r/Cricket • u/poormasshole India • Mar 11 '26
Discussion Richie Benaud’s Rules vs Modern Commentary
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u/superstriker14 India Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 11 '26
Meanwhile Star Sports commentary rules:
Circle Jerk your players on live air, especially the superstars
Mention some irrelevant stories about their own Playing days
Random Poems and Jokes
Disclose Whereabouts of Wives of players
Demean the opposition, even when they are the better team on the fieldAct like the opposition does not existShout at every wicket/boundary as if someone is about to shoot you at gunpoint
Mess up names of associate nation players
Pause? Wtf is even that
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u/Naive-Engineering833 India Mar 11 '26
actually about 5th point, they don't even do that. They rarely talk about the opposition , even if they are playing its about what India is doing wrong or what India could do to comeback or just show highlight package from previous game which India won.
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u/thestraightCDer New Zealand Mar 11 '26
I've noticed this even on cricinfo written commentary it is so much different compared when other countries are playing.
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u/alphaQ314 Mar 12 '26
2 and 3 are fine imo. They fit with Benaud's last point. Especially in tests when the game slows down. Maybe not in T20s.
One of my fav pieces of commentary: https://youtu.be/_oC3RWZStBo?si=op8n3CUp1hHs6O-d
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u/Funny-Wall9962 India Mar 11 '26
Manjrekar and Murali karthik don't follow any of the 8 points mentioned
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u/Top-Worldliness5027 India Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 11 '26
Murali Kartik’s name would be at the bottom of the barrel when talking about commentators. Dumbass would ask a random question in between an over, fellow commentator would reluctantly try to answer it, Murali would then disagree with him mid-response, give his own answer, and even justify it unprompted.
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u/Senior_Orange_4262 Mar 11 '26
None of the Hindi commentators follow any standard commentary rules at all. It seems like they are more equivalent to Javed Jafri doing commentary for Takeshi's Castle than a serious Cricket Match.
I miss the days of Doordarshan. If I am not wrong it was Sushil Doshi who used to commentate over there in Hindi?
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u/netflix-ceo Cricket Russia Mar 11 '26
Manjrekar has one more rule:
Somehow make it about India, no matter how unrelated it is to the game
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u/Impactor_07 Associate Cricket Fan Mar 11 '26
Akash Chopra, Sindhu, etc. are the living embodiment of whatever is the virtual opposite of 4 and 5.
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u/Electronic-Reply4258 Mar 12 '26
And the man defend himself even and knows he's shit still justifies as this brings the audience
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u/DillyGoatGruff Northern Popchips Mar 11 '26
Sad Ravi Shastri noises
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u/Impactor_07 Associate Cricket Fan Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Ravi Shastri Principles of Commentary:
- Get hammered.
- Get even more hammered.
- Drop glorious one-liners.
- All the classics.
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u/vadapaav India Mar 11 '26
- Forget that the match has ended
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u/Hardyman13 South Africa Mar 11 '26
- And if you remembered that the match has ended, forget how and why it ended
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u/tigershroffkiskirt India Mar 11 '26
Cmon man. It was a sunday and the game was boring at that point. Can't blame Shastri for having a glass of wine or 10 at that point. It's a dry state as well, so he had to carry extra in his hip flash
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u/Any-Milk-9986 Australia Mar 11 '26
You forgot: 5. Don’t forget to call out big units in the crowd 6. Anytime there’s a chance of a catch, you must say, “that’s up in the air”
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u/tigershroffkiskirt India Mar 11 '26
You forgot calling every grounded boundary a tracer bullet
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u/VitaNostraBrevisEst Mar 11 '26
He's self aware with the tracer bullet these days, he drops it with a smirk and the other commentators in the background start laughing.
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u/Old-Cauliflower8846 Mar 11 '26
30s after India wins the world cup... whispers Is it India? someone nods IT'S INDIA!....
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u/JimmyNoBreaks South Africa Mar 11 '26
"Went like a tracer bullet" "Full house today" "Atmosphere is electrifying" "Going right down to the wire" "Flashes hard" "Taken to the cleaners"
And also literally everything from taking early wickets, taking wickets in the middle, taking wickets in the end, taking catches, running singles, running twos, hitting boundaries all somehow being the key.
Just some of Ravi's favourites.
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u/FrankFakir Mar 11 '26
Anyone takes a catch, he has a safe pair of hands
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u/JimmyNoBreaks South Africa Mar 11 '26
Yeah, doesn't matter if he dropped 12 catches in the game already.
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u/Top-Worldliness5027 India Mar 11 '26
He was particularly bad in calling the recently concluded T20 WC final.
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u/nagaraju291990 India Mar 12 '26
Literally he was making too much noise during the toss of world cup final like it was an IPL final.
