Urooj Mumtaz - A breath of fresh air in the commentary box

[omairsiddiqui]

I thoroughly enjoyed Urooj Mumtaz's commentary in the second T20 game. Not only is she well-spoken, she is insightful and has a brilliant voice. I would love to hear more of her, especially in Test cricket.

 

[Titan24]

Good and timely thread.

Absolutely, she did a great job and looked to have much better command over cricket and commentary than some of the known commentators around the world. There are quite a few decent female commentators going around in other parts of the world with Mel Jones, Isha Gua, Lisa Sthalekar etc and Urook Mumtaz will definitely be a good addition from Pak side.

I hope PCB and broadcasters also recognize this though she has already got some things on here plate with being a cheif selector of Pak women team and also a consultant dentist but still that would be great if she can pursue commentary as well.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Like I said in the match thread

Better than any male commentator I’ve heard in this country. A breath of fresh air

 

[Bewal Express]

She can't be any worse than Rameez, who has seems to have one line about the "16yr old Naseem Shah" and that's about it.

 

[Caved12]

It was such a pleasant surprise and I thought she was better than Rameez. She brought up how we continue to find some good fast bowlers and wanted to further discuss this with Rameez who as usual was a bit negative about the whole thing, lol.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Good commentator but has a really annoying habit of constantly saying: "like you just said...".

 

[Caved12]

Good commentator but has a really annoying habit of constantly saying: "like you just said...".

True and also pausing and using Uhh Uhh a lot, which I think she tried to correct right away. She will get better with time!

 

[omairsiddiqui]

It was also befitting that Ramiz asked her if she had played for Pakistan when she first started commentating. *facepalm*

 

[blackanhyellow]

True and also pausing and using Uhh Uhh a lot, which I think she tried to correct right away. She will get better with time!.

Yes she said "uh" a lot. Maybe she was nervous as she's new to this. Hopefully she gets rid of this habit.

 

[Green Patriot]

We need diversity in our commentary. We have one of the worst pool of commentators who are very limited in their knowledge.

So glad to see the positivity regarding her instead of the usual negative and critical analysis of female commentators and hope she grows and features more.

 

[Hawkeye]

Decent commentator. Sounds better than that Isa Guha as well.

Not fully polished and fluent yet but may come with time. At least sounds better than the borefests like Wasim, Waqar and to some extent Bazid. Bazid has improved a bit.

All those using this as an opportunity to attack Rameez must not be taken seriously.

Rameez is the only Pak voice in commentary that's worth listening, isn't boring at all and makes the watching experience quite enjoyable. He's not a borefest and is our ATG commentator.

Also, I love her decision to drop the TTF Sana Mir from the squad. Women's team is at its worst now and Sana remained the constant factor, never dropped.

 

[Hawkeye]

It was also befitting that Ramiz asked her if she had played for Pakistan when she first started commentating. *facepalm*

No.

Ramiz asked if she had captained. Not PLAYED.

 

[Saj]

I think the other commentators are so bad, that she's sounding decent compared to them.

This Pakistan v Bangladesh series probably has the worst combination of commentators ever assembled.

 

[omairsiddiqui]

No.

Ramiz asked if she had captained. Not PLAYED.

Does that make it any better?

 

[Snowflake]

Decent commentator. Sounds better than that Isa Guha as well.

Not fully polished and fluent yet but may come with time. At least sounds better than the borefests like Wasim, Waqar and to some extent Bazid. Bazid has improved a bit.

All those using this as an opportunity to attack Rameez must not be taken seriously.

Rameez is the only Pak voice in commentary that's worth listening, isn't boring at all and makes the watching experience quite enjoyable. He's not a borefest and is our ATG commentator.

Also, I love her decision to drop the TTF Sana Mir from the squad. Women's team is at its worst now and Sana remained the constant factor, never dropped.

