Top 10 cricket commentators in the world currently
Cricket commentators play a bigger role in ensuring the entertainment of the television viewers than their counterparts in any other sport. The reasons are many. Cricket is a very complicated game and is usually played over a longer period than most other sports.
It is also a sport where a lot of activity (field placements, interactions between the players, etc.) takes place off the camera which the TV viewer is unaware of.
Hence, the commentator’s job is to enlighten the viewer about the intricacies of the strategies and tactics being employed by the teams; provide information about the movements and demeanour of the players; and also keep the listener entertained with relevant information, anecdotes and occasional doses of humour.
Those who can accomplish any one of these tasks to perfection or all three with efficiency deserve to be counted among the best broadcasters in the game.
So, let’s look at ten people who are best in the business when it comes to cricket commentary. Though 10 is too small a number to include all those who contribute to increasing our joy of watching the game, this article seeks to identify the best among them.
The list is composed of broadcasters who are regulars on the microphone or in the television studios.
But before we start, here are some honourable mentions: Ian Chappell, David Lloyd, Sanjay Manjrekar, Fazeer Mohammed, Simon Doull, Mark Richardson, Russel Arnold, Rameez Raja, Kepler Wessels, Graeme Smith and Ian Ward. Many others are also good but including their names would make the list endless.
#10 Fazeer Mohammed
Not being a top-level cricketer could be a handicap for a commentator but Fazeer Mohammed has shown that it can be easily overcome with the knowledge, energy and passion.
Mohammed’s great strength as a commentator is his encyclopedic knowledge of West Indian cricketing history.
This was symbolized by a memorable commentary segment with Rameez Raja in 2016, where he gave a detailed description and history of each one of the top-10 bowling figures recorded by a West Indian bowler in Test history when a list of them was shown on the screen.
What further adds to his brilliance is the forthrightness of his comments that land him in trouble occasionally but endear him to the fans. He is also full of energy and never lets the play seem stale.
Being a journalist, he is fully up to date with the goings on in the world of cricket, especially in West Indian cricket, which is not easy to accomplish owing to the multi-national nature of that entity.
Lastly, it’s his enormous passion for the game which oozes out of his words that makes his commentary compelling and enjoyable.