Worst Commentators

[Precambrian]

Arun Lal... All he does is echo what the other guy says.. all the day long.. dreadful.. Give me Waqar any day...

 

[Xuhaib]

Waqar is no Richie but he is still better then the other Pakistani commis, just take time and listen to Zaheer Abbas the word dreadful gets redefined by that fella.

 

[Napier16]

He's no where near as bad as Ian Ward or Paul Allot, they're just boring.

Paul Allot is one of SKY's better commentators actually, but is underused, I assume for lacking test caps to his name or international captaincy.

Agree that Wards crap.

 

[Napier16]

Hussain's over-use of the word 'whack' is doing my head in ATM. He risks simplifying batting to nothing. Even big-hitting is more about technique than anything else.

Surprised it isn't whacked "Beauuuuuuuuudiflee" (beautifly) coming from him.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Did anyone else instinctively think TIT was another exclusively-cricketweb abbreviation?

A lot of the exclusively-cricketweb abbreviations aren't exclusive to CW, mind.

 

[Dissector]

Arun Lal... All he does is echo what the other guy says.. all the day long.. dreadful.. Give me Waqar any day...

I dunno; I rather like him and find him quite insightful at times.

I seem to be one of the few who doesn't like Michael Holding. The majority of his comments seem to be completely obvious and cliched. Ian Bishop is a far better commentator IMO.

As a group I think the Sri Lankan commentators are the worst; I have yet to find one who is anything better than poor. Fernando and Jaysuriya are awful and I cringe every time I hear the latter speak on TV. Much as I enjoy watching Sangakarra play, it will almost be a relief when he retires and hopefully becomes the leading Sri Lankan commentator for a very long time.

 

[NFFC]

Nasser Hussain - Brilliant
Michael Atherton - Dull, but good
David Gower - Good
Ian Botham - Very Good
David Lloyd (Bumble) - Very Funny
Shaun Pollock - Excellent
Bill Lawry - Annoying
Ian Chappell - Not good
Geoffrey Boycott - Very Good
Richie Benaud - Knowledgeable
Mark Nicholas - Good
Simon Hughes - Terribly annoying
Bob Willis - Good, funny
Nick Knight - Bad
Paul Allott - Bad
Charles Colville - Average
Michael Slater - Good
Michael Holding - Slightly annoying but good
Ravi Shastri - Good
Harsha Bhogle - Terrible
Tony Greig - Too annoying
Ian Healy - Too biased

That's my assessment. I think the best are guys like Hussain, I think he's brilliant in the box, almost a perfect commentator, although he was always my favourite player LOL. TBH I don't mind most commentators, hence the generous comments. I've been really impressed with Shaun Pollock. He's very knowledgeable and sums up play really well. Guys like Holding and Nicholas are annoying but Holding adds to the play with his knowledge and experience, whilst Nicholas adds to the entertainment. I also like guys like Boycott and Willis. Both need to cheer up, but both say what needs to be said.

As for commentators I don't like, guys like Simon Hughes, Tony Greig and Paul Allott have always got on my nerves. Hughes and Greig are just plain annoying whilst Allott is dull AND annoying. Then guys like Harsha Bhogle come in. He is treated like a fantastic commentator when he's crap . And that goes for Ian Healy and Ian Chappell as well, they're both pretty average. OK, there's my analysis.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Boycott is the best obv, what a bloke.

 

[zaremba]

Ian Botham - Very Good
Simon Hughes - Terribly annoying

Well long live differences of opinion, but surely you must have mixed these two up...

