These days many cricketers who retire from the game make their way to the commentary box. It allows them to stay closer to the game they love and also their playing experience makes them a perfect fit for the job.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) commentary team for this season too has a fair share of ex-cricketers.
Here’s a list of 5 members of this commentary team who would have succeeded as players in the IPL:
Note: This list does not include commentators who have played in the IPL and therefore, the likes of Scott Styris, Damien Martyn and Murali Kartik have not been included.
1. Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri is widely regarded as one of the best commentators in world cricket. In fact, he has even won the award for the best IPL commentator in the 2012 season. However, his ability is not just restricted to behind the mike. Shastri was an excellent all-rounder during his playing days and had played a vital role in engineering many victories for the Men in Blue by way of his solid performances with both bat and ball.
In 150 ODIs, Ravi scored over 3000 runs at an average of 29 and a strike rate of 61. These days where strike rates of 100 and above are commonplace, the 52-year old’s strike rate might seem to be slightly on the lower side. However, one must keep in mind the fact that he played ODI cricket at a time when the format was in its formative years and was undergoing several changes. Let us also not forget the fact that Shastri was in fact the first Indian player and only the second player overall to have smashed six sixes in an over in competitive cricket.
Ravi was also pretty handy with his slow left arm bowling. In his ODI career, he managed to pick up 129 wickets at an average of 36.04 and an economy rate of 4.21. Moreover, the Mumbaikar is also widely regarded for his tactical acumen and is currently Director of Cricket for the Indian team. All these factors would have made Shastri a very successful player in the IPL.
2. Kepler Wessels
Right throughout his career, Kepler Wessels did things differently. It did not matter what the pundits and former players thought of his actions, if he felt something was right, he would go ahead without thinking twice. And more often than not, he managed to silence his critics. In a tournament like the IPL, where one has to think on his feet, players like Kepler would have surely left an impact.
In 109 ODIs, the former South African skipper scored 3367 runs at an average of 34.35. As mentioned above, Keppler was known for his adaptability and his ability to do things differently. Moreover, the 57-year old has a very enviable record to his name. In his 105-match long ODI career, there wasn’t a single innings in which he was dismissed for a duck. That just goes to show what a reliable batsman he would have been at the top of the order.
Given that he was also the captain of the South African team and the coach of the Chennai Super Kings for the inaugural season where they reached the final, he could have also offered a lot on the tactical front.
3. HD Ackerman
Over the last few seasons, HD Ackerman has been a regular member of the IPL commentary team. With the right mix of humour, wit, clarity of expression and insightful opinions, the South African is one of those few commentators who one looks forward to listening. Though he has very limited international experience, HD has a lot of experience in the domestic circuit, especially in T20s.
In 55 T20s, the South African scored close to 2000 runs at an excellent average of 37.72 and a strike rate of 119.53. He also managed to score 17 fifties in his T20 career, which means that he scored a fifty roughly every 3 innings. These numbers bear testament to his consistency as a T20 batsman. This would have surely made him one of the vital cogs of any batting unit in the IPL.
4. Ian Bishop
Being the only West Indian in the IPL commentary team, Ian Bishop brings some much-needed Caribbean swagger with him. Though he looks pretty intimidating at 6’ 5’’, he is rather calm and collected behind the microphone and has a very soothing voice. Bishop hails from Trinidad and Tobago, an island which is known more for producing batsmen rather than bowlers. However, in his playing days, he was a fierce fast bowler who troubled many a batsman with his ability to move the ball away.
In 43 Tests, the 47-year old picked up 161 wickets at an average of 24.27 which included 6 five-wicket hauls. In fact, he is the fastest West Indian bowler to reach the mark of 100 Test wickets. Bishop’s ODI numbers too are pretty impressive. He picked up 118 wickets in 84 ODI’s at an average of 26.50 and an economy rate of 4.33. Given his ability with the ball and the fact that early wickets are very crucial in any format of the game, Bish, as Bishop is fondly called, would have surely been one of the vital members of any bowling attack in the IPL.
5. Damien Fleming
Damien Fleming is one of the most popular commentators in Australia, especially in the Big Bash league he has been a major hit with the crowds. In fact, in December 2012, he was also voted as the best commentator in a survey conducted by the Australian Cricketer’s Association. Though the former Australian pacer had a stop-start test career, he was a regular member of the Australian ODI team in the late nineties.
In 88 matches, the 45-year-old picked up 134 wickets at an average of 25.38 and an economy rate of 4.41. In the 1996 World Cup semi-final, Fleming helped Australia beat West Indies by bowling the final over where West Indies needed just 6 runs off the last 5 balls. Even in the 1999 World Cup semi-final vs South Africa, he did not seem flustered when the Proteas needed just 1 run off the last 4 balls. His back to back dot balls put pressure on Klusener forcing him to go for a cheeky single and we all know what transpired.
In fact, it was Fleming who calmly under armed the throw from Mark Waugh to Adam Gilchrist which led to Allan Donald’s dismissal. Flemo, as he is fondly called, therefore, gained the reputation for being an ODI specialist for his ability to deliver the goods in crunch situations. This makes him a must-have in a tournament like the IPL where bowlers are often under the gun and are expected to bowl in some really tight situations.
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