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Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Top five cricket commentators

Another top five for your reading pleasure. This month I take a look at my five favourite cricket commentators, and they are not all English!



Michael Holding

Few West Indians have made the transition into commentary as affectively as Michael Holding.

Quiet yet deadly with the ball in hand, behind the mic Holding delivers candid analysis with a gentle, fruity baritone. A principled commentator and one who firmly believes in the value of hard cricket, he has also been openly critical of the rapid modernisation and monetisation of the game.



Moreover, his continued involvement with cricket's political structures, especially those in the West Indies, mean that his views are often some of the most enlightening in the Sky Sports commentary box.

Far from being a blubbering old Boycott though, the towering Jamaican combines his uncompromising views with a typically Caribbean sense of humour, an irresistible combination that has seen him become a fan's favourite for over 20 years now.




Henry Blofeld

Arguably the voice of English cricket, Blowers has become synonymous with cricket commentary since he began on Test Match Special in 1973.


Despite his own playing career being cruelly cut short by injury, Blofeld's enthusiasm for the game has never waned. Famed for his flowery adjectives and Old Etonian lilt, no other cricket commentator can transport you to the scene of a Test match as majestically as Blofeld.


Perhaps the 73-year-old's most lovable characteristic however is his penchant for life beyond the boundary. His regular asides on everything from buses to planes and even pigeons prove him to be a man who not only harbours a deeply entrenched love for the game of cricket, but one who also maintains a strong affiliation with the nuances of English society.




Bob Willis

I have always had a thing for Bob Willis. Honest, frank and often forthright, Willis can divide opinion, but I've always found his less glossy appraisals more thought-provoking than those banded around by Sky Sports' "chosen ones".

Despite having spent his career playing alongside fellow Sky pundits Ian Botham and David Gower, Willis possesses none of the laddish leanings of his silver-haired contemporaries. Instead he comes across as a refreshingly pragmatic critic who, like all the best critics, says what others are often thinking but too afraid to say.







Nasser Hussain

Just as his role in the resurrection of English cricket in the early 2000s can often be underestimated, so too can Hussain's incisive brand of commentary. A true student of the game, his in depth knowledge, particularly of England's current set-up, makes him an invaluable companion to England's year-round cricketing ventures.


Crucially too, Hussain's thirst for cricketing knowledge means that his commentary maintains a freshness and relevance not found among some his older, more work-shy co-commentators.


What is most infectious about Hussain though is his unbridled love for the England cricket team. Retiring in 2004, he had to watch from the commentary box as the team he helped inspire went on to become a major force in world cricket. Yet despite never enjoying the success he deserved as a player, he still remains one of the teams biggest cheerleaders in the commentary box.



Richie Benaud

Benaud has played in and commentated on more than 500 Test matches in his over 60 -year relationship with the game. Astonishingly, now into his 80s, it is only in the last couple of years that Richie has finally begun to cut back on his commentary commitments.



More than just a commentator though, Benaud is perhaps most famed for his broadcasting roles with the BBC and later with Channel 4 and Australia's Nine Network. His mellow yet authoritative style in front of camera very much still the yardstick by which all other broadcasters measure themselves.



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