List of cricket commentators

This is a list of media commentators and writers on the sport of cricket.

A number of famous players have had a second career as writers or commentators. However, many commentators never played the game at a professional level, yet they have gone on to become famous names associated with the game.

Name First-class / List A career Broadcaster/Publication
Ranil Abeynaike Bedfordshire 1982
Sinhalese Sports Club 1989–1990
TEN Sports 2004–
Nimbus Sport 2006–
Karunaratne Abeysekera None Radio Ceylon/ Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation

First ever Sinhala cricket commentator

H._D._Ackerman South Africa 1998 SuperSport (Super Cricket)
Jonathan Agnew Leicestershire 1978–1990, 1992
England 1984–1985
BBC (Test Match Special) 1991–

The People 1990-1991
BBC Television 1999, 2006-

Wasim Akram Pakistan 1985–2003 ESPN Star Sports 2003-
Terry Alderman Australia 1981–1991
Paul Allott Lancashire 1978–1991
England 1981–1985
BBC Television 1994–1995

Sky Sports 1995–

Rex Alston None BBC (Test Match Special) 1945-1964
John Arlott None BBC Radio 1946–1957
BBC (Test Match Special) 1957–1980

The Guardian 1968-1980

Athar Ali Khan Bangladesh 1988–1998 Nimbus Sport
Mike Atherton Lancashire 1987–2001
England 1989–2001
Channel 4 2002–2005
Sunday Telegraph 2002-
TalkSPORT 2004-
Sky Sports 2005–
Trevor Bailey Essex 1946–1967
England 1949–1959
BBC (Test Match Special) 1967–1999
Jack Bannister Warwickshire 1950–1968 BBC Television 1984-1998 TalkSPORT 2001-
Richie Benaud New South Wales 1948–1964
Australia 1952–1964
BBC Television 1960–1999
Nine Network 1977–
Channel 4 1999–2005

Five 2009–

Harsha Bhogle None ABC 1991–

ESPN Star Sports 1995–
BBC 1998–

Ian Bishop West Indies 1989–1998 Sky Sports 2005–
SABC Television 2005–2008
Five 2007
Greg Blewett South Australia 1991–2007
Australia 1995–2000
Sky Sports 2009–
Henry Blofeld Cambridge University 1958–1960 BBC (Test Match Special) 1972-1991, 1994-
Sky Sports 1991–1994
Ian Botham Somerset 1974–1985
Worcestershire 1986–1991
Durham 1992–1993
England 1976–1992
BBC Television 1994–1995

Sky Sports 1996–

Geoffrey Boycott Yorkshire 1962–1986
England 1964–1982
Sky Sports 1990-1998
BBC Television 1993-98

TalkSPORT 1998-2003
ESPN Star Sports 1997-2005
Channel 4 2004–2005
BBC (Test Match Special) 2005-
Five 2006–

James Brayshaw Western Australia Nine Network 2007-
Freddie Brown England 1931–1953 BBC (Test Match Special) 1957-69
Jim Burke Australia 1951–1959
Greg Chappell South Australia 1966–1973
Queensland 1973–1984
Somerset 1968–1969
Australia 1970–1984
Nine Network 1989-1994
Ian Chappell South Australia 1961–1980
Lancashire 1963
Australia 1964–1980
Nine Network 1980-
ESPN Star sports 2007-
Michael Charlton None ABC ?–?
BBC Radio 1956 (Ashes series);
Shamim Chowdhury None Nimbus Sport
Denis Compton England 1937–1957 BBC Television 1958-75
Sunday Express
Jeremy Coney Wellington 1971–1987
New Zealand 1974–1987
Sky Sport (New Zealand) 2004–
Dominic Cork Derbyshire 1990–2003
Lancashire 2004–2008
Hampshire 2009–2011
England 1992–2002
BBC (Test Match Special) 2010 –
Pakistan Television Corporation 2009–
Jamie Cox Tasmania 1987–
Tony Cozier None Barbados Daily News 1961-1969
Nine Network 1977-1992
Sky Sports
BBC (Test Match Special) 1966–
Peter Cranmer Warwickshire 1934–1954 BBC (Test Match Special) 1965–1968
Martin Crowe New Zealand 1982–1995 Sky Sport (New Zealand) 2006
Aravinda De Silva Sri Lanka 1984–2003 Sky Sports 2006
Ted Dexter Sussex 1956–1968
England 1958–1968
BBC Television 1968-19??
Allan Donald South Africa 1991–2003
Simon Doull New Zealand 1992–2000 Sky Sport (New Zealand) 2006–
Jeff Dujon Jamaica 1974–1993
West Indies 1981–1991
Sky Sports
Matthew Engel None The Guardian
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Farokh Engineer India 1961–1975 BBC (Test Match Special)
Ranjit Fernando Ceylon 1964–1978
Sri Lanka 1975
Ten Sports 2004–2009
Jack Fingleton New South Wales 1928–1940
Australia 1932–1938
Damien Fleming Australia 1994–2001
Tom Fordyce None BBC Live Text
Graeme 'Foxy' Fowler Lancashire 1979–1991
Durham 1992–1994
England 1982–1985
BBC (Test Match Special) 1994–2005
Angus Fraser Middlesex 1984–2002
England 1989–1999
BBC (Test Match Special)
The Independent 2002-
David Frith None The Cricketer
Wisden Cricket Monthly 1979-1996
Arve Fuglum None NRK 1998–
Mike Gatting Middlesex 1975–1998
England 1977–1994
BBC (Test Match Special)
Sunil Gavaskar Mumbai 1966–1988
India 1971–1987
ESPN Star Sports 1992–
Nimbus Sport
BBC (Test Match Special)
Natalie Germanos None SABC (Radio 2000)
Alan Gibson None BBC (Test Match Special) 1962-1975