TTF Sana Mir? )

 

[omairsiddiqui]

TTF Sana Mir? )

Lol yeah the TTF that was recently named Wisden women's captain of the decade.

 

[Slim]

Decent commentator. Sounds better than that Isa Guha as well.

Not fully polished and fluent yet but may come with time. At least sounds better than the borefests like Wasim, Waqar and to some extent Bazid. Bazid has improved a bit.

All those using this as an opportunity to attack Rameez must not be taken seriously.

Rameez is the only Pak voice in commentary that's worth listening, isn't boring at all and makes the watching experience quite enjoyable. He's not a borefest and is our ATG commentator.

Also, I love her decision to drop the TTF Sana Mir from the squad. Women's team is at its worst now and Sana remained the constant factor, never dropped.

Man, you are damn clueless

Sana Mir was nominated as the Wisden Captain of the decade FGS and you are calling her a TTF

 

[Hawkeye]

TTF Sana Mir? )

Man, you are damn clueless

Sana Mir was nominated as the Wisden Captain of the decade FGS and you are calling her a TTF

Doesn't matter what she was nominated as.

Pak women's team kept regressing under her. We need to try new people.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

A few points on Urooj Mumtaz:

1) She gave definitive opinions rather than sitting on the fence. Her opinions were also reasonable

2) She's a lot more articulate than the two Ws, that's for sure

3) The problem with Pak commentators is that they commentate but don't really add much to the 'themes' in the match. Maybe she can bring a change to that. I'll pay closer attention to her on this facet. However the positive feedback she most likely has got plus her work ethic may mean that she will do her homework ahead of the games she works on.

4) Also agree with [MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] on her being seen as better due to everybody else being average. E.g. Rameez Raja is absolutely is not good but he as the only well spoken and freely available Pakistani commentator, he has become the de-facto voice of Pakistani cricket. Case in point: Rameez will frequently contradict himself at multiple times during the same innings regarding players. This is especially true for batsmen. He also has this habit of making presentations really awkward especially when interviewing Pakistani players.

Anyway, I hope she goes from strength to strength as Pakistan needs better commentators to represent them during bilateral tours and ICC events

 

[BoomBoomCricket]

Man, you are damn clueless

Sana Mir was nominated as the Wisden Captain of the decade FGS and you are calling her a TTF

Pakistan in 2013 Women's World Cup.
Lost all 4 matches.
Sana was Captain.

Pakistan in 2017 Women's World Cup.
Lost all 7 matches.
Sana was Captain.

Captain of team of the decade )

 

[Bigboii]

What if Pakistan team is trash and she is the misbah of the team

 

[Hawkeye]

Ugh.

Having listened to her a few times, she's so freaking ANNOYING.

Painful ears.

In English just repeats the obvious with no insights. In Urdu goes OTT and super cringey.

Voice hurts ears.

 

[Saj]

Ugh.

Having listened to her a few times, she's so freaking ANNOYING.

Painful ears.

In English just repeats the obvious with no insights. In Urdu goes OTT and super cringey.

Voice hurts ears.

Agree.

No insight, no technical knowledge, dull, boring.

 

[Mujtaba2900]

Agree.

No insight, no technical knowledge, dull, boring.

She repeats the same old Commentary u can hear on every old match with nothing original to add and her accent is Cherry on top

 

[theariezman]

Here comes Urooj Mumtaz during Pepsi Catch a Crore segment....she is just ok.

 

[Saj]

I don't think she's done much prep before this tournament. Getting platers names mixed-up, just referred to Umaid Asif as young.

Her and Rambo together......not good for the ears.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

I don't think she's done much prep before this tournament. Getting platers names mixed-up, just referred to Umaid Asif as young.

Her and Rambo together......not good for the ears.

You have to give her time, this is the only way to learn.

 

[shariqnoor]

I like her. Good command of the language. Bloopers happen and we need to lift people up rather than shoot down their confidence. It's her first major commentary stint and she's doing very well. Kudos to her.