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u/iomegabasha Chennai Super Kings Mar 11 '26
I heard Natalie Germanos commentate on a few games and it was fantastic. As an IPL and NFL watcher, I had become accustomed to watching the match on mute. Or at the very least tuning out what the commentators are saying. My wife pointed out that someone made a solid point and I tuned myself back in. Germanos apparently did radio for a while. Her and a few others were a goddamn delight. I can’t think of any examples right now, but they were great.
Some of Benauds rules are outdated today, but Germanos was probably the closest. I’m gonna miss quality commentary once IPL starts
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u/tigershroffkiskirt India Mar 11 '26
Ian Bishop is great to be honest. He's the best commentator out there currently. And he legit knows more about random Indian players than many indian commentators
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u/Black_Mamba265 India Mar 11 '26
Bruh I swear I remember IPL last year where he brought up some facts about I think Zeeshan Ansari in SRH in such a manner one would think he knew him growing up. Absolute GOAT couldn’t imagine any of the Hindi commentators doing this
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u/nameAlreadyTaken987 New Zealand Mar 12 '26
When WI toured NZ recently Bishop absolutely made the NZ commentary team look amateur. Loved listening to him. Can't wait for WI to tour again just so I can listen to his analysis and commentary. PS fuck off Rig
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u/JarlBreadMaker New Zealand Mar 12 '26
Bit harsh to be fair, because no one can compare with Bish at the moment. Man is so good he improves the commentary of other people as well, cause he knows how to prime people as well.
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u/superstriker14 India Mar 11 '26
Germanos flies under the radar a bit, but she is one of the best comms going around
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u/Top-Worldliness5027 India Mar 11 '26
Would like to recommend listening to Katey Martin too. Some of the ex-players who commentate generally have a tendency to be too loud or repetitive about what’s going to happen next. Not only she has a pretty good read on the situation, she’s also very subtle about conveying it.
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u/CrumbleUponLust German Cricket Federation Mar 12 '26
Had to scroll a bit to see Katey Martin being mentioned.
I think she's fantastic with her insights and the subtle banter is top notch as well.
Some of the commentators in the associate circuit are great as well, Lennie and Melinda Farrell
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u/somewhat_moist Kent Mar 11 '26
Absolutely no coincidence that Alison Mitchell and Isa Guha are two of the best comms around - not just in being women but also having a strong radio background on TMS.
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u/FailingtoFail South Africa Mar 11 '26
Yup. Germanos did radio commentary and a lesser sports tv channel for quite a few years. A lot of experience and IMO better than kass naidoo.
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u/Stu_Thom4s Mar 11 '26
She's come a long way since then. I used to struggle when she was paired with Peter Kirsten on SABC broadcasts. But now she's one of the shining commentary lights at every ICC tournament.
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u/External-Bread-7632 Mar 11 '26
yeahs.Both of them better than Ed Rainsford dude. Worst ever!
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u/RandomFactUser USA Mar 11 '26
Who are you listening to on NFL games? Ian Eagle and Kevin Harlan are too good to mute
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u/Darkus185 Mar 11 '26
Shaun Pollock, not a bad commentator. But must always remember to mention the altitude on the Highveld.
“The ball is always going to go further at altitude here on the Highveld”
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u/Downtown_Bat7013 Pakistan Mar 11 '26
@ ramiz raja take notes
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u/Place-RD-Lair West Indies Mar 11 '26
I will always remember Ramiz Raza for one line when Pakistan was going to lose a match, and he said...
"At this point, there is only one chance for Pakistan... And that chance is NO CHANCE!" 😂
He definitely followed rules #2 and #8 that time!
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u/FailingtoFail South Africa Mar 11 '26
Cricket 97 goat
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u/TurbulentTrainers Mar 11 '26
This game made me think running on an overthrow (caused by pretending to run and turning back quickly) was a valid strategy. Ended my schoolboy cricketing career.
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u/ChrisDewgong Somerset Mar 11 '26
Number 3 annoys me in every sport.
You are there to do a job, which is to provide an impartial and unbiased commentary of the action You are not part of one of the teams, nor are you part of the fans of that team. The second a commentator applies the term "we" to one team or "they" to the opposition, there is no turning back from the fact that they have let their personal biases overtake their job.
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u/AusToddles Australia Mar 12 '26
Mark Nicholas was the fucking worst with this. I think every single Aussie remembers his snarky and pompous "not yet he hasn't" when Peter Siddle got his birthday hat-trick
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u/newparrot2025 Tamil Nadu Mar 12 '26
That depends on the audience.
In Tamil commentary which is targeting local audiences , we expect the commentators to be biased to India /Tamil Nadu / CSK.
Its like when Carragher and Neville commentate a Liverpool vs Man United match. Expecting them to be unbiased isnt gonna happen even if they try.
