Expert's commentary

From Debayan Sen, India
Most of the pre-tour talk before the India v New Zealand series began was about the seaming wickets, specifically about the last Indian tour there. I, for one, was not as concerned about the quality of wickets in Kiwiland, as the kind of accents we'd be subjected to in the days to come!

New Zealanders have long had one of the most obscure accents, with the emphasis falling on words in a radically different manner than the rest of the world virtually! This series is no different: In case you have been watching 'Juicy' Ryder in action.

Perhaps the South African accent can come a close second. But most prominent South African commentators are actually Englishmen to begin with (maybe I am just thinking of Robin Jackman, but that's probably because not enough personalities from South African television have been heard by Indian viewers).

When one talks accent, it's difficult to leave out England. The once-popular Geoff Boycott has surely been surpassed by David Lloyd. Lloyd is funny (last night's T20 international included a hilarious account of why he thought umpires Clyde Duncan and Norman Malcolm were actually four different people!) and backs it up with an accent that appears more natural than Boycs' exaggerated attempts!

I guess accent could also increase the intonation, and that's where Ian Botham is a massive letdown. His delivery is just as dreary as his cricket was breathtaking. While Bob Willis would make someone unfamiliar with his craft believe that he was the Ashley Giles of his era! What about the Aussies? Bill Lawry cracks me up with his 'Austraaya' (though most Aussies tend to say that) and 'Shaun Povick'. Richie Benaud had his Sean Connery-esque tendency to inform viewers that the 'Ian Chappell ish with the two captainsh for the tosh'.

Closer home I think most Indian commentators give good accounts of themselves. Though I can never figure out how Sivaramakrishnan picks up the accent of whoever he's sitting in the commentary box with. Also the horribly un-Indian greeting 'go well' has gained currency with all Indian commentators, particularly when they're done with the toss or the match presentation.

Pakistani commentators befuddle you with their inability to get Indian names right. 'Saachin' Tendulkar and 'Yovraaj' Singh must be household names across the border, and I guess the answer to this must lie in the way most Indians do not know the exact pronunciation of Pakistani names (the ICL had a Pakistani cricketer called 'Haafiz' Khalid which our Indian commentators continually referred to as Hafiz, as that's how he spelt it).

There are some commentators who you'd want to hear to at any time of the day, irrespective of what accent they were bringing to the table. I am sure many cricket lovers like me are huge fans of the purr of Michael Holding, the way David Gower's commentary seems to reflect the elegance of his batsmanship, or the way Sunil Gavaskar (sometimes) gets into the mood for mischief and that's when his anecdotes come out flying.

All said and done, commentary continues to be an integral part of cricket. And hearing and learning to appreciate the way callers and experts from across the world use the English language is an experience that's often inspiring, sometimes funny, but never bad!