Even if she makes mistakes, I'll be supporting her. May she become the Pakistani woman representative in international commentary.

 

[Hawkeye]

Super high pitch of her voice is too painful and annoying for ears.

Can't stand it for more than a few minutes.

 

[Rana]

Nothing special commentator.

Pakistan are going to miss Rameez Raja when he is gone

 

[Hawkeye]

Nothing special commentator.

Pakistan are going to miss Rameez Raja when he is gone

Yup.

Rameez is our ATG commentator.

 

[ZamanFan]

You have to give her time, this is the only way to learn.

Is this a professional job or some training institute?

When I had listen to her cringy voice realized she is another Mahira Khan type flop being hyped to no end just because she is a woman and close to pcb.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

I don't think she's done much prep before this tournament. Getting platers names mixed-up, just referred to Umaid Asif as young.

Her and Rambo together......not good for the ears.

Clearly there's room for improvement. However, once she's comfortable in her position she'll come across as less excitable and offer more interesting opinions. It's clear, across world cricket, that commentary positions are few and far between, especially for a newbie to break in. I also take the point from some posters that the PSL is not a training ground. However we've had the same old tired voices for years now and it's good to have a fresh voice, even if she has room for improvement. She's one of the more articulate commentators we have and rather than shooting her down, we should encourage her.

 

[Hawkeye]

She's one of the more articulate commentators we have .

Well, not really.

Is cringey, and voice is totally unsuitable for commentary. Super high pitched, hurts ears.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

Well, not really.

Is cringey, and voice is totally unsuitable for commentary. Super high pitched, hurts ears.

Do u have an example to demonstrate that she isn't articulate, or is that your imagination informing your opinions again?

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Is this a professional job or some training institute?

When I had listen to her cringy voice realized she is another Mahira Khan type flop being hyped to no end just because she is a woman and close to pcb.

Urdu comms with ramiz are the highlights of every game.

 

[Saj]

You have to give her time, this is the only way to learn.

You are presenting a product to the world. You want the best channels in the world to buy your product. You want to showcase your product.

Therefore you need to have the best sat in the commentary box, doing the post-match presentations and in the studio and pitch-side.

At the moment the PSL is lacking in all of the above.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

You are presenting a product to the world. You want the best channels in the world to buy your product. You want to showcase your product.

Therefore you need to have the best sat in the commentary box, doing the post-match presentations and in the studio and pitch-side.

At the moment the PSL is lacking in all of the above.

This is Pakistan, nothing is ever perfect from the outset.

 

[Saj]

This is Pakistan, nothing is ever perfect from the outset.

I get that and understand that.

But the PSL needs to be as close to perfect as possible. If people want training or practice, do it in domestic.

 

[ManFan]

There has not been one decent female commentator so far in cricket.

Which is a damn shame because it would have added a great dimension to the game.

 

[Abid Z]

Oh she makes me cringe. The commentary as a whole is awful but this lady just is the worst I’ve ever heard. Why do the pcb drag these dead beats into the commentary box in the name of diversity.

Dirk nannes and Danny Morrison are very good. Dominic cork and bazit Khan are ok too. But the rest ..OMG I wanna poke my eyes out with needles when urooj speaks. No insight whatsoever just sound like she’s imitating those annoying Bollywood/ipl types.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

I get that and understand that.

But the PSL needs to be as close to perfect as possible. If people want training or practice, do it in domestic.

That I can agree with, and you have seen the quality of commentary in our domestic system. They should start from there.

 

[angrypathan]

Don't think her voice is particularly well suited for T20 cricket with its high pitch. Liked the sound of her in the test series though, think she can do well in that format where she doesn't have to scream for boundaries

 

[BoomBoomCricket]

Don't think her voice is particularly well suited for T20 cricket with its high pitch. Liked the sound of her in the test series though, think she can do well in that format where she doesn't have to scream for boundaries

Never commentated in any Test series.

