5 commentators who were made for Twenty20 cricket
Twenty20 cricket, while succeeding at grabbing the attention of the wider world and boosting ICCs plans of globalizing the sport, has indisputably lowered the bars with respect to quality and richness of the game. Be it inside the 22 yards or outside of it, quality has suffered, and in keeping with the trend on field, the emergence of Twenty20 specialists in the commentary box has been striking, to say the least.These are the men who have been entrusted with the job of keeping things fun and simple. A few of them are comical, others loud, but none are analytical. Forget Richie Benaud, Tony Cozier and Ian Bishop, these Twenty20 commentators are paid not for their eloquence, but for their ability to raise your adrenaline levels every now and then.Here we take a look at five such men-with-mics whose approach to commentary lies in harmony with the spirit of the format.
#5 Ian Smith
During the 1980s, New Zealand regular Ian Smith was a much sought-after man owing to his handsome looks and charming personality. Three decades later, the former wicket-keeper is now an obese man who had recently enrolled in a weight loss homeopathy program and lost 10 kilos.
Smith is a household name for statisticians and cricket quizzers, for he not only holds the highest score by a number nine in Tests but also possesses one of the highest strike-rates (99 runs per hundred balls) in ODIs.
He took to commentary after retirement and currently works as a breakfast host on Radio Live Sport. He is popular as a Sky Sport commentator on cricket as well as rugby. His hilarious reaction inside the box as Jesse Ryder’s massive six landed on top of his car during a domestic match in November 2014 soon went viral on YouTube.