Leading cricket analysts in Pakistan – Aamir Sohail, Ali Sanwal and Dr Nauman
Different channels employ different methods to present sports shows.
Renowned cricket analysts in Pakistan include Aamir Sohail, Ali Sanwal and Dr Nauman.
Most of the population in Pakistan has access to a television (of any shape or size) and the advantages that it comes with. One of these being, cable TV. In fact, channels that come from across the globe dominate our ‘viewing time.’
Amidst numerous entertainment channels, mainstream channels that are solely dedicated to sports are Star Sports, Star Cricket, Ten Sports, Geo Super, ESPN and PTV Sports.
While it may be argued that the best cricket coverage and analysis is provided by Super Sports and Sky Sports, we have to admit that they have become less accessible to the mainstream cable providers over the years, and are only available after additional payment for these channels, or alternate cable TV packages.
So watching cricket matches with top class coverage, especially with the current Indo-Pak series underway is a national concern, with cricket being a rare unifying factor in our society today.
A cricket starved fan will tune in an hour before the game starts, to listen to what the experts think, what factors they think will drive the game, and what decisions will be crucial for the captain.
It’s a fascinating hour before the game starts. Veins pumping with adrenaline, you’re excited and all geared up and you struggle to watch as many people as you can on various sports channels broadcasting the game.
Different channels employ different methods to present sports shows.
Retired cricketers, cricketers who are still in action, and senior sports journalists and analysts are employed to conduct match analyses. Although, sports analysts tend to change with every new series, sports channels have managed to associate themselves with specific analysts.
For example the Channel 9 team that covers all Test Matches in Australia: Tony Grieg, Bill Lawry, Ian Chappel and Richie Benaud; lovable and exciting, crazed enthusiast, opinionated and controversial, and a statesman, in the same order respectively.
The Geo Super team for the Indo-Pak series is Sikandar Bakht, Yahya Hussaini and Hamid Mir; they are producing a combined Pak-India Takra with an Indian channel where Kambli, Inzimam, Prabharkar and Sharma are present.
Star Sports boasts Shastri, Gavaskar, Sidhu and Ganguly on their team, with Arun, Ramiz and Wasim pitching in for the ongoing series. Here you see analysts trying to score valuable patriot points and others drowning in the confusion of political correctness.
Shastri and even Gavaskar of late surprisingly, have been extremely partial. Shastri of course, still possesses the IPL disease to commentate professionally. Ganguly on the other hand, carries himself with great authority and dignity, as he did on the cricket field.
Since the last year, I have found it impossible to switch away from PTV Sports, which has associated itself with Aamir Sohail, Ali Sanwal and Dr Nauman Niaz, the team imparting the best analysis.
Although not a part of the current Indo-Pak series, Dr Nauman has been an integral part of the PTV Sports team that has injected real professionalism in sports show hosting.
Oh no! They aren’t broadcasting themselves, and neither are they immune to the constant and excessive advertisement problem.
All avid cricket fans will soon attest for a complete cricket viewing experience- after all the ‘match analysis’ is as important as the match itself.
PTV Sports doesn’t have flashy attractions to hold a viewer’s attention; which is why they have focused on the basics of a good match analysis: the quality of the analysts. Their analyst team for the first T20 of the Indian tour was Ali Sanwal as program host and Aamir Sohail and PJ Mir as guests.
Their coverage offers top class pre and post-match analysis, with profound emphasis on the technical details and the nitty gritties of the game. Its direction is starkly different from other local and international channels, where the focus is more on cross-border analysts delivering subtle jibes to each other.
Most importantly, their show does not make a deliberate effort to direct viewer focus to controversial issues to generate spice and viewership.
Aamir Sohail is the shrewdest cricket analyst in Pakistan and has the talent and knowledge to be compared along the ranks of Simon Hughes, Ian Chappel, Harsha Bhogle and Michael Holding. These analysts leave you with a deeper understanding of the game and a session with Sohail, Sanwal and Dr Nauman does exactly that. Ali Sanwal is now a veteran at hosting sports shows – a man of vast cricketing knowledge and experience yet humble and refreshingly boyish in attitude.
It is best of course, when you have analysts from opposing countries, discussing the game. But it is only worth watching if the analysts are willing to impart substantial knowledge. Watching Sidhu, Arun Lal and Ramiz in Hindi commentary is a dull affair. Their coverage has set new standards for memorised script oration and has reached the point of downright ridiculousness.
It would be wonderful if Harsha Bhogle, Ganguly, Sohail and Shoaib Akhtar were paired together in a show. Now these are refreshingly frank personalities, reasonably unbiased and not yet products of the cliché factory. Such analyst pairings are desperately needed as sports channels in the sub-continent are failing to bring real dynamics to a match analysis.
The trio of Aamir Sohail, Ali Sanwal and Dr Nauman has its worth in gold and I truly believe sports coverage in Pakistan will only improve if it’s recognised as such and appreciated. Sensationalism is good, but substance will last.
As they say, ‘Class will out!’