 

[aloo paratha]

Seems like she doesn't have a good grasp of English or Urdu.

 

[angrypathan]

Never commentated in any Test series.

She was commentating in the first Bangladesh test from what I remember

 

[BoomBoomCricket]

She was commentating in the first Bangladesh test from what I remember

Incorrect.

Was:
Ramiz
Bazid
Shamim
Athar Ali Khan
Danny Morrison

 

[Hawkeye]

Don't think her voice is particularly well suited for T20 cricket with its high pitch. Liked the sound of her in the test series though, think she can do well in that format where she doesn't have to scream for boundaries

Exactly. Very annoying high pitched voice. Becomes worse when she's screaming or "excited".

 

[Saj]

The commentators have been told to show a lot of passion and sound excited.

They are over-doing it which is resulting in mistakes and very poor commentary and interviews.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

The commentators have been told to show a lot of passion and sound excited.

They are over-doing it which is resulting in mistakes and very poor commentary and interviews.

Probably from the producer, definitely sounds forced way too often.

 

[Hawkeye]

She's hurting my ears a lot today.

Shouting and getting excited today in her high pitched voice - hits straight in your head.

TORTURE.

 

[Hasan123]

People complain way too much about commentary.

 

[ARK Rafay]

People complain way too much about commentary.

They're looking for the Micheal Holding, Richie Benuad standards.

 

[Hawkeye]

They're looking for the Micheal Holding, Richie Benuad standards.

No, all I'm looking for is Rameez Raja standard.

Why is everyone nowhere near him? He's the best Pak has but not the best in the world.

Yet all we're producing is Bazid, Waqar, Urooj and Wasim.

Pathetic.

 

[ARK Rafay]

No, all I'm looking for is Rameez Raja standard.

Why is everyone nowhere near him? He's the best Pak has but not the best in the world.

Yet all we're producing is Bazid, Waqar, Urooj and Wasim.

Pathetic.

Give some time, I believe Cricket back in Pakistan will also help produce some great commentators in the future.

 

[silentkiller187]

The commentators have been told to show a lot of passion and sound excited.

They are over-doing it which is resulting in mistakes and very poor commentary and interviews.

Waqar Younis and bazid khan especially have mistaken showing passion for shouting for no reason

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

No, all I'm looking for is Rameez Raja standard.

Why is everyone nowhere near him? He's the best Pak has but not the best in the world.

Yet all we're producing is Bazid, Waqar, Urooj and Wasim.

Pathetic.

You mean the guy that regularly contradicts himself?!?. RR has this hilarious habit of stating that a batsmen should play sensibly/agressively in the space of two balls. Alright chief, since you don't really have an understanding of what 'good' commentary constitutes, let me give you an example.

A good commentator is one that is articulate, doesn't just call/describe the action reactively but proactively adds insight to the happenings in the game, including offering alternative tactics etc. Athers, Hussain and Warne are the best at this. Others mention technical elements, like Ian Bishop.

Lastly, you need chemistry with your colleagues, charisma and have independent thought out opinions.

RR is articulate, has chemistry with colleagues and has AN opinion which, as I mention, is inconsistent. However he adds little to the commentary and is thus NOT great.

Neither is Urooj. But the one thing that's apparent about that lady is that she has a work ethic and WILL improve. RR has not improved despite being in the field for near two decades

 

[Hawkeye]

You mean the guy that regularly contradicts himself?!?. RR has this hilarious habit of stating that a batsmen should play sensibly/agressively in the space of two balls. Alright chief, since you don't really have an understanding of what 'good' commentary constitutes, let me give you an example.

A good commentator is one that is articulate, doesn't just call/describe the action reactively but proactively adds insight to the happenings in the game, including offering alternative tactics etc. Athers, Hussain and Warne are the best at this. Others mention technical elements, like Ian Bishop.

Lastly, you need chemistry with your colleagues, charisma and have independent thought out opinions.