The Times

Arthur Gilligan England 1922–1925
Graham Gooch Essex 1973–2000
England 1978–1992
Test Match Special 2002–2009
David Gower Leicestershire 1975–1989
Hampshire 1990–1993
England 1978–1992
BBC Television1995-1999

Sky Sports1999-
Sunday Times

Tom Graveney England 1951–1969
Tony Greig Sussex 1966–1978
England 1972–1977
Nine Network 1979-
Channel 4 2005-
TEN Sports
Bob Harvie None Radio Ceylon/ Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
Mike Haysman Leicestershire SuperSport (Super Cricket)
TEN Sports
Ian Healy Queensland 1986–1999
Australia 1988–1999
Nine Network 1999-
Michael Holding West Indies 1975–1987 Sky Sports
Nine Network 1992-
David Hookes South Australia 1975–1992
Australia 1977–1986
Robert Hudson None BBC Television 1949–1950, 1962–1964
BBC (Test Match Special) 1958, 1962–1968
Simon Hughes Middlesex 1980–1992
Durham 1992–1993
The Independent
Daily Telegraph
Channel 4 1999–2005
Five 2006–> BBC (Test Match Special) 2007–
Nasser Hussain Essex 1987–2004
England 1989–2004
Sky Sports 2004–
Ray Illingworth England 1958–1973 BBC Television 1984-19??
Robin Jackman England 1974–1983 SuperSport (Super Cricket)
Brian Johnston None BBC Television 1946–1970
BBC (Test Match Special) 1970–1994
Dean Jones Australia 1984–1992 ABC
TEN Sports 2003–2006
Zee Sports 2007–2008 (Indian Cricket League)
NDTV 24x7 2010
Nick Knight Warwickshire 1991–2006
England 1995–2003
Sky Sports 2006–
Jim Laker England 1948–1959 BBC Television 1969-85
Arun Lal India 1982–1989 Nimbus Sport 2003–
Gavin Larsen Wellington 1984–1999
New Zealand 1990–1999
Geoff Lawson Australia 1989–2004
Bill Lawry Victoria 1955–1972
Australia 1961–1971
Nine Network 1977-
Darren Lehmann Australia 1996–2005 Sky Sports 2005–2007
Tony Lewis Glamorgan 1955–1974
England 1972–1973
BBC (Test Match Special) 1975–1984
The Sunday Telegraph 1975–1993
BBC Television 1984–1997
David Lloyd Lancashire 1965–1983
England 1973–1980
Test Match Special 1992–1995
Sky Sports 1999–
Simon Mann None BBC (Radio 5) 1994–1996
BBC (Test Match Special) 1996–
Sanjay Manjrekar Mumbai 1984–1998
India 1987–1996
Sky Sports 2011–
ESPN Star Sports 2009–2011
TEN Sports 2004–2009
Neil Manthorp None SuperSport (Super Cricket)
BBC (Test Match Special)
Vic Marks Somerset 1975–1989
England 1982–1988
The Observer 1989-
BBC (Test Match Special) 1992–
Howard Marshall None BBC (BBC Radio) early 1930s–1945
Christopher Martin-Jenkins None BBC (Test Match Special) 1973–1980, 1985–
BBC Television 1980-1985
The Cricketer 1980–1990
Daily Telegraph 1990–1998
The Times 1998–
Pommie Mbangwa Zimbabwe 1996–2002 SuperSport (Super Cricket)
TEN Sports
Alan McGilvray New South Wales 1933–1937 ABC 1938–1985
Jim Maxwell None ABC 1973–
BBC (Test Match Special) 2005– (Ashes series);
Glenn Mitchell None ABC 1990–
Danny Morrison New Zealand 1987–1997 Sky Sport (New Zealand)
Don Mosey None BBC (Test Match Special) 1974-1999
Johnnie Moyes South Australia 1912–1915
Victoria 1920–1921
ABC 1950–1963
Kass Naidoo None SABC Television 2003–2007
Mark Nicholas Hampshire 1978–1995 Sky Sports 1996–1998
Channel 4 1999–2005
Daily Telegraph
Nine Network 2001–
Five 2006–
Kerry O'Keeffe New South Wales 1968–1980
Australia 1971–1977
ABC 2001–
Kalpa Palliyaguruge NCC,BRC & Nomads 1993-2001
