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Rank your country's commentary team
- Thread starter morgieb
- Start date
smash84
The Tiger King
isn't this a pretty common phrase?Another masterclass that I heard in a ranji trophy match, don't know who the commentator was, "it does not matter how they come as long as they come." Wow
OverratedSanity
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If you're talking about an orgy, yeah
cricmahanty
School Boy/Girl Captain
Bhogle: Very good hosting skills but nothing more than mediocre inside the box. To his credit, one of the most sharp-witted commentators around... he usually comes up with quick responses and argues for his stand (provided he has one) in a gentle, subdued manner. Would have been a 8 on my scale of 10 a few years back but the BCCI payroll has made him less of a commentator and more of a salesman. 6/10
Shastri: Makes tosses and presentation ceremonies unbearable to watch with his loud rants. Jingoistic BCCI- yes boy. Time to buy him a new cliche-cookbook too. 0/10
Sunny: Very India-centric but I do not mind him much tbh. He atleast makes you listen when he's on about some funny anecdotes from his playing days. Quite often find him having two on-air modes, one of them is the serious and the insightful type and the other is the Shastri-esque version. 5/10
Ganguly: Do not rate him as much as some of the other guys do here. Good verbal skills and a mild voice but he tends to be overtly repetitive at times. Also has a habit of jinxing. Has quite a lot of room for improvement though. 4/10
Dravid: Speaks less but is worth listening to when he does. Full of insight on batting techniques, on how to counter swing, whether to take a wider stance or not, and basically everything else that's important about batting. Good analyst. 7/10
Manjerekar: High on my respect list for his outright straightforwardness and unbiased views. Has improved a lot from the time when I first heard him on-air. I'm glad he hasn't gone down the way of becoming a BCCI boot-licker. 8/10
Kapil: The language is a barrier. Could do with a little more insight rather than bringing himself down to the levels of the man he's sitting next to (which usually is Sidhu when he's doing the Hindi feed)
Overall, do not see him as an ideal commentator material. 3/10
Sidhu: Pathetic is the only word that comes out. Even that's an understatement. 0/10
Sivaramakrishnan: Would have been the worst commentator on the planet had it not been for Jayasuriya and Aamir Sohail -1/10
Laxman: About as good as the man above. One of my top favourites as a cricketer but I don't want to see him anywhere near a commentary box. -1/10
Wilkins: Remarkably good as a host. A commentator's voice. Isn't available most of the times though due to his tennis and golf assignments. Good knowledge of the game too. 7/10
Kumble: Hasn't done much of commentary but his baritonic voice should suit him for the job.
Shastri: Makes tosses and presentation ceremonies unbearable to watch with his loud rants. Jingoistic BCCI- yes boy. Time to buy him a new cliche-cookbook too. 0/10
Sunny: Very India-centric but I do not mind him much tbh. He atleast makes you listen when he's on about some funny anecdotes from his playing days. Quite often find him having two on-air modes, one of them is the serious and the insightful type and the other is the Shastri-esque version. 5/10
Ganguly: Do not rate him as much as some of the other guys do here. Good verbal skills and a mild voice but he tends to be overtly repetitive at times. Also has a habit of jinxing. Has quite a lot of room for improvement though. 4/10
Dravid: Speaks less but is worth listening to when he does. Full of insight on batting techniques, on how to counter swing, whether to take a wider stance or not, and basically everything else that's important about batting. Good analyst. 7/10
Manjerekar: High on my respect list for his outright straightforwardness and unbiased views. Has improved a lot from the time when I first heard him on-air. I'm glad he hasn't gone down the way of becoming a BCCI boot-licker. 8/10
Kapil: The language is a barrier. Could do with a little more insight rather than bringing himself down to the levels of the man he's sitting next to (which usually is Sidhu when he's doing the Hindi feed)
Overall, do not see him as an ideal commentator material. 3/10
Sidhu: Pathetic is the only word that comes out. Even that's an understatement. 0/10
Sivaramakrishnan: Would have been the worst commentator on the planet had it not been for Jayasuriya and Aamir Sohail -1/10
Laxman: About as good as the man above. One of my top favourites as a cricketer but I don't want to see him anywhere near a commentary box. -1/10
Wilkins: Remarkably good as a host. A commentator's voice. Isn't available most of the times though due to his tennis and golf assignments. Good knowledge of the game too. 7/10
Kumble: Hasn't done much of commentary but his baritonic voice should suit him for the job.
