5 cricket commentators who have not played the game

It’s no surprise seeing your favourite retired cricketer going behind the mic and becoming a commentator. To see them talk about the game and the players that were once them, not so long ago is interesting and insightful. But what about those who haven’nt played cricket in a professional capacity?Who says you need to be a cricketer to become a world-class commentator, although there aren’t many out there, it’s great to see the cricketing world opening up to cricket enthusiasts turned analyst because let’s face it, not everyone can be born as a talented cricket player.Here are five of the best cricket commentators, who have never played a domestic or international game in their life.

#1 Jim Maxwell

Maxwell is Australia's most recognisable cricket commentator after Richie Benaud

Does this name sound familiar? You’ve probably have heard his voice as the commentator, alongside Richie Benaud, on EA Sports Cricket games 2004 and 2005. The Australian has been a commentator for ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) since 1973 and is also a frequent member of BBC’s Test Match Special for The Ashes.

Apart from commentating, Jim has written three books, including Stumps: Sledging, Slogging, Scandal, Success, The Way I See It about his experience of following the Australian team from 2000 – 2001. He also covers a number of sports, including hockey, golf, rugby and has also covered three Olympic games.

Not only has he commentated in over 200 Tests, but also in four World Cups and numerous ODIs. He is the President of a cricket based charity helping those with disabilities called, The Primary Club of Australia.

#2 Simon Mann

Mann is a regular on BBC's Test Match Special

Simon Mann has been a British broadcast commentator for more than 25 years and currently commentates for BBC radio, and is part of the Test Match Special for The Ashes.

He has commentated for the BBC on every English tour and for every Cricket World Cup since 1996. His broadcasting highlight came in the 1999 World Cup in the infamous semi-final between Australia and South Africa, where he described the unpredictable events that erupted on that pitch that day.

Simon is also currently commentating in the Dutch football, Eredivisie, which can be heard in the UK on Sky Sports 5. He has also worked with other broadcasting networks on several events, such as Argentina’s Primera Division, the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Simon privately lecturers communication skills, as he helps those who struggle with making speeches, writing reports, or doing interviews.

#3 Neil Manthorp

Nathan Hauritz being interviewed by Neil Manthorp (R)

Neil Manthorp is a South African broadcaster for SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) and Radio2000, who has covered over 50 tours for the South African cricket team. He is also a freelance journalist and has co-written five books, including Graeme Smith: A Captain’s Diary, Bouch: Through My Eyes, Gazza: The Gary Kirsten biography among others.

He writes a widely known column for SuperSport, weekly columns for Business Day (on Tuesdays) and Mail & Guardian (on Fridays). Neil started his own sports agency in 1992 called MWP Media to help print and broadcast journalists, and provide training for sportsmen and women on understanding and approaching the media.

Having a vast knowledge of the game, Neil also covers African cricket, particularly for the Zimbabwean cricket team. However, his sporting coverage in print and broadcasting extends onwards to rugby and golf.

#4 Harsha Bhogle

Harsha Bhogle is the voice of Indian cricket

Known as the voice of Indian cricket, Harsha started his commentating career at the tender age of 19 at All India Radio. He is known to have one of the most recognisable voices and faces in cricket broadcasting, and even the Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar has once said that Harsha opens up a different perspective to cricket when talking to him.

Harsha has commentated over four hundred one-day internationals, more than one hundred tests and has been commentating T20 cricket since India’s first game. Since 1995, he has been covering cricket for ESPN Star Sports and is a cricket analyst for CNN-IBN.

He has published and authored a number of books, including the national best-seller, The Winning Way, which he co-wrote with his wife Anita Bhogle. Anita and Harsha own a sports communication consultancy called Prosearch, which is based on the The Winning Way’s contents to help those in the sporting business.

#5 Tony Cozier

Cozier and commentary go hand in hand

One of the most recognisable voices and names in West Indian commentary is that of Tony Cozier. Son of Barbadian journalist, Jimmy Cozier, Tony studied journalism and covered his first game at the age of 15.

His first experience of radio commentary was the Test match between the West Indies and Australia in 1965. He has been a member of the BBC’s Test Match Special for every West Indian tour to England since 1966. Tony has written a book published in 1978 called, The West Indies: 50 Years of Test Cricket and was the editor of The West Indies Cricket Annual.

He was honoured for his contributions to the cricketing world and awarded with an honouree life membership from the MCC and a press box named after him in Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. He co-founded a publishing company with his wife and son, called Cozier Publishing, which has produced Caribbean Cricket Quarterly and souvenir magazines for the International cricket season.

Other than cricket, Tony has also covered the Commonwealth Games and American football. He still commentates West Indian cricket, but does it less frequently and is currently a weekly columnist for ESPNCricinfo and NationNews.