News Reporter's Embarrassing Ashes Report Disaster in South Africa Goes Viral

TV station ANN7 went live yesterday, and the channel is already making waves around the world. Unfortunately, though, their fame owes everything to a clumsy news report on the Ashes.

The channel, which can be found on DSTV 405 in South Africa, carried a 50-second bulletin on the first day's play of the fifth Test at The Oval, and, try as she might, the news anchor simply couldn't pull it off.

Amongst the highlights:

• "James Anderson found some swing in the ball"
• "Young prospect Chris Rogers" (Rogers is 36 next week)
• "Who bullied his... his... to only the third Test of the century"

And a personal favourite:

• "Captain Michelle Clarke"

Not bad for less than a minute on the air, but it is unfair to lay the blame squarely at the newsreader.

She can point the blame at some less than clever work from the chaps on the autocue, who left her reeling off factual inaccuracies and half-finished sentences.

Whatever the reasons for the gaffe though, it hasn't taken long for the clip to spread in South Africa, and then out to the wider world through Twitter.

"

"Young prospect Chris Rogers..." http://t.co/zUJubEaI3b #ANN7Fail - this makes me want to cry in the foetal position. REAL TV.

— Antoinette Muller (@mspr1nt) August 22, 2013"

"

If you want to get a dolly to read your sports news, at least make sure her researcher gives her a proper script. #ANN7Fail

— Antoinette Muller (@mspr1nt) August 22, 2013"

"

Great in-depth coverage of the Ashes in #Gameon #ANN7 !!

— David James (@standoff2) August 21, 2013"

Remarkably, this clip may just be even more embarrassing than Australia coach Darren Lehmann telling his nation to make Stuart Broad cry.

Hat-tip: The Bounce website

Follow @MarkPattersonBR