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morgieb
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In addition:
Tom Moody 5 - boring voice. Isn't bad but not the sort of guy you'd want to listen to.
Michael Vaughan 6 - don't think he's a full time commentator for 9, but I have NFI who he actually works for now so I'll count him anyway. Is surprisingly good IMO, I expected him to be another Botham but he actually delivers alright insights and is generally fair.
vic_orthdox
Global Moderator
I've really enjoyed Vaughan as a commentator on both BBC and the little that I've seen on Nine.
Flem274*
123/5
Just you wait until we send you Danny Morrison and Craig McMillan for the return seriesThey also chose to invite the correct West Indian commentator in Ian Bishop.
I've really enjoyed Bishop as well. The invited commentator can be a bit of a lottery at times since the home broadcaster always seems to find the one bloke who is so bad they irritate both home and opposition fans, but Bishop has been awesome. It's good having a fellow quick Doull can talk shop with too for a change.
morgieb
Request Your Custom Title Now!
Bump,
How cliched was my first post. Nowadays......
Nicholas 7 - I don't have any beef with him. Good commentator, doesn't get sucked into irrelevant bull**** and also adds a touch of class to the call. Might well be the best on Nine today.
Chappell 6 - probably the only one on Nine who's interested in cricket which doesn't involve Australia, which is obviously a plus. Offers the best insights of the box and is interesting to listen to. Voice is a bit dour though and he can be very negative and dickish.
Hussey 6 - is pretty good. Not anything special but does at least run with the play and avoids the boysy sort of banter. I don't think he has the right sort of voice for commentary though, but that might be harsh.
Lawry 6 - doesn't commentate much anymore. A shame because when he still does he is very enjoyable to listen to. Unlike some has an obvious love for the game. You won't get a particularly detailed analysis into the game with him unlike say Chappell or those on Sky, but his call is a lot better than the new generation.
Lee 6 - unlike some I actually don't mind him, with fast bowling at least he definitely knows his stuff and is actually worth listening to. Like Hussey though his voice seems odd, but whereas Hussey it more sounds like he's a little too young, Lee sounds kinda illiterate. Worse than Taylor's IMO, who isn't exactly a very good speaker himself.
Taylor 5 - he can depend on who he's calling with. I think when he sticks to basics he is fine and in the right combo he is pretty good, but when he's with people he played with he falls into that whole "dad at a frat party" crowd. Voice still can be pretty bad too. Very much a mixed bag.
Moody 5 - overly dour for my tastes, his voice could send any insominac to sleep. Not really bad but pretty meh on the whole. It doesn't help that he doesn't commentate a lot though, would prefer him to some.
Slater 3 - cringeworthy. In the right setting and when David Warner isn't batting he isn't horrible, but even then he's fairly forgettable. Way too easily goes down to the level of the rest of the team though, especially when he's commentating with people he played with. No, your dad at a frat party shtick is not interesting or funny, and it can **** off.
Brayshaw 3 - I just don't see the point in him. He doesn't add real insights to the game, nor is he interesting to listen to in a way that can give the call class. He's less annoying than some but he really isn't a cricket commentator....particularly in Tests.
Healy 2 - no idea why I liked him a few years back. Biased as a cut snake and is overly negative about anything that isn't Australia. Best thing I can say about him is that he has more focus on the cricket than some.
Warne 2 - the sad thing is that he definitely knows something about the game. But is just far too interested in irrelevant bull**** and is just an utter tosser in the box. A really awful commentator these days. Only redeeming feature is that in the right circumstances he still can sound alright.
McNamara -1 - worst commentator of all-time. Not only does his call suck, he is also pretty much 100% responsible for the whole direction of Nine. I mean Slater and Warne were highly regarded when they first started commentating, Brayshaw works well in other sports and even Healy was apparently decent when off Nine. If they sacked him as the Director of Cricket I reckon the call would be 100 times better.
As for Ten:
Ponting 8 - excellent caller. Not only is it clear that he still genuinely enjoys the game, he also actually offers very valuable insights towards the game, more than what we can hear from Nine and he's calling T20 rather than Tests! People should hire him ASAP.
Gilchrist 8 - also very good. Passionate, good bloke and offers a lot of class with the mic.
Fleming 7 - offers strong insights into bowling and is a bit of a natural with the mic anyway. Not quite as good as the other two but above most on Nine and in other parts of the world.
Waugh 5 - like Ian Healy, but actually funny on occasion and works well enough with the rest of the team. Bit of a wanker but is entertaining rather than cringeworthy.
