“Goes for hero, Bowled ‘EM! Full and Straight. The Bangladesh tigers have knocked the England lions out of the World Cup.”
“Carlos Brathwaite. Remember the name!”
“England win the World Cup, by the barest of all margins.”
Hearing these, one can immediately visualise the scenes on the field. Such is the impact of commentary on these iconic moments. Will we see more such instances of exemplary commentary in this World Cup?
Fans often look forward to ICC tournaments because of the quality of the commentary panel. Hardly anywhere else do the best in the world come together for one tournament, with microphones in hand.
This time around, it is not expected to be any different. The goal always remains to gather commentators from as many participating countries as possible, to get the most in-depth insights.
A total of 21 commentators will be covering the global T20 meet. However, is there anything regarding this aspect that ICC could’ve done better?
Fans would be pleased by the return of veterans like Ian Bishop, Harsha Bhogle, Nasser Hussain, Alan Wilkins, Pommie Mbangwa and Simon Doull.
On the other hand, relatively new voices of Shane Watson, Dale Steyn and Darren Sammy can be heard and because they have shared a dressing room with several players from current squads, often provide interesting and never before heard insights.
India, being the hosting nation, has the most number of commentators. Aside from Bhogle, the list includes Sunil Gavaskar, Anjum Chopra and Murali Karthik. More than India’s, Anjum Chopra is seen in Bangladesh’s matches where she provides interesting information, often involving domestic tournaments of the country.
This comes as no surprise as she has commentated in several domestic and franchise tournaments in Bangladesh.
Murali’s inclusion, on the other hand, did not seem to please too many. Rather, his namesake Dinesh Karthik was expected. Dinesh garnered hundreds of fans, with mic in hand during the English summer earlier this year.
Samannoy Ghosh, Darren Ganga, Ian Smith and Shaun Pollock would also be among those fans would have loved to hear from. However, they will be not voicing this time as the number is limited.
Commentary is a diverse and integral aspect of the game. Undoubtedly, the most iconic moments of this tournament will also be immortalised by those with microphones in hand.
Commentators are the poets with a microphone who creates instant poetry to portray the dynamism and thrill of the game. Fans are once again eager to be a part of their live poetry adding to the beauty of the game.