Read more by Hamza here or follow him on Twitter @GumbyAKhan
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
No doubt Amir Sohail is the best cricked analyst we have in Pakistan television these days. But Ali Sanwal needs to improve his language & hosting skills. Othan than amir shohail, Inzimam & Basit Ali are doing a pretty good job amid the mind numbing advertisements during the talk show.Recommend
Dr. Nauman is the best. the way he organize the show and his analysis outstanding….you cant stop listening to Dr. Nauman and Shoaib Akhtar together. their vigor complement each other.Recommend
seems a paid tribute to ptv :PRecommend
GeoSuper is just mumb-jumbo with no substance. But you consider Harsha Bogle as an astute cricket analyst….thats hilarious. Also who’s Simon Hughes?!? Never heard of him. As for Aamir Sohail he should look for positives in Pakistan cricket – he’s negative and at times breeds mediocrity.Recommend
But this time Pak-india takra at Geo network has g0ne to be A m0st-watched show,for its spicing,humour,sensationalism,and Laughter o’slaughter.
Audience need such refreshing shows n0t Amir Sohail’s boring Analysis.Recommend
I must admit that i was not very optimistic when i heard that ptv is launching a sports channel but it is one of the very few channel who give you a sincere view and insight into cricket unlike others who are using cheap publicity stunts like a channel used salman butt, a very controversial figure in t20 world for analysis or present players like Imran Nazir who although is very talented but he should not be sitting out there criticizing an 11 man team in which he couldnt make a place in.
I completely agree with the writer and say that PTV Sports has provided us with a breath of fresh air for every remotely serious cricket fan in a commercial era where people like Hamid Mir (who have absolutely nothing to do with sports journalism ) are hosting cheap “Taakras” with an emotional and partial Vinod Kambli which although entertaining and loud has no result after an hour of viewing.
Thank you PTV sports!!!Recommend
@SH:
Harsha Bhogle, since years has performed the role of a cricket analyst with dignity and aplomb. There’s a reason why he’s so revered and respected among cricketing circles.
As for Simon Hughes, I provided a hyperlink on his name as I figured many people wouldn’t know about him. He’s famous for his statistical expertise and video-footage analysis, specially in Test Matches. He has normally worked with the Sky Sports team. If you ever watch any highlights coming of a test match played in England, you’re bound to see him displaying to the viewers, either analysing some video footage or statistical graphs and trends that he’s created. He’s really good.Recommend
As far as cricket analysis is concerned, Dr. Nauman Niaz, Aamir Sohail and Shoaib Akhtar will make a good trio, the so called PAK-INDIA TAKRA on Geo Network proved to be worth less, since its not the substance rather spice, which is selling, its the use of spice from both sides be it Vinod Kambli or Hamid Mir, the worst of the two, with no knowledge of cricket, is producing spicy and at times stupid comments, which is making the show most watched (supposedly), Ramiz Raja was an A List commentator, when he was commenting in English, since he started commenting in hindi with fake accent, it looks like a remake of English Vinglish like movie, Hindi Vindi. He looks off colour and Indianised, in his opinions,and lost his style. Sunny and Ravi both are proved to be too much biased and patriots in their opinions and analysis, while the bhogle lost his touch, with apparantly no reason, whatsoever, Wasim also is not looking good in Hindi version of commentory……Aamir Sohail always presents his views without bias, while Nouman Niaz is full of knowledge and opinionated….Recommend
you simply love their analysis!Recommend
Aamir Sohail is more of a critic than an analyst, no?Recommend
geo super has become a sports talk show channel.it doesnt show any live matches.on the other hand ptv sports is showing all live fixtures of every type of sportRecommend
agreed to the fact but only dull, over and negative factor there on ptv sports is now Mirza Iqbal BaigRecommend
Good topic & very well written. This is the fact that Aamir Sohail & Dr. Nauman are having good cricketing knowledge.Recommend
i agree the combination of aamir sohail and Dr. Nauman make a good hosting pair! PTV sports no doubt seems to have a much focussed approach on sporting events which ofcourse gives an enjoyable experience :)Recommend
@Hamza A Khan:
Hamza, appreciate your confidence in Harsha Bogle, however, ‘aplomb and dignity’ don’t make him an astute cricket analyst. I have been hearing him for over 20 years, there is nothing noteworthy in his ‘analysis’ – has he played the game? Does he have a cricketing brain – absolutely not. He’s very basic and hosts on other experts – who happen to be real test cricketers. Whats his cricketing resume to analyze the game? Whats his experience of actually playing an international cricket match let alone leading a team? So sorry, he’s quite mediocre and at times clueless.
As for Hughes – he’s a stat analyst as you suggest……how can his ‘analysis’ be better or even as good as Akram, Chappel or Holding’s?! You put his name before all these crcket legends…..you cannot be serious. Give me the stats on an excel sheet and I will run you models on it in such depth, Hughes will look like a novice. However, it would still not make me a ‘great’ or ‘shrewd’ cricket analyst. What I do agree with you is that Ramiz Raja sells himself real cheap not really for ‘political correctness’ but appeasement of Indian audiences. He thinks India is a super cricket team, unfortunately, since the World Cup they have only lost….he acts and sounds like a clown on TV.Recommend
@SH:
I don’t beleive that one needs to have played the game at the highest level to be a good analyst. I know people who are really good at cricket analysis that haven’t had the chance to play cricket at that level. There’s a guy Ankit on Cricinfo. He runs statistical models on Excel, and yet his blog on Cricinfo has attracted over 200 all time XI entrees, with really astute analysis of selection of squad. Not to mention that Ankit himself is a great student of the game.
As for Bhogle’s cricketing resume, his resume as a host initially, and then as an analyst was built over time. It takes time to be acclaimed in the top ranks. His experience on that level, is sufficient enough.Recommend