The Front Bar returns with 2026 Year in Review and Cricket Edition on Channel 7 – The Front Bar will raise a glass to 2026 with two primetime specials on Channel 7 and 7plus.
The Front Bar – All Sports Year in Review airs at 8.30pm on Wednesday 25 November. One week later, The Front Bar – Cricket Edition takes over the same timeslot on Wednesday 2 December.
The pairing gives Channel 7 a bridge from the end of the AFL calendar into its summer cricket coverage. It also leads directly into a new cricket edition of The Agenda Setters, which premieres after the second special.
The Front Bar reviews the sporting year
Andy Maher, Mick Molloy and Ryan Fitzgerald will revisit the biggest, funniest and most memorable moments from a busy year in Australian sport. The programme will move across football, cricket, rugby league and other major events rather than concentrating on a single code.
Australian sprinter Lachlan Kennedy joins the trio as the special guest. Kennedy is Australia’s fastest man and won silver at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Molloy has already found a way to measure his own pace against the elite athlete.
We’ve got Lachie Kennedy on the show, who is the fastest Australian sprinter of all time. I mean, I did break 10 seconds for 100 meters when the kebab shop was about to close but it was wind assisted and doesn’t count.
Mick Molloy, The Front Bar co-host
Cricket Edition sets up the summer
The following week, Maher and Molloy turn their attention to the summer game. LISTNR’s Andy Lee joins the desk for a preview of the major international and domestic matches ahead.
Comedian and impersonator Lawrence Mooney will appear in the Cricket Edition, while New Zealand great Sir Richard Hadlee also joins the programme before the Australia-New Zealand Test series.
Hadlee became the first bowler to take 400 Test wickets. His career included a celebrated 9/52 against Australia at the Gabba in 1985, a performance that remains one of the defining spells in trans-Tasman cricket.
Molloy said the programme would have plenty to discuss after a recent Melbourne Test finished inside two days.
I’m excited to talk some cricket, let’s just hope the MCG wicket sees the Test match last more than two days this year. I’ve been to Taylor Swift concerts at the ‘G’ that went longer than that Test match.
Sir Richard Hadlee is one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history. I was an all-rounder when I played cricket at school. I excelled at batting, bowling and ball tampering.
Mick Molloy, The Front Bar co-host
The Agenda Setters: Cricket launches after The Front Bar
Immediately after the Cricket Edition, Channel 7 will launch The Agenda Setters: Cricket at 9.30pm. Xander McGuire and former Test batter Will Pucovski host the new edition of Seven’s discussion franchise.
Former Australian coach Justin Langer will appear regularly. Aaron Finch and Damien Fleming are also set to join the panel during the season.
The launch extends the format beyond its existing football editions. Its scheduling after The Front Bar gives the programme a direct lead-in from a familiar sports-comedy audience.
Channel 7’s 2026–27 summer cricket line-up
Seven’s cricket coverage begins with the WBBL on Thursday 19 November, followed by the T20 Gold Clash on Sunday 22 November.
The Australia-New Zealand Test series starts in Perth on Wednesday 9 December. The BBL begins on Saturday 12 December with its first match staged outside Australia, as Melbourne Renegades face Perth Scorchers in Chennai, India.
Women’s international cricket returns when Australia hosts New Zealand in a one-day series from Saturday 6 March. The season then culminates in the 150th anniversary Test between Australia and England, beginning on Thursday 11 March 2027.
The matches will be shown across Channel 7 and 7plus, with catch-up viewing available through the streaming service.
For more TV Central Channel 7 news, head here. Watch The Front Bar specials on Channel 7 or stream them through the official 7plus service.