Agatha Christie’s novels have a plot, drama, suspense, emotion and a brilliant climax. These traits help get a reader engrossed and make sure that the final destination of the novel is reached with utmost of imagination attached.
Cricket commentary is not on parallel terms with the above.
With a microphone in hand, you are the person who is trying to dictate what is happening viewers who are already watching live pictures of the game.
It’s a challenging task that requires a lot of skill to be executed well. It involves a lot of impromptu innovation and an excellent command over the language to make sure that the viewers remain glued to the game.
Well, the latter is not a necessity anymore, at least in the short forms of the game.
Commentating in Test match cricket is all about story telling. It should be like describing the view of river flowing.
It is unhurried in the approach and lot of tales about the game can be easily dwelled upon while not much is happening on the ground.
ODIs are like beam balance between precision and innovation.
T20s are all about how direct you are to the viewer because of the constraint of time. The above pointers have no value attached in the current scenario as the quality of cricket commentary is deteriorating fast.
The essential ingredients like language, clarity of thoughts, flow of the words according to the situation and questioning have all taken a back seat in cricket commentary.
Today, people are voicing their opinion because of the repute they have been carrying in the cricketing circles.
Some of them are filled with clichés while some believe that having fun is more important than stating what’s happening out in the middle.
There is a certain sense of detachment when, say, a Kapil Dev takes over the microphone and talks about swing bowling when a cover drive has just taken place for a boundary.
His clarity as well as his fluency with the language is a barrier for the viewer but still he has been given an elongated run until now.
When Ravi Shastri is on air and a certain event has taken place, the whole of India and most of the cricket playing nations know what’s coming next. A four will have a statement, “that went like a tracer bullet” or the start of second innings will have, “the first 15 overs are crucial for the batting side”.
These commentators are working purely the basis of their reputations as cricketers of the past.
Talking of past players and commentary; you can’t leave Sunil Gavaskar away. When he started doing commentary, he had some views that made sense as he talked about different aspects of the game that a viewer wants to know.
Though, of late he has become a student who is irregularly attending his classes.
In some moments, he would produce fantastic observations and after some time a howler of sorts would take place.
Channel 9’s commentary panel, which includes Ian Healy and Mark Taylor, has been a real disappointment to the art of commentary as well.
The bias towards Australian cricket is pretty evident when they present the game and a macro view is completely lost.
The Pakistani commentary isn’t much different. Wasim Akram was an artist of swing bowling but has not captured the art of commentary until now.
Radio was the place where the brilliance of a commentator was captured as he pulled people to the game with his voice and made sure that they remain engrossed until the end.
Sadly, radio has slowly started to fade away and cricket commentary looks weaker with each second. Maybe, it is because of the commercial advertisements that playing a huge role in every broadcast.
Harsha Bhogle and Tony Cozier remain the people in the arena who haven’t played international cricket but still capture the charm of most viewers. It is their simplicity and communication skills that work for everyone.
Rahul Dravid was a breath of fresh air when he took over the commentary box and Sourav Ganguly brings out traits of leadership on air that not many have seen before.
Naseer Hussain, when not delivering views on England cricket, is a person you would want to hear and so is the case with Michael Holding. Ian Chappel is surely one who still manages to make some sense when he is presenting the game with India involved.
It is time that some past players are shown the door. It is time the fading art of cricket commentary be brought back to life.
It is time that a new Tony Cozier sets foot in the cricketing world. The doors have been shut for a non-playing cricketer to enter the commentary panel and hence, today the art is flagging.
Cricket for cricketers is good, but cricket by cricketers is never a good option.
ANON69
Guest
Amen.
solly
Guest
Sports commentary on Channel 9 in general is of a pretty poor standard.
Ramesh joshi
Guest
Excellent article except ur views on Harsha who just talks& talks & does allow us to enjoy the game. He some times forgets that he is on tv& not on radio.
Matt P
Guest
The problem with all of Channel 9's commentary team with the exception of Nicholas and fading Ritchie Bill is that they have no tempo.... They feel they have to talk as fast as the game is, they are wrong. They need to talk less but be more insightful. Martin Tyler for mind is the top of the sports commentators in my opinion and that is due to the fact that he doesn't over talk. Slater and heals are like yappy dogs that never shut up.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
There's not a jury in the land that would convict.
AndyMack
Guest
I must be living on the moon. How is Slater anyones favourite?? I want to murder the guy every time he comes on.
AndyMack
Guest
Slater is good??? He does not shut up. Ever. Just keeps on going. He is turning me off cricket.....
Varun
Guest
Watching fox sports final for Ryobi and have to say that mark Waugh and Fleming are great commentators, funny, insightful and they keep it interesting
The Bush
Roar Guru
Healy? You can't be serious. He is the worst commentator of all time. Period.
