Cricket has been evolving over the years now with new styles of the game coming into existence which wasn’t even imagined in the near past. In fact, any sport is always based on heavy rotation that will suit the needs of the hour. One of the craziest drives in cricket at the moment is analysis. Commentators haven’t simply confined themselves to the mere commentary but have also actively indulged in the analysis.
We will look at five cricket commentators who are also fine analysts of the game with their mastery over game assessment skills that also places them atop their counterparts in the same spectrum. However, this judgment is not a final verdict. It has been based entirely on our perspective and if you believe that you may have other opinions, you are most welcome to share.
1. Naseer Hussain
With 96 Tests and 88 ODI’s under his belt, Hussain has been one of the finest skippers of England. Known for his exquisite stroke-play and his dogged persistence, he also made a phenomenal batsman in the number 3 position.
His batting has earned him several plaudits and his captaincy was also critically acclaimed across the globe. Coming with such an enriching background in the sport, Hussain makes his analysis a delight to watch. One of the most spectacular reasons for his rise as a commentator was his ability to play with words comfortably.
To add to this, his viewpoint from which he dissects the game makes him a hot contender for one of the best analysts-cum-commentator of the sport. His explanations are dirt-simple which rivets the audience and also the players because that helps them to know their exact mistake and start working on them.
2. Mike Atherton
Known for his columns for several newspapers, Atherton is an effective articulator of expressions and emotions in cricket. He is also a very effective game reader and is mostly known for his accurate predictions in the game.
Despite people claiming that this is a sheer sham, but it exactly is his genius of exploring the game with a different sight altogether which we fail to grasp.
To make matters fixating for his audience, he keeps his language simple, filled with stats, and proper explanation behind any of his claims. He also contributes to several notable newspapers about cricket.
3. Michael Holding
A 6 feet 3 inch monster with the ball in the hand, intimidating batsmen at free will, Holding is one of the best fast bowlers to have ever grace the game. However, right since he has hung his boots, he took up commentary as a profession and he turned out to be one of the best, the sport that has ever seen. With picture-perfect interpretations of the match-conditions, he makes it a head-start ahead of his compatriots.
Next comes up for him, his ability to dissect games and portray the very better of everyone present in the middle. A very critical ability housed by Holding is to comment in the most positive ways one can. He is never into destructive criticism and the way he describes the prerequisites of the game and then rolls onto the present laced with some wonderful historic facts makes him a stalwart of the calling.
4. Sunil Gavaskar
With 125 Tests and 108 ODI’s, Gavaskar is a colossal name in terms of batting. He has led India to several glories with some fine shots penned down in the book of cricket. However, he even turned better as he picked up the mic.
A very decent personality that comes with a lot of grace, explains the nitty-gritty of the game in a very unique manner. He mixes humor with his explanations and also his ways of interpreting a match comes from those eyes when he used to bat in the middle.
He is also a firm believer in pointing out those flaws of a cricketer if he has failed to live up to his billing.
In fact in a row between Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli, Gavaskar didn’t hold back and laid it down in the simplest terms that why exactly is Kohli wrong. He speaks out the truth with a lot of panache but in a very simplified manner.
5. Simon Doull
Though not a pretty sublime player of the game, Doull is one of the best commentators the game has right now. A brilliant analyst and equally rambunctious human being, Simon Doull expresses his opinion in the most stern of facts in the most ludicrous ways possible.
Though comparisons won’t really be sagacious here, Doull has established his own way of bringing the spectators close to the game.
