I could have cultivated it but I wasn’ t interested in it. I was more involved in cricket administration, being a selector. Even in administration I was invited to do so. When you are into these you can’ t mix it with as being a commentator. And I never thought I would make it as a direct commentator.
What are the important
Q aspects for becoming a good commentator? According to your opinion which qualities make a good speaker?
I think you need a certain voice of authority, of course at the end of the day it’ s what you speak, the depth of your knowledge, to have a balance, neutrality. You should be able to describe the situation in such a way that somebody hearing you but not seeing the match can get a visual picture of what you’ re saying. That is a knack some people have and some people don’ t, I don’ t know whether someone can cultivate such a thing. It’ s like they say“ born to do something”. Some people cannot create that excitement, as a commentator you need a little punch. You can be a dead sounding commentator or someone like Tony Greg. He would create a lot of excitement. There are different types of commentators as well. You should be able to draw in the listener’ s mind. It’ s a skill some people have and some people don’ t.
When you speak you need be able to captivate the audience. As a speaker, I always hoped that I can speak and say something which the audience can take back when they leave. I think it’ s important that a speaker voices something with substance, so that the listener hears something worthwhile and goes away taking something with him as food for thought. I think that’ s the mark of a good speaker.
If a person has an average
Q amount of skill, do you think he can develop it?
Yes, I think so. As long as you have that dedication and the thirst to achieve, there is nothing to stop you. Sometimes you can be very good after starting as an ordinary person. It’ s like everything else. You either learn to think about it and then try to captivate it or you are born with it and have that edge.
What do you experience when
Q you are on the stage? Have you been afraid of speaking to an audience?
I was never afraid. I was not able to go with a piece of paper and speak, and that frightens me, to think I will read a speech. I have never read a speech. In my mind I think this is roughly what I want to talk about. Then its like I’ am in a trance, I just go there and speak whatever comes to my mind. And I hope that I’ m talking sense and not rubbish. That’ s how I speak. Some people need to write. I know my wife writes down everything and studies it, and then talks. I’ m the total opposite of that. I’ m inspired when I have something to say. I have to feel my way around and look at the audience and see what inspires me and which way to go. I think it’ s important to look at the audience. A good speaker gets inspiration by looking at the audience, not by looking at a piece of paper. Because when you look at the audience it triggers things in your mind, it triggers what you need to say.
You have served as the match
Q referee for 2 Test and 10 ODIs. What are the qualities a referee or a judge needs to possess for a fair assessment?
It’ s a tough job but it got easier with time. Because everything has got established rules and regulations players know what to expect and referee as well. When I was refereeing in the early 90s, it was when refereeing started and there was new terrain and new things kept coming up. We were confronted with new situations. Refereeing is tough because you have to watch every ball at that match. You have to watch everything because your judgement depends on what you saw. It’ s a tiring business and a demanding one. You need to do long hauls but it was fun. I couldn’ t do that for a long time because I can’ t sit and watch 5 days of cricket.
As a referee you are supposed to inspect the ground before the match and make sure everything’ s okay. In Zimbabwe, I walked around this ground and I notice that nobody has seen an advertising board shaped like a triangle going through the boundary line. It was a German, who was responsible for the advertising, and I told him about the gap, between two of those triangles, through which the ball can go and hit the boundary, and since these advertising boards were wrapped around the boundary rope, there seemed to be 2 boundary lines. I told him that I saw a problem there and that cannot be used in that manner, unless the gaps are absolutely covered. He was really annoyed and I had to apologize. The next match he couldn’ t do the advertising in a similar manner and he was losing revenue. Earlier, things like this were not established. But now such issued are standardized.
In cricket there are many
Q standards; do you think such standards are important for speaking as well? Or should the focus be on entertaining the audience?
Depends on the situation, audience, and occasion. There can be light-hearted occasions where it’ s good to be relaxed and even crack a joke. It can also be a serious situation giving a thoughtful speech on something. Then you need to play it different.
What is your message to our
Q readers?
More tolerance and compassion.
When you look around, there are a lot of conflicts these days and all these conflicts are born because we cling on to labels. We are born without any labels, not even a name. But now, people cling on to these labels and misuse names like religion, culture, race, and positions. When you are given a name, you cling to it. Then you cling to your religion, or to your status. All the suffering in this world is due to clinging. If we can use these words sensitively and use them just as names, then we can all get along much better in this world. If you are persistently aware that these are just names and that they must be used wisely, we will have fewer conflicts in this world. The sad thing is when I look around the world it is having more and more conflicts. So learn to live in peace and harmony.
What is your message to the
Q contestants of Best Speaker 2017?
Speak about something that makes your audience think, and leave them with a message. I think that’ s key point when you speak.
BEST SPEAKER MAGAZINE 2017 71