Australia - Elestrenweek Cricket Club 1996–2000
Radio Ceylon/ Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation 2008-
Venkatesh Prasad India 1996–2001 SET Max 2003
Norton Pereira None Radio Ceylon/ Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
Rameez Raja Servis Industries 1977–1978
Punjab 1978
Lahore City 1979–1983, 1985–1987, 1992–1993
Allied Bank Limited 1983–1984, 1994–1998
Pakistan National Shipping Corporation 1988–1991
Islamabad 1994
Pakistan 1984–1997
TEN Sports
BBC (Test Match Special)
Aqeel Samar None Hum FM
Hum FM
Apna FM Network
Dermot Reeve Sussex 1983–1987
Warwickshire 1988–1996
Somerset 1998
Marylebone Cricket Club 1990
England 1991–1996
Channel 4 1999–2005
Barry Richards South Africa 1970 TEN Sports
Mark Richardson New Zealand 2000–2004 Sky Sport (New Zealand) 2006–
R C Robertson-Glasgow Somerset 1920–1935 The Morning Post
The Observer
Peter Roebuck Somerset 1974–1991 ABC 2001–2011
Mike Selvey Surrey 1968–1971
Middlesex 1972–1982
Glamorgan 1983–1984
England 1976–1977
BBC (Test Match Special) 1984–2008
The Guardian 1985-
Ravi Shastri Mumbai 1979–1994
Glamorgan 1987–1989, 1991
India 1981–1992
ESPN Star sports 1994–
Nimbus Sport 2006–
Navjot Singh Sidhu Punjab 1981–1999
India 1983–1999
ESPN Star sports 1999–2003
TEN Sports 2003–2004
NDTV 24x7 2006–2009
Times Now 2010–
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan India1983–1987 Nimbus Sport
Michael Slater New South Wales 1991–2001
Australia 1993–2001
Channel 4 2001-2005
Sky Sports 2006
Nine Network 2006-
Ian Smith (New Zealand cricketer) New Zealand 1980–1992 Sky Sport (New Zealand)
Pranav Soneji None BBC Live Text
Javagal Srinath India1991–2003
Scott Styris New Zealand 2002– Sky Sport (New Zealand) 2006
E.W. Swanton Middlesex 1937-8 BBC (Test Match Special) 1938-1975
BBC Television 1948-1967
The Daily Telegraph 1946-1975
Donna Symmonds Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation 1988-?
BBC (Test Match Special) 1998-2000?
Clive Taylor None The Daily Herald
The Sun
Mark Taylor New South Wales 1985–1999
Australia 1989–1999
Nine Network 1999-
Fred Trueman Yorkshire 1949–1969
England 1952–1965
BBC (Test Match Special) 1974-1999
Phil Tufnell Middlesex 1986–2002
England 1990–2001
BBC (Test Match Special) 2003-
Michael Vaughan Yorkshire 1993–2009
England 1999–2008
Five 2009–
BBC (Test Match Special) 2009-
Bryan Waddle None Radio Sport
Ian Ward Surrey 1992–2003
Sussex 2003–2005
England 2001
Sky Sports 2005–
Shane Warne Hampshire 2000–2007

Australia 1992–2006
Rajasthan Royals 2008–
Victoria 1990–2006

Nine Network 2008-2010
Sky Sports 2009–
Kepler Wessels Queensland 1979–1986
Australia 1982–1994

Sussex 1976–1980

SuperSport (Super Cricket)
Peter West None BBC Television 1952-1986
Arlo White None BBC (Test Match Special) 2005–
Lucien Wijesinghe None Radio Ceylon/ Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
Alan Wilkins Glamorgan 1975–1979, 1983
Gloucestershire 1980–1982
BBC 1987-1998
ESPN Star Sports 2000-
Bob Willis Surrey, Warwickshire 1969–1984
England 1971–1984
Sky Sports
John Woodcock None The Guardian
The Times
Norman Yardley Yorkshire 1935–1955
England 1938–1950
BBC (Test Match Special) 1956-1969

See also

References