RR is articulate, has chemistry with colleagues and has AN opinion which, as I mention, is inconsistent. However he adds little to the commentary and is thus NOT great.

Neither is Urooj. But the one thing that's apparent about that lady is that she has a work ethic and WILL improve. RR has not improved despite being in the field for near two decades

Rameez is no Ian Bishop and Atherton.

He provides entertainment, makes watching cricket fun, keeps you hooked, doesn't lack vocabulary, isn't a borefest, can construct sentences.

So, that makes him the best in PAK.

Nobody else from PK is even close to Rameez, we just keep producing mediocrities.

 

[Hasan123]

They're looking for the Micheal Holding, Richie Benuad standards.

Exactly. It's a T20 league.

I enjoy Danny Morrison commentary. Brings fun to commentary.

 

[Saj]

They're looking for the Micheal Holding, Richie Benuad standards.

It doesn't matter if it's 10 overs or 5 days - the commentary for me has to be interesting, relevant and with some technical content. Not cheap jokes, shouting and screaming and mediocrity.

 

[Danyaalr01]

In this sense BBL has the best commentary, they actually have some analysis, while sounding excited. They also talk with players on field.

 

[Rana]

We deserve this humiliation

 

[Ashraful_Rox]

Never heard her commentary but she's going to be better than Athar Ali Shamim etc

 

[Major]

She is quite good. Has improved alot

 

[Saj]

I was listening to her the other day - I don't think I have heard so many mistakes ever in a short commentary stint.

 

[adzzy786]

She made a few mistakes. I don’t feel like women make very good commentators

 

[MenInG]

Seems nowadays ability to make good conversation with fellow comms carries more weight than what you actually say!

 

[msb314]

She is quite good. Has improved alot

I was listening to her the other day - I don't think I have heard so many mistakes ever in a short commentary stint.

So who do I believe?

 

[zarak]

I was listening to her the other day - I don't think I have heard so many mistakes ever in a short commentary stint.

Give a few examples. I find her energy quite good and she is usually sound. Unless I missed something.

 

[Energy]

She has improved quite a lot from her early days. I think she is a good long term prospect.

 

[ElRaja]

her accent and tone grate on me and she is average in terms of knowledge and insight. but most commentators these days are terrible so it is what it is.

Sikander Bhakt is the only guy whose voice is actually made for comms, the rest either have a tone that is too shrill or English that is too broken.

 

[Bewal Express]

Most commies are a much of muchness. Bar Athers and Nas, none get me thinking about what's on screen.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

So who do I believe?

Make up your own mind, why listen to the perspective of others ?

For what it’s worth, I think she is fine and a refreshing change.
Infinitely better than Aamir Sohial and Waqar who are both past their sell by dates as commentators.

But, of course, these things are highly subjective.

 

[Saj]

So who do I believe?

All about opinions.

I prefer more technical content and analysis from commentators.

Others might think she's ok.

 

[mazkhan]

Best pakistani commentator for me chisty mujahid

 

[Major]

Seems nowadays ability to make good conversation with fellow comms carries more weight than what you actually say!

this is an issue with Pakistani commentators. THey dont indulge in conversation which makes the commentary more interesting.

 

[msb314]

I think I lean towards liking her as a commentator. Fully of energy and has a good grasp of the mindset of players.

 

[gazza619]

She is a bit too nice for my liking. Hardly utters a word of criticism.

A graph came on screen showing Babar Azam’s strike rate year on year, and she couldnt even read the facts straight.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

In Pak, cricket commentator's job is just like cricket analyst's. You can just become one once your playing days are over. No need to work hard or understand what a commentator's job is in cricket.

Infact, majority of commentators are there to have a good time for themself rather than making it enjoyable for the audience.

Even Ramiz Raja, the most popular Pakistani commentator is very average.

 

[Malik786]

Pathetic.
Should change her job..