5 T20 commentators who would have been successful players in the IPL

3. HD Ackerman

HD Ackerman in action

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

Ian Bishop was a fiery fast bowler during his playing days

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

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.