 

[Napier16]

Nasser Hussain - Brilliant
Michael Atherton - Dull, but good
David Gower - Good
Ian Botham - Very Good
David Lloyd (Bumble) - Very Funny
Shaun Pollock - Excellent
Bill Lawry - Annoying
Ian Chappell - Not good
Geoffrey Boycott - Very Good
Richie Benaud - Knowledgeable
Mark Nicholas - Good
Simon Hughes - Terribly annoying
Bob Willis - Good, funny
Nick Knight - Bad
Paul Allott - Bad
Charles Colville - Average
Michael Slater - Good
Michael Holding - Slightly annoying but good
Ravi Shastri - Good
Harsha Bhogle - Terrible
Tony Greig - Too annoying
Ian Healy - Too biased

That's my assessment. I think the best are guys like Hussain, I think he's brilliant in the box, almost a perfect commentator, although he was always my favourite player LOL. TBH I don't mind most commentators, hence the generous comments. I've been really impressed with Shaun Pollock. He's very knowledgeable and sums up play really well. Guys like Holding and Nicholas are annoying but Holding adds to the play with his knowledge and experience, whilst Nicholas adds to the entertainment. I also like guys like Boycott and Willis. Both need to cheer up, but both say what needs to be said.

As for commentators I don't like, guys like Simon Hughes, Tony Greig and Paul Allott have always got on my nerves. Hughes and Greig are just plain annoying whilst Allott is dull AND annoying. Then guys like Harsha Bhogle come in. He is treated like a fantastic commentator when he's crap . And that goes for Ian Healy and Ian Chappell as well, they're both pretty average. OK, there's my analysis.

A few of those which I expected you, as most do to get wrong...you infact got right. I'm referring to your correct rating of Willis and Nicholas, whom a lot of people make the mistake of thinking aren't good.

Unfortunately you let yourself down in your assesments of Hussain and Allott, which you got the wrong way round.

I'm glad you were right about the awful Knight, although Slater is infact poor. I'll never forget how he described Aus as adding "impotence" to their innings in the last Ashes, his co commentator at the time, the educated Gower must have cringing.

So I'm giving you about 50% success rate there. Not bad.

 

[NFFC]

A few of those which I expected you, as most do to get wrong...you infact got right. I'm referring to your correct rating of Willis and Nicholas, whom a lot of people make the mistake of thinking aren't good.

Unfortunately you let yourself down in your assessments of Hussain and Allott, which you got the wrong way round.

I'm glad you were right about the awful Knight, although Slater is infact poor. I'll never forget how he described Aus as adding "impotence" to their innings in the last Ashes, his co commentator at the time, the educated Gower must have cringing.

So I'm giving you about 50% success rate there. Not bad.

Thank you for the kind words - tbh I can bear most commentators which is why I haven't criticized too many. As for Slater, you may be right, he can get on your nerves but he adds to the entertainment IMO and I can put up with him. What have you thought of Pollock during this series? I think he's been very good.

 

[Uppercut]

Thank you for the kind words - tbh I can bear most commentators which is why I haven't criticized too many. As for Slater, you may be right, he can get on your nerves but he adds to the entertainment IMO and I can put up with him. What have you thought of Pollock during this series? I think he's been very good.

Pollock's been fairly enjoyable because he has a lot of interesting insights about the SA players, but as a commentator i doubt he'll be much good in the long run. He also suffers from a problem common with commentators who recently played, that he's never going to say anything negative or controversial about his close friends on the pitch. He's far too nice a guy.

Also, i agree that Ian Healy is too biased, but surely you must find David "Panesar>Vettori" Lloyd guilty of the same thing.

 

[Richard]

May I suggest a new category - worst producers. First nominated is whichever pratt it is that succeeded Peter Baxter at TMS, who repeatedly puts Aggers and Geoff Boycott on together despite the blatant friction between the two of them. I might be mistaken as I don't listen to TMS all session every session but I don't remember Aggers and Boycs ever sharing a stint during Baxter's days.

Second is whichever stupid dumbaess Packerite it was that arranged Nine's 1998/99 Ashes coverage and allowed Botham and Ian Chappell to be on air together. Whoever it was was lucky full-scale warfare didn't break-out. I only have one day's highlights of that series but it contains Chappell saying to Botham "edge, caught, out - read the book" in an accordingly dismissive tone.

