Intangibles
I am back after a long absence - and it is good to be back. My life has just been extremely busy with work and nursing a back injury and then over the past month or so have just been more involved with other happenings in the world. I will stick to cricket on this blog as this is a cricket blog and besides it is good to be back and writing on cricket because cricket is important.
I am also an avid Basketball and NFL fan. I have been following the NFL playoffs over the last few weeks and that got me thinking on how in American sports the commentators, experts and analysts know and understand the game so much better than their cricket counterparts.
I am really tired of the cricket commentators stating the obvious; making comments that any of my casual female family cricket fans can make. I am tired of phrases like "the last thing they wanted at this stage was to lose a wicket" Can somebody please tell me when it is a good stage to lose a wicket? When will we stop hearing the experts say that the batting team should aim to get maximum runs without losing wickets and the bowling team should try and get wickets giving away a minimum amount of runs. Oh really? How many years of international cricket does one have to play to come to that realization?
We need experts, analysts and commentators who can point out how Inzimam used to keep maximum strike against Muralitharan, point out Steve Waugh's grit and determination in adverse situations where his 30/40 proved to be the difference in making his team win, etc. Some times it could just be something as subtle as a bowler setting up a wicket for his mate on the other by bowling a tight line. I would like to see a commentator praise the bowler bowling the line and length rather than giving all the credit always to the bowler taking the wicket. Similarly, sometimes it is a couple of shots that a batsman plays (not necessarily boundaries) that completely upsets an on form's bowler line and length. Now it would be something if we got the commentators and experts talking about that rather than how well a batsman scoring a century played, which honestly even my grandmother could tell all of us.
I am also an avid Basketball and NFL fan. I have been following the NFL playoffs over the last few weeks and that got me thinking on how in American sports the commentators, experts and analysts know and understand the game so much better than their cricket counterparts.
I am really tired of the cricket commentators stating the obvious; making comments that any of my casual female family cricket fans can make. I am tired of phrases like "the last thing they wanted at this stage was to lose a wicket" Can somebody please tell me when it is a good stage to lose a wicket? When will we stop hearing the experts say that the batting team should aim to get maximum runs without losing wickets and the bowling team should try and get wickets giving away a minimum amount of runs. Oh really? How many years of international cricket does one have to play to come to that realization?
We need experts, analysts and commentators who can point out how Inzimam used to keep maximum strike against Muralitharan, point out Steve Waugh's grit and determination in adverse situations where his 30/40 proved to be the difference in making his team win, etc. Some times it could just be something as subtle as a bowler setting up a wicket for his mate on the other by bowling a tight line. I would like to see a commentator praise the bowler bowling the line and length rather than giving all the credit always to the bowler taking the wicket. Similarly, sometimes it is a couple of shots that a batsman plays (not necessarily boundaries) that completely upsets an on form's bowler line and length. Now it would be something if we got the commentators and experts talking about that rather than how well a batsman scoring a century played, which honestly even my grandmother could tell all of us.
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Welcome back Nazhar!
That has to be the best analysis of the current crop of cricket commentators. Rameez Raja and Ravi Shastri are the worst culprits! And as i write im listening to Ian Bishop say "one wicket can change the complexion of the game"...Im wathing the SA-WI 20-20 game. !!
Ian Chappell though is one commentator I admire. I think he's one of the very few who actually talks sense and speaks abt something that an average cricket fan wouldn't be able to pick up without an in-depth understanding of whats going...
Its great to be back!
I agree about Chappell - I think Boycott was another one who had an understanding of the game.