Let me start with the good news – since radio and TV introduced former players as commentators there has been a material improvement in the quality of the information provided although some of them sometimes forget that we are watching AS WELL, not only listening i.e. we don’t need to be told that is was a great shot, six, catch etc!
Now let’s move onto the minor but irritating observations of some (& sometimes too many!) commentators:
(1) The so-called one-handed shot e.g. Pollard yesterday. Everytime this comment is made I watch the replay closely & I have never seen any batsman to whom this amazing feat has been attributed actually remove one hand off the bat BEFORE actually striking the ball/moment of impact! ‘Yes’ the hand may come off the bat e.g. due to sweat etc but I challenge any commentator to show us one video where the bat is held by one hand prior to and/or at the moment of impact.
(2) ‘He doesn’t drop many’ – What is the intention with this obsequiuos comment? Unless the player involved is a really poor fielder, which at the current level of cricket should not apply to any player, surely all of them ‘don’t drop many’? Alternatively if it is a really good player who has ‘slipped up’, rather say ‘Very rarely will you see him drop a catch’
(3) ‘A swing and a miss’ – please: we are watching!
(4) The emphasis on power and not timing – the latter is the beauty of the game and in fact most ball games. ‘Yes’ there are exceptions when a player has literally ‘muscled’ the ball over the ropes for a six or a four such as Andre Russell on Friday but please give greater recognition too sublime timing – that’s really what identifies the superior players.
Finally ‘Thank you’ to those commentators who do their homework, educate us about the game and go the extra mile!
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