Varun
Guest
Yes Healy, slater and mark Nicholas are good. Brayshaw is too biased towards maxwell and finch, and yes I have heard Taylor critise khawaja but he has also acknowledged improvement in his game
TBag
Guest
Kerrie O'Keefe for PM. When he is with Harsha I am in cricket heaven. The Chappells are a little too bossy and annoying for me. They are also a little arrogant. Ch 9 commentators are pretty lame overall, but it doesn't help that they have to tell you about their rubbish TV shows. Its pretty hard to believe Richie when he tells us how awesome Ch 9's latest fast tracked pile of proverbial is (although I think he is the best of them all). The other thing I can't stand about Ch 9 is they still put the news over the cricket - it doesn't always go to GEM. What's so bad about that is that Ch9 news is so crap that I can't imagine anyone actually thinking to themselves "Hmm, the Ch9 news is on, better turn it over to listen to the latest from that bastion of journalistic integrity". No, in fact the only time people watch Ch9 news is because they cant operate the remote because their fat, sweaty palms which are covered in KFC grease can't operate the remote and they are too obese to get off the couch to change it manually. Just my two bob.
shire ump
Guest
The channel nine guys need to understand that their job is to explain and interpret what has happened and what should happen. Instead we get four people in the box (why do they need Four!) who spend most of their time playing with the technology or its own sake and finding ways to over analyse every minor incident with their generally scant understanding of the Laws and regular misinterpretation of decisions that have been made. The constant use of nicknames is an irritant as well; constantly hearing each other call out to 'Heals, Tubby, Slats etc is like listening to school kids. As for the relentless advertising of Junk Food, upcoming shows and memorabilia it is a huge turn off for me. There is no doubt that the best communicators are those who work in radio, they report what has happened, what is the score and provide good analyses of the game as it progresses. Kerry O’Keefe is starting to wear thin with his apparent need to entertain. He should take a look at the way that Brian Johnston and now David Lloyd use humour. Maybe I’m an old fart but I think the best have passed on… CMJ, Roebuck, McGilvray and of course that wonderful drunk John Arlott.
Sunil
Guest
Slater and Healy are my favorites, great humour from these guys. Taylor needs to go easier on Khawaja and Hughes, Brayshaw i can't stand especially when Maxwell is batting and Chapppell and Lawry have to be respected.
John Edgar
Guest
My issue with some of the commentators is that they play serious favorites with certain players. Brayshaw jumps off his seat when Maxwell comes into action, Moody is the same with Marsh in Fox Sports. And Taylor doesn't acknolwedge improvements in players sticking to the same critisms over and over again, i.e he critised Khawaja's fielding last year yet doesn't acknoledge the improvements this year, i am a big of Taylor when he played but these guys have to realise that they have to be neutral and acknowledge when folks do well
Johnno
Guest
or channel 9 shows coming up in Febuary. Heals and Tubby wow they are annoying there middle class waspish parochial jingo.
Lukeling
Guest
Channel 9 commentary kills me, it is really tough to sit through. I streamed the 1st test in India & it was a breath of fresh air to hear Shastri, Gavaskar, Warne & Border. They actually talked about cricket & there was no giggling & oneupmanship. Even the questions put to the viewers were cricket related not " should Heals & Tubby dress up like the Flintstones". It was even better to sit through the Indian TV ads than being bombarded with KFC & Vodaphone ads especially now we have somehow ended up with those clowns from Good Charlotte. It definitely wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if Channel 9 lost the rights somewhere down the track especially given that Brayshaw has joined their lineup. The constant spruiking of CH9 programs/products by the team is embarrassing & tedious. Adding an overseas commentator to CH9 would definitely help bring it back to the cricket, it works great with ABC radio. On that I think Kerry O'Keefe started to believe his own hype as a commentator & tries way too hard to be zany. When he is talking seriously about the game he is very astute & interesting.
AndyMack
Guest
Very good.
Johnno
Guest
No i don;t like Slat's either i just said he seems to be channel nine's man. He hosts the footy show, has more leadership roles now on channel 9's cricket coverage. Slat's annoys me too, he is a Heals and Tubby , 5 or 6 years younger.
AndyMack
Guest
So you hate Bill but love Slats. You surely are kidding.
Johnno
Guest
Mohit Marwah thank you for your detailed, kind and touching response, and a good article. Agree with a lot of what you say mate, but on Mark Nicholas, I find him nothing more than the stereo type London advertising executive of the 1990's. He does a lot of the promotional stuff of products that Tony Greig used to , he uses language well, but is very mainstream if you look at his subject choices and discussion forums, he lacks originality, he is no Micheal Holding, Marc Nicholas too me is not a deep thinker like Micheal Holding, and is really just an English version of Tubby or Heall's. Just a little better but not much. When I think of Marc Nicholas my memory of him is promoting KFC zinger burgers, or KFC meals , or the promotional products, not a deep intellectual connection to cricket. And with Tubby, and Heal's it's silly waspish jokes, and 90's dressing room funny moments that are totally irrelevant, or how Tubby needs to lose a few kilos, or Heal's taking the mickey out of young keepers, and Tubby joking along about lines about who got more catches Tubby in the slips, or Heal's of Warney bowling. So silly. And I find Marc Nicholas who retired in 1995 from all forms of cricket, never played test cricjer, but neither did Harsha, like Tubby and Heals, Marc Nicholas is starting to be trapped in the 90's to much,and is seeming out of touch now and relevance for Australian audiences. He was being groomed as Benaud's hier successor but that never happened. Micheal Slater it seems is channel nines man. Slat's also like those other guys mentioned above, Marc Nicholas,Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, lack that broader audience appeal, that someone like Micheal Holding, or a Harsha has. And I am annoyed with channel 9's parochial stance. Unlike the ABC who bring out a foreign commentator , channel 9 don't bring out an invited foreign commentator guest anymore for the nation Australia is playing. How boring. Russell Arnold of sir lanka, was very good on ABC radio this year for the Sri Lanka.