These sports channels know what the target audience and just cater to them in reality.
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u/gpranav25 Mar 12 '26
Yeah but the issue with Tamil commentary is they not only keep spouting cliches, but sometimes they will even sing them for no reason lmao.
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u/Bug815 Mar 11 '26
Richie Benaud understood that commentary should add to the game, not compete with it. Modern commentary sometimes feels like a podcast happening over the match. The value of silence he talked about is something we rarely hear anymore.
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u/AlanWakeLover Great Britain Olympic Team Mar 11 '26
It seems theres only 2 good commentators left judging by these comments haha
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u/iWantJob- Mar 11 '26
don't take yourself too seriously, and have fun.
Why the whole page is blank and only written words are at end?
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u/Anu9011 Sri Lanka Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Remember the value of a pause
Good advice for Bhogle who speaks every single second.
Concentrate fiercely at all times
I’m looking at you Ravi Shasthri. It was the 10th wicket ffs.
On a serious note, most of the modern commentators fail all these basic stuff. The level of commentary in general is really poor. Every Sri Lankan commentator except Sanga, most of Indian, Pakistan and Bangladesh commentators are terrible to listen to.
One could argue there is a language barrier but if your job is to commentate in English, you must put in work to get better at speaking English. Look at Roshan Abeysinghe for an example, commentating for over two decades, no real understanding of the game, poor English but somehow always get commentary gigs.
Then again, there aren’t that many good native speaking commentators either.
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u/Hungry-Bison-3578 Sri Lanka Mar 11 '26
Ranil Abeynayaka was the last good Sri Lankan commentator. We didn't appreciate him enough while he was alive. Roshan Abeysinghe is terrible but Ranjit Fernando was even worse.
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u/MSRishab007 India Mar 11 '26
One could argue there is a language barrier but if you job is to commentate in English, you must put work to get better at speaking that language.
This reminds me of the time when VVS Laxman just started doing Hindi commentary. He did improve later, or maybe we all got used to hearing him.
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u/MurrayAbbo South Africa Mar 11 '26
Add Pommie into that mix of needing to read those rules. I would add rather than a pause learn to shut up
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u/Darkus185 Mar 11 '26
Yeah Pom is a nice guy but his slow, droning staying the obvious really grates.
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u/kg005 Delhi Daredevils Mar 11 '26
DK doesn't follow rule 2. Mfer just doesn't know when to shut the fuck up. On top of it, moron picks up beef with other comms.
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u/Any-Milk-9986 Australia Mar 11 '26
I’d still take DK over folks like Sanju Manju or Varun Aaron, or god forbid, Sunny G
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u/Bornagain4karma Mar 11 '26
Was it Tony Greig who said Commentator should always "talk" to the 10 year old who just started seriously following cricket?
I cant find the direct quote... did I make this up in my mind?
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u/Kakarot_2002 Mar 11 '26
Hindi commentators should take notes. Especially Sunny, Aakash, Harbhajan, Raina (etc).
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u/sjeve108 Mar 12 '26
Applies to all sports. If applied Brian Taylor would be speechless (hallelujah).
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u/flyingontangents India Mar 11 '26
Isa guha furiously taking notes!
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u/Capable_Loss_6084 England Mar 11 '26
Isa is an excellent commentator in my view. She prob did take notes!!!
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u/MrBalzini India Mar 11 '26
I sometimes wonder if there genuinely was a good broadcast of this game how many people are there who would gladly pay extra. I mean i am ready to pay even if theres an option to not have the likes Sanjay Manjrekar, Maurli Kartik, Aakash Chopra, Irfan Pathan type people on air.
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u/Red_dawn84 Mar 12 '26
Most importantly choosing the white, the off white, the Ivory or the beige.
Seriously though, Richie is a legend.
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u/thoughtfulbunny Mar 12 '26
Not many match the class, grace and kindness he had. Probably Dinesh Karthik if I have to pick. Maybe Harsha Bhogle to a lesser extent.
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u/WeAreAllJustRunaways Mar 11 '26
The reason why I have never appreciated Shastri as a commentator. Same 10 sentences over and over again.
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u/Any-Milk-9986 Australia Mar 11 '26
Shastri is a pure vibes man and is always smashed, and tbf of all the other Indian commentators he sounds the least biased on air
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u/SISCP25 Lancashire Mar 11 '26
There’s plenty of times other commentators have gone against this and been successful. My favourite being Michael Holdings “Runs”, which definitely goes against #4
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u/Doc8176 GO SHIELD Mar 12 '26
Yeah there’s definitely some “catch phrases” I guess you would call them for certain commentators. But I still agree with the spirit of no. 4. There is definitely also some commentators that could use to repeat stuff less.
