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T.V Commentators.The Best and the Worst

Beleg

International Regular
The best:

John Arlott
[Most of the NZ sky bunch]
Lloyd/Bycott for their antics and accent
Ian Healy [very good observations and doesn't take political correctness to the extreme]
Bill Lawry [Nothing like Lawry screaming his head offff]
Barry Richards [Very good, cool, sauve expert]

The Good:

Ian Bothom
Chistie Mujahid [Probably the best Pakistani commentator ever]
Keith Stackpole

THE WORST:

Every single Pakistani barring Rameez and Chistie. And they are more riddiculus when delivering in Urdu.


[While I was typing this post, my father, who used to follow cricket in those good ol' days of radio commentary mentioned some witty and great Hindi commentators of sixties and seventies, couldn't remember the names. Perhaps someone, SJS? Praytush? could give us some information about the greats of the bygone age and a link to any possible audio clipping]
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Beleg said:
The best:

John Arlott
[Most of the NZ sky bunch]
Lloyd/Bycott for their antics and accent
Ian Healy [very good observations and doesn't take political correctness to the extreme]
Bill Lawry [Nothing like Lawry screaming his head offff]
Barry Richards [Very good, cool, sauve expert]

The Good:

Ian Bothom
Chistie Mujahid [Probably the best Pakistani commentator ever]
Keith Stackpole

THE WORST:

Every single Pakistani barring Rameez and Chistie. And they are more riddiculus when delivering in Urdu.


[While I was typing this post, my father, who used to follow cricket in those good ol' days of radio commentary mentioned some witty and great Hindi commentators of sixties and seventies, couldn't remember the names. Perhaps someone, SJS? Praytush? could give us some information about the greats of the bygone age and a link to any possible audio clipping]
The Hindi commentators werent great, they were ridiculous in trying to translate the cricket terminology into chaste Hindi and in their atrocious lack of knowledge of the game.

The two stand up comedians from the era (as ridiculous as Siddhu with his cheap comedy) were Joga Rao and Jasdev Singh. Both picked up from door darshan where they specialised in news and Republic day parade commentaries which went like, "Akaash mein tiranga lehrata hua, desh premion ki athaah bheer dil mein umange aur utsaah liye hue...." :p

On another thread I had once posted the most hilarious cricket dialogue I have ever heard between Joga Rao and Lala Amarnath.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Here it is :-

One such Hindi commentator, Mr Joga Rao was covering an England - India test. As Wadekar played an excuisite coverdrive, Joga Rao said to (late) Lala Amarnath, who was the expert, in Hindi ,

" Lalaji, what do you say about this backfoot drive played by Wadekar"

Lala said,live on national hook up, "Joga Rao, that was not a backfoot drive it was a front foot drive, then he added to the flustered Joga Rao , " and it was a wristy shot."

Joga Rao, quick to cover his error said, " Yes Lalaji, I agree with you it was a very 'risky' . Wadekar, should not have played it"

Lala, making a motion with his wrist that listeners, unfortunately couldnt see, "Joga Rao it was not risky, it was wristy, wristy, played with the wrists !"
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
Richie is easily my favourite commentator. I also like Boycott, Greg Chappell, Botham, Holding and a few others. I actually dislike most other commentators, particularly those from the subcontinent and on the channel 9 commentary team. The worst are Dean Jones and Jeff Thompson however, they make me want to turn off the television or scream, or both.
 

Beleg

International Regular
LOL. Thanks for both excerpts. [the first one is cheesier then a star soap]
Guess exaggeration is some people's cup of tea.
 

Slow Love™

International Captain
Of whom I've heard...

BEST (In no particular order):

Tony Greig - I know this guy is very maligned, but IMO, has the best sense of humor in the Ch9 commentary booth and generally has something of interest to say.

Michael Holding - Strangely intolerant of short-pitched bowling (!) but very dry and a good knowledge of the game.

Greg Chappell - dunno what he did wrong when djits like Lawry and O'Donnell survive at Ch9 - maybe a little stiff, but I find his comments pretty valuable.

Peter Roebuck - actually far better on radio than his tired, repetitive faux purple-prose articles in the papers suggest.

WORST:

Mark Taylor - just damn terrible - gets things wrong all the time, and offers nothing another commentator didn't say in some form or another in the previous hour

Ian Healy - there seems to be some fans of his at these forums, to my surprise. Obsessed with second-guessing what players are thinking and supremely irritating.