It's the most awkward thing as a listener to hear two people with such friction live on air to the entire country and beyond. Really, really poor publicity for the program and channel. Amazed whoever is responsible a) got their jobs ITFP and b) kept\keeps them.

 

[Uppercut]

Second is whichever stupid dumbaess Packerite it was that arranged Nine's 1998/99 Ashes coverage and allowed Botham and Ian Chappell to be on air together. Whoever it was was lucky full-scale warfare didn't break-out. I only have one day's highlights of that series but it contains Chappell saying to Botham "edge, caught, out - read the book" in an accordingly dismissive tone.

It's the most awkward thing as a listener to hear two people with such friction live on air to the entire country and beyond. Really, really poor publicity for the program and channel. Amazed whoever is responsible a) got their jobs ITFP and b) kept\keeps them.

I quite like it sometimes when commentators don't get on. I don't remember the commentary from that Ashes series, but it sounds like the type of thing i like - two outspoken men on opposing sides of a match commentating in tandem. There's no commentary i'd enjoy more if i were Australian than Chappell rubbing it in Botham's face when England get a beating, and vice-versa for England fans.

 

[Richard]

Amazed at that TBH. Commentary is a matey passtime under all normality, and to have something so out-of-place just sounds, to my ears, completely wrong.

 

[Tom Halsey]

May I suggest a new category - worst producers. First nominated is whichever pratt it is that succeeded Peter Baxter at TMS, who repeatedly puts Aggers and Geoff Boycott on together despite the blatant friction between the two of them. I might be mistaken as I don't listen to TMS all session every session but I don't remember Aggers and Boycs ever sharing a stint during Baxter's days.

I have Aggers' book, and according to that their constant digs at each other are all in good spirits. Additionally, I can certainly remember at least one instance of their being on the air together, though granted it may not have been common.

 

[Precambrian]

May I suggest a new category - worst producers. First nominated is whichever pratt it is that succeeded Peter Baxter at TMS, who repeatedly puts Aggers and Geoff Boycott on together despite the blatant friction between the two of them. I might be mistaken as I don't listen to TMS all session every session but I don't remember Aggers and Boycs ever sharing a stint during Baxter's days.

Second is whichever stupid dumbaess Packerite it was that arranged Nine's 1998/99 Ashes coverage and allowed Botham and Ian Chappell to be on air together. Whoever it was was lucky full-scale warfare didn't break-out. I only have one day's highlights of that series but it contains Chappell saying to Botham "edge, caught, out - read the book" in an accordingly dismissive tone.

It's the most awkward thing as a listener to hear two people with such friction live on air to the entire country and beyond. Really, really poor publicity for the program and channel. Amazed whoever is responsible a) got their jobs ITFP and b) kept\keeps them.

Darn, I thought these days channels adopt "sensationalism is good publicity" strategy. Channels in India definitely do.

 

[Precambrian]

If there were Razzies for Worst Commentary every year, they'd be swept en-masse by this year's IPL commentators. Nothing but just "DLF maximums 6s and "some-crap-moment" filled the airwaves". I switched off commentary, switched on A R Rahman, and escaped the horrors. And adding to the acoustic assault was visual one in the form of the perv cameraman focussing up the cheergirls asses every time someone hit a boundary or a wicket fell. Pathetic. Moronic.

 

[Perm]

And adding to the acoustic assault was visual one in the form of the perv cameraman focussing up the cheergirls asses every time someone hit a boundary or a wicket fell. Pathetic. Moronic.

Failing to see the negative in that tbh.

 

[Perm]

Also, i agree that Ian Healy is too biased, but surely you must find David "Panesar>Vettori" Lloyd guilty of the same thing.

Yeah, but added to his bias is his general lack of tact, knowledge or insight. Healy is, IMO, the worst commentator I've even heard, and to bracket David Lloyd with him is an insult to Bumble.