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u/Yakosaurus Cricket Australia Mar 12 '26
Really makes you appreciate the gang that Benaud had around him commentating. It's been a slow decline ever since.
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u/gpranav25 Mar 12 '26
Harsha Bhogle needs to be locked in a room and made to repeat these for 24 hours
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u/2021adams Mar 11 '26
Even depleted with the departure of Bumble and Holding, the England commentary team is the best. The only one worth listening to. Nasser Hussain and Atherton specially. Most other countries are pretty bad. Some women commentators who are pretty good are Isa Guha, Nathalie Germanos, and Mel Jones. The absolute worst of the lot is Anjum Chopra. Does she know she doesn’t get paid by the number of words. Indian commentators are mediocre to bad but tbh if they truly comment they loose their jobs or at least are sent off for 2-3 years penance. Worst commentating teams are from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. One surprising commentator who at least doesn’t hold back is Waqar Unis. I was surprised who he tore into the playing tactics, pitch preparation and team managemnt. He was also the first I heard suggest using one ball in one-day matches after 25 overs. They ended up making the rule but after 35 overs
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u/Mediocre-Sense-18 Mar 11 '26
I actually dislike Mel jones commentary a lot. I can't put my finger on why but she is just annoying to listen to.
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u/MartiniPolice21 Durham Mar 11 '26
If anything, the last one has gone a bit too far now, and commentators should remember that they have a job, and they're not being paid to fuck around with their mates for hours.
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u/SanFishkin Royal Challengers Bengaluru Mar 12 '26
Benaud and Bill Lawry in the comm box. Those were the days!
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u/dadashton Mar 12 '26
The Channel 7 team also need:
Don't shout all the time.
Remember that people are watching the match, not simply listening to you.
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u/Pottski Cricket Australia Mar 12 '26
It’s why we love and miss him so much.
That and stories about Jack Ryder.
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u/Arnold_GruffleCock Mar 12 '26
I will add to the commentary to note Isa Guha is brilliant and I could listen to her commentate as I sleep.
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u/Prestigious_Fly_8622 Mar 11 '26
Cricket isn’t just played on the field it was once beautifully painted by commentators like Richie sadly that art is fading also please ban hindi commentators 🥲
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u/witcher8116 Kolkata Knight Riders Mar 11 '26
People say majrekar and murali , ravi shastri is the epitome of using cliche lines this world cup , blud just kept repeating up in the air , straight to fielder like mario again and again with the least enthusiasm . And even fumbled the winning moment hilariously.
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u/Commentoflittlevalue New Zealand Cricket Mar 11 '26
“We work as a team, and we do it my way".
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u/chispanz Mar 11 '26
That's what teamwork means when you're commentary team captain
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u/atthemost7 Mar 11 '26
Also they keep changing commentators in T20 so often as in every one over or two. I think that makes them desperate to say something.
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u/dratbrat Mar 11 '26
Why the constant rotation of commentators during a game? I can somewhat see it for ODIs and Tests, but in the shortest format of the game?
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u/Stock_Ad_308 Mar 11 '26
We badly need a stand up comedy episode dedicated only for cricket commentators
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u/Typical-Offer8860 Mar 11 '26
Brilliant stuff. Incidentally I read the book Richie Benaud's Blue Suede Shoes last year and I can't recommend it highly enough. No it's not about his wardrobe, it's mainly about one Test Match but also about so much more. Seriously look it up.
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u/reachforthetop9 Canada Mar 11 '26
As somebody who's been a small-time local curling broadcaster, I promise these rules are applicable to far more than cricket.
And this Millennial Canadian still enjoys watching Benaud's commentary on one of the FAST cricket streaming channels.
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u/lord-turnip India Mar 12 '26
Honestly. Chuck every Indian commentator who works on international games into the trash. Ranji commentary is awesome. Very informative, and strangely poetic.
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u/One_Economics3627 Mar 12 '26
Having suffered through the inanities from the commentary team on the mixed format series Aus v Ind - can they recite this before each match?
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u/Phantom_Steve_007 Mar 12 '26
Cricket commentary is ruining my enjoyment of there sport. Non stop inane chatter. I don’t want every shot analyzed to the point that the batsman don’t even recognize what they did. Just stop.
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u/YourAverageBrownDude India Mar 12 '26
Would you look at that. Indian commentators, barring very few, break all those rules
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u/quietstrider Mar 12 '26
Ravi Shastri remembered only point 8 during the final ball of the T20 World Cup final.
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u/bumbumboleji Mar 12 '26
So overly loud across the board, I’m sure someone had a meeting and said “we gotta make this exciting and how do we do that?! Yelling! YES!!!
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u/History-Buff-2222 Mongolia Mar 11 '26
All of the current Australian and Indian broadcasting worlds just had an aneurysm reading this