Five cricket commentators and their favourite phrases

Cricket is one of those reassuring sports where long-time fans could take enormous comfort and solace in the fact that very little was likely to change. Beginning from the game’s very early history, idiosyncrasies became practices, which became rituals.

Once those rituals were established, they would not change merely for the sake of change. More recently, though, it seems cricket is afflicted by veritable moral perversion. The inviolable is being flouted – first-class games under lights, pink balls, talk of doing away with the toss.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, are the individuals who bring the game into our living rooms via television or radio. Over time, cricket commentators have developed a habit for a certain phrase, or a word or two, and these locations have become important parts of both their identity and of the image of cricket as a whole.

It is difficult to imagine these persons without thinking of their catchphrases; their appeal is not quite as pervasive as “What’s up, doc?” but fans take delight (or sometimes annoyance) when these phrases are spoken. Here are five commentators and their favourite phrases.

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#1 Richie Benaud – “Morning, everyone”

Benaud was a well-loved figure

Richie Benaud’s pure mastery over the art of commentary lay in his marvellous (pun mildly intended) economy of language delivered in pleasant, lilting tones. It is, therefore fitting that one of his most well-known phrases was so utterly simple. A fairly prosaic sounding morning greeting to tuned in fans sounded like a treat in the voice of the great Australian, no matter where you were in the world.

There was no drama, no great weight to his voice, no frills and in the matter of a single second it was over, but Benaud’s favourite uttering has become one of the best-loved rituals in cricket. He will continue to be missed.

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