Maher 5 - meh. I think given it's T20 him being bland is nothing to really get offended about and doesn't go too badly with the style that Ten is going for. Wouldn't want him calling Tests though.
How cliched was my first post. Nowadays......
Nicholas 7 - I don't have any beef with him. Good commentator, doesn't get sucked into irrelevant bull**** and also adds a touch of class to the call. Might well be the best on Nine today.
Chappell 6 - probably the only one on Nine who's interested in cricket which doesn't involve Australia, which is obviously a plus. Offers the best insights of the box and is interesting to listen to. Voice is a bit dour though and he can be very negative and dickish.
Hussey 6 - is pretty good. Not anything special but does at least run with the play and avoids the boysy sort of banter. I don't think he has the right sort of voice for commentary though, but that might be harsh.
Lawry 6 - doesn't commentate much anymore. A shame because when he still does he is very enjoyable to listen to. Unlike some has an obvious love for the game. You won't get a particularly detailed analysis into the game with him unlike say Chappell or those on Sky, but his call is a lot better than the new generation.
Lee 6 - unlike some I actually don't mind him, with fast bowling at least he definitely knows his stuff and is actually worth listening to. Like Hussey though his voice seems odd, but whereas Hussey it more sounds like he's a little too young, Lee sounds kinda illiterate. Worse than Taylor's IMO, who isn't exactly a very good speaker himself.
Taylor 5 - he can depend on who he's calling with. I think when he sticks to basics he is fine and in the right combo he is pretty good, but when he's with people he played with he falls into that whole "dad at a frat party" crowd. Voice still can be pretty bad too. Very much a mixed bag.
Moody 5 - overly dour for my tastes, his voice could send any insominac to sleep. Not really bad but pretty meh on the whole. It doesn't help that he doesn't commentate a lot though, would prefer him to some.
Slater 3 - cringeworthy. In the right setting and when David Warner isn't batting he isn't horrible, but even then he's fairly forgettable. Way too easily goes down to the level of the rest of the team though, especially when he's commentating with people he played with. No, your dad at a frat party shtick is not interesting or funny, and it can **** off.
Brayshaw 3 - I just don't see the point in him. He doesn't add real insights to the game, nor is he interesting to listen to in a way that can give the call class. He's less annoying than some but he really isn't a cricket commentator....particularly in Tests.
Healy 2 - no idea why I liked him a few years back. Biased as a cut snake and is overly negative about anything that isn't Australia. Best thing I can say about him is that he has more focus on the cricket than some.
Warne 2 - the sad thing is that he definitely knows something about the game. But is just far too interested in irrelevant bull**** and is just an utter tosser in the box. A really awful commentator these days. Only redeeming feature is that in the right circumstances he still can sound alright.
McNamara -1 - worst commentator of all-time. Not only does his call suck, he is also pretty much 100% responsible for the whole direction of Nine. I mean Slater and Warne were highly regarded when they first started commentating, Brayshaw works well in other sports and even Healy was apparently decent when off Nine. If they sacked him as the Director of Cricket I reckon the call would be 100 times better.
As for Ten:
Ponting 8 - excellent caller. Not only is it clear that he still genuinely enjoys the game, he also actually offers very valuable insights towards the game, more than what we can hear from Nine and he's calling T20 rather than Tests! People should hire him ASAP.
Gilchrist 8 - also very good. Passionate, good bloke and offers a lot of class with the mic.
Fleming 7 - offers strong insights into bowling and is a bit of a natural with the mic anyway. Not quite as good as the other two but above most on Nine and in other parts of the world.
Waugh 5 - like Ian Healy, but actually funny on occasion and works well enough with the rest of the team. Bit of a wanker but is entertaining rather than cringeworthy.
Maher 5 - meh. I think given it's T20 him being bland is nothing to really get offended about and doesn't go too badly with the style that Ten is going for. Wouldn't want him calling Tests though.
Gnske
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Chappell: 10 - A god among men, I always look forward to his stints in which it takes him 0.00033 seconds to go on his long run, his rants last summer against Dhoni were particularly gripping. A grump no doubt, probably pays the most attention to cricket apart from Nicholas beyond the Australian team. His funny tales are also so great my sides split each time.
Nicholas: 7.5 - Best of the trash, seems to have genuine interest in the game beyond the Australian team. Just seems really odious and in love with his own voice trying to wax lyrical all the time, not to mention that Mugabe quote that always gets me.
