Maxwell isn't an ex-player, he's been a broadcaster all his life.
I agree Blofeld is past his best, but he's Blofeld. I immediately get a smile when I get a description of avian life outside the ground, or what cake some lady in Somerset has sent the commentators. He's also better at describing the ball that's just been bowled than any other TMS commentator. The story about him nearly playing for England is one of the greatest stories ever, and one feels like Micky Stewart has some explaining to do for not letting it happen.
Mann's OK, but I think Ed Smith is quite a good find, even if he's a
giant fucking toff. Speaking of toffs, I never much rated CMJ. Would rather he left the TMS studio in less tragic circumstances, but for a commentary booth full of public schoolboys, he was the worst in terms of being stuck-up and affected.
A hidden strength of TMS is their summarisers and their relationship with the ball by ball broadcasters. I've always really enjoyed Vic Marks and Tuffers on TMS. Boycott is a giant fucking asshole, but it kind of works when he's paired with Agnew because Agnew's such a nice guy, and he gently pats Boycott on the shoulder when Boycott's going over the top.
By the way, a good friend works on the cricket on Sky and says Botham is a dick while Hussain is a great guy.