ABC dropped Glenn McGrath days before the Ashes over his bet365 deal

Glenn McGrath, one of cricket's greatest fast bowlers, was also one of Australia's most trusted broadcast voices — a regular on the ABC's Ashes radio coverage, and booked again for the 2025–26 series that began in Perth on 21 November. Alongside that role ran a long-standing commercial partnership with bet365: a brand campaign alongside Ricky Ponting, with the betting company also a major supporter of his McGrath Foundation's Pink Test.

Days before the first ball, his management disclosed the arrangement to the ABC. The broadcaster's rules bar on-air talent from commercial ties to wagering brands, even when the relationships sit outside journalism, and it decided that allowing an exception would undermine the policy. 'The ABC and Glenn McGrath have mutually parted ways for this Ashes,' it said, announcing the commentary team led by Jim Maxwell and Corbin Middlemas.

The distinction was tested at once: England's Phil Tufnell, a contributor to a podcast sponsored by Betfair, was cleared because his link was indirect. A former prime minister publicly sided with McGrath — 'Glenn is entitled to earn a living and secure support for his very worthy charity' — and fans called the decision hypocritical. McGrath still worked the Ashes, but on the BBC's feed.

ABC dropped McGrath days before the Ashes to keep its betting rule intact, losing its biggest voice but avoiding an exception that would have rewritten the policy.

The bet365 deal predated the Ashes booking; the conflict only became visible when his management disclosed it — a late disclosure is as expensive as a bad one

The policy had already claimed Mitchell Johnson in 2022; an exception for the biggest name would have rewritten the rule for everyone, so the rule won

ABC sold trust, not cricket; for a broadcaster built on neutrality, a betting partnership is the one endorsement that cannot be explained away

A values policy is priced in advance. ABC paid to keep its rule intact and lost its biggest voice days before the series — the exception it refused would have cost more, invisibly, later.

McGrath kept appearing on the BBC's Ashes coverage, and the ABC said it would welcome him back. The split joined the 2022 removal of Mitchell Johnson over a betting-agency deal as proof that Australian broadcasters apply the wagering line to legends and journeymen alike — while betting brands keep signing cricket's most trusted names.