Hussey: 7.5 - Tediously boring at times but offers good insight when called upon. An extra point for bullying Slater earlier this summer and being the only one to be cynical of WinViz.
Taylor: 5 - An engima, not bad when he puts in the effort but the rest of the time is cracking dreadful injokes and reminds me of a father going through a middle age crisis trying to learn how to be cool again.
Moody: 5 - So boring I can't really remember anything to hold against him.
Healy: 1 - Insufferable whether he's bandwagoning or whining when Australia get the short end of the stick. Occasionally listenable on keeping issues but even there he's becoming tedious.
Lee: 0 - Childish and tedious to listen to, no good traits.
Slater: 0 - I hear he was once a decent commentator, I refuse to believe this. Childish, impossible to listen to and one of the bigger bandwagoners on the team. Can think of a few expletives that would better describe him.
Brayshaw: 0 - Literally the most annoying, irritating, disgusting, awful, revolting, stomach-turning, unbelievable, sickeningly **** commentator this corner of the galaxy. Must always speak and as a result says nothing, his voice alone is inappropriate for TV. I'm 100% convinced he, along with McNamara is responsible for the progressive dumbing down of the commbox.
Warne: 0 - My hatred for the foul ghoul that abducted Warne upon his retirement, murdered him, skinned him then has proceeded to wear his skin for the last 7 years is unending. Has all the worst traits of the Channel 9 team built into one horrible monstrosity that even Frankenstein himself would rather euthanize than let live.
The Channel Ten blokes all get 6/10, intensely better than most of 9 but they sound like children.
Nicholas: 7.5 - Best of the trash, seems to have genuine interest in the game beyond the Australian team. Just seems really odious and in love with his own voice trying to wax lyrical all the time, not to mention that Mugabe quote that always gets me.
Hussey: 7.5 - Tediously boring at times but offers good insight when called upon. An extra point for bullying Slater earlier this summer and being the only one to be cynical of WinViz.
Taylor: 5 - An engima, not bad when he puts in the effort but the rest of the time is cracking dreadful injokes and reminds me of a father going through a middle age crisis trying to learn how to be cool again.
Moody: 5 - So boring I can't really remember anything to hold against him.
Healy: 1 - Insufferable whether he's bandwagoning or whining when Australia get the short end of the stick. Occasionally listenable on keeping issues but even there he's becoming tedious.
Lee: 0 - Childish and tedious to listen to, no good traits.
Slater: 0 - I hear he was once a decent commentator, I refuse to believe this. Childish, impossible to listen to and one of the bigger bandwagoners on the team. Can think of a few expletives that would better describe him.
Brayshaw: 0 - Literally the most annoying, irritating, disgusting, awful, revolting, stomach-turning, unbelievable, sickeningly **** commentator this corner of the galaxy. Must always speak and as a result says nothing, his voice alone is inappropriate for TV. I'm 100% convinced he, along with McNamara is responsible for the progressive dumbing down of the commbox.
Warne: 0 - My hatred for the foul ghoul that abducted Warne upon his retirement, murdered him, skinned him then has proceeded to wear his skin for the last 7 years is unending. Has all the worst traits of the Channel 9 team built into one horrible monstrosity that even Frankenstein himself would rather euthanize than let live.
The Channel Ten blokes all get 6/10, intensely better than most of 9 but they sound like children.
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
INdia:
Manjrekar - Tries too hard to be cool, can be good at times but sticks to his own stance on any topic and uses anything and everything as evidence to support his stance. Indian Mark Taylor IMO.
Kumble - Bit of a captain obvious but he is still new to the box. With time, I hope he can be good. Indian Mike Hussey as a commentator.
Siva - Only there because BCCI mandates it. Is very good when talking about spin bowling and can be insightful at times and witty at times. Unfortunately at all other times, he is just the wrong sort of droll and bores the hell out of the people watching. Indian Mark Nicholas???
Gavaskar - Indian Ian Chappell. Enuff said.
Ganguly - Extremely biased towards certain players that he likes. But when he analyzes the actual game, he can be gold. Wont be doing much of commentary now that he is into administration.
Dravid - The best of our commentators but can get quite hung up on the technical aspects at times. Again, will be commentating far less now that he is into coaching.
Laxman - Quite boring and talks a lot and says very little. Indian Tom Moody perhaps?
Bhogle - Utter nonsense most of the time when he tries to talk like an actual expert. But very good host and very good at posing good questions and getting responses from experts. Indian Brayshaw?
