as the "voice of New Zealand cricket".
Raised in Karori, Waddle attended Wellington College. His father held the position of public address announcer at the Basin Reserve, while his mother was responsible for catering services there. After a period working at the ANZ Bank, he transitioned to a career in sports broadcasting with Wellington's radio station 2ZB.
Waddle is primarily celebrated within New Zealand for his cricket commentary on Radio Sport and has also contributed to the BBC's Test Match Special and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's cricket broadcasts. His commentary career began during the Test match between New Zealand and India at the Basin Reserve in February 1981, and since then he has covered over 250 Test matches along with more than 400 one-day internationals.
While predominantly known for radio work, Waddle co-hosted The Dilmah Tea Party, a brief 15-minute celebrity interview segment aired during Test matches in New Zealand, alongside Jeremy Coney. In collaboration with Coney and John Parker, he co-wrote the cricket book The Wonderful Days of Summer (1993). Since December 2020, Waddle and Coney have been producing a weekly podcast titled On the Front Foot, which reached its 200th episode by December 2024.
Waddle and his wife Clare are parents to two children. In recognition of his contributions to sports broadcasting, he was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.