Ian Smith - maybe you have to be a Kiwi to appreciate (read: not detest) this guy. Even my wife can't stand his parochial w*nkery, and she's often barracking for the Kiwis when we play them. He's so whiny when they're losing, too, if he's not been completely silent.

Waqar Younis - If it's any consolation, I don't think he'll be sticking with this gig much longer. I shouldn't speak to soon though, because I thought that of Simon O'Donnell many years ago.

And last, but certainly least, Jeff Thomson. Utterly wretched, and worse still, just boring. Thommo was a great cricketer, but his commentary was the Lawnmower Man meets Forrest Gump.
 

Tim

Cricketer Of The Year
Martin Crowe has for years tried to bring a rugby league style approach to cricket commentary with horriffic results.

I don't mind Ian Smith but sometimes he can go on & on about something he's annoyed over.

I don't mind Ian Chappell to be honest and I know alot of people dislike Mark Nicholas but I don't think he's half bad compared to others around. I enjoy listening to Michael Holding too.
 

Tim

Cricketer Of The Year
Tony Grieg is an idiot, but his comical errors can be an added bonus during a cricket match.
This summer alone he's been caught out a number of times thinking the ball is going for 6, or it's gone past the fielder..only to be wrong.
 

benchmark00

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Richie by a mile!! :D

Bill Lawry is funny because he's so biased

Ian Smith is a shocker

Cant stand David Lloyd.. accent gets me :p

Ian Chappell is a whinger

Tony Greig is awesome

Ian Healy annoys me
 

Tim

Cricketer Of The Year
Jeremy Coney is extremely intelligent & I think he paints a good picture of the match. Although sometimes he does go off in tangents.
 

Smudge

Hall of Fame Member
Tim said:
Jeremy Coney is extremely intelligent & I think he paints a good picture of the match. Although sometimes he does go off in tangents.
That's my favourite part of his commentary - when he starts telling stories about days gone by.
 

Blewy

Cricketer Of The Year
The BEST:

Richie Benaud (The Legend)
Michael Holding (Love this Guy!!)
Harsha Boglhe (sp?) (Same as Holding)
Ian Healy (Very Knowlegable)
Kerry O'Keefe (What more needs to be said!!!)
Mark Nicholas (Very impressed with him, when he 1st come out here i though WTF but he is very interesting)

WORST!!!!

Bill Lawry (SHOOT HIM & his buddy Greig!!!)
Tony Greig (See Above)
Waqar Younis (When he comes on the mute button follows)
ALL THE CHAPPELLS (zzzzzzz!!!!!!)
 

Zinzan

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Tim said:
Jeremy Coney is extremely intelligent & I think he paints a good picture of the match. Although sometimes he does go off in tangents.
Coney is not nearly as good a t.v commentator as he is on radio. He's brilliant on the wireless.
Perhaps its because he's able to paint more of a picture to his audience on radio.

Coney along with Peter Roebuck, Kerry O'kief (excuse spellin) and John Agnew would be my fav radio commentators.
 

Marius

International Debutant
In South Africa we have Lee Irvine who commentates for SABC from time to time, he is so terrible, I hate it when he speaks. Someone who was a very good commentator, but who is lost to broadcasting (hopefully temporarily) was Gerald de Kock (now SA's media manager). I used to love listening to him commentate.
 

Smudge

Hall of Fame Member
zinzan12 said:
Coney is not nearly as good a t.v commentator as he is on radio. He's brilliant on the wireless.
Perhaps its because he's able to paint more of a picture to his audience on radio.

Coney along with Peter Roebuck, Kerry O'kief (excuse spellin) and John Agnew would be my fav radio commentators.
I always felt Coney on TV is about to launch into something when he realises the pictures are there, and his job is half done.

I do like his Dilmah Tea Party slot with Bryan Waddle.
 

Craig

World Traveller
For me Coney would be one of the best. Perhaps the worst I have ever heard is Alan Wilkins. He is a commentator why?
 

twctopcat

International Regular
Richie - when he slows down when talking t-o r-e-a-l-l-y e-m-p-h-a-s-i-s-e a p-o-i-n-t. What a legend, the gandalf of cricket
David Lloyd - the exuberance and enthusiasm and lancastrian accent
Botham and Boycott - continents of common sense(most of the time)
Tony Greig - is becoming more like a cricket version of murray walker - "it's a six!! No he's out!!"
Michael Holding - that accent is so damn cool, bet he gets laid alot.
 

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