Manjrekar - Tries too hard to be cool, can be good at times but sticks to his own stance on any topic and uses anything and everything as evidence to support his stance. Indian Mark Taylor IMO.
Kumble - Bit of a captain obvious but he is still new to the box. With time, I hope he can be good. Indian Mike Hussey as a commentator.
Siva - Only there because BCCI mandates it. Is very good when talking about spin bowling and can be insightful at times and witty at times. Unfortunately at all other times, he is just the wrong sort of droll and bores the hell out of the people watching. Indian Mark Nicholas???
Gavaskar - Indian Ian Chappell. Enuff said.
Ganguly - Extremely biased towards certain players that he likes. But when he analyzes the actual game, he can be gold. Wont be doing much of commentary now that he is into administration.
Dravid - The best of our commentators but can get quite hung up on the technical aspects at times. Again, will be commentating far less now that he is into coaching.
Laxman - Quite boring and talks a lot and says very little. Indian Tom Moody perhaps?
Bhogle - Utter nonsense most of the time when he tries to talk like an actual expert. But very good host and very good at posing good questions and getting responses from experts. Indian Brayshaw?
weldone
Hall of Fame Member
HB don't always try to define the 'desi' (Indian) in terms of the 'bidesi' (foreigner). We are not imitators.
I hate when anyone does it.
'Aamir Khan is the Indian Tom Hanks.' No, he's not.
'Tendulkar is the Indian Maradona.' No, he's not.
'Tagore is the Indian Shakespeare.' Lol no.
'Anurag Kashyap is the Indian Tarantino.' No, he's not.
I hate when anyone does it.
'Aamir Khan is the Indian Tom Hanks.' No, he's not.
'Tendulkar is the Indian Maradona.' No, he's not.
'Tagore is the Indian Shakespeare.' Lol no.
'Anurag Kashyap is the Indian Tarantino.' No, he's not.
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indiaholic
International Captain
HB clearly has not escaped the cultural hegemony of the British Raj. Filthy gora.
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
lol... I saw the detailed description of C9 comms and thought I will relate our Indian guys to that. When did this become a racial/national thing?
honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
HB clearly has not escaped the cultural hegemony of the British Raj. Filthy gora.
Hey.. I just didn't wanna pay teen goona lagaan..
Furball
Evil Scotsman
It's hilarious that Mark Nicholas manages to be an obnoxious, sycophantic **** and still manages to be the best in the C9 box. Shows how ****ing bad the rest of them are.
And the worst thing is there's decent analysts in there, the segment Healy and Warne did for Sky during the Ashes was excellent.
And the worst thing is there's decent analysts in there, the segment Healy and Warne did for Sky during the Ashes was excellent.
Camo999
State 12th Man
Interested to know if commentators get any form of training these days. I think Richie worked as a journalist and also undertook television courses at the BBC prior to his commentary career and his professionalism always showed. Others like Bill Lawry, Tony Greig, Kerry O'Keefe, Geoff Boycott, Michael Holding etc were able to develop their own distinctive styles and forthright opinions.
Particularly on TV these days commentators seem to be chosen based exclusively on their achievements on the field. No doubt they have great knowledge on the game but too often they struggle to convey much beyond the obvious, and in a bland style anyway which is a shame.
With channel 9, instead of an interesting mix of perspectives we have a 1990s batting line up: Slater / Taylor / Brayshaw / Healy etc. Sky is similar to be fair: Atherton / Knight / Butcher / Hussain / Botham etc though generally I find them a bit better. Perhaps it is the direction of Ch 9 that needs to change.
Would love to see something like Dennis Cometti / Greg Matthews / SCG MacGill / Isa Guha / Damien Fleming / Michael Clarke / Chappelli / Lisa Sthalekar on Ch 9.
Particularly on TV these days commentators seem to be chosen based exclusively on their achievements on the field. No doubt they have great knowledge on the game but too often they struggle to convey much beyond the obvious, and in a bland style anyway which is a shame.
With channel 9, instead of an interesting mix of perspectives we have a 1990s batting line up: Slater / Taylor / Brayshaw / Healy etc. Sky is similar to be fair: Atherton / Knight / Butcher / Hussain / Botham etc though generally I find them a bit better. Perhaps it is the direction of Ch 9 that needs to change.
Would love to see something like Dennis Cometti / Greg Matthews / SCG MacGill / Isa Guha / Damien Fleming / Michael Clarke / Chappelli / Lisa Sthalekar on Ch 9.