Dear Editor,
I am happy to note that Sean Devers is going to be a part of the Super50 Commentary team for the Guyana matches in Trinidad. This is welcome news, as live cricket commentary, namely radio, is really in rapid decline. Devers goes back to the mid 90s, and so, he has experience on his side, and it seems as though things will get better, where radio commentary is concerned. Now I do have a few things to say, regarding this noble profession, which has recently fallen into disrepute.
First, I note that Sean Devers made his First-Class debut as a Commentator at Blairmont in 1995, and this was “… with the help of Naim Chan, one of the best Guyanese Commentators” (is how Kaieteur News puts it). So, I assume that Naim Chan will feature alongside one of his proteges. Where Devers is concerned, he has played the game at a high level and I feel very strong that this will lend intimacy to his coverage. Regarding Naim, he is still Guyana’s top commentator. Over the last few weeks, the call was made for him to help establish a cadre of commentators, who can serve Guyana’s cause in years to come. Naim’s training for and experience in sports broadcasting have shaped him into the presenter he is. With Devers at his side, Naim will be able to raise the level of potential and present commentators, where the latter have been ‘sucked’ into ‘bawling’ and who cannot make use of pauses and silence.
I revisited Munesh Dutt’s “Unhappy with cricket commentary”, where he says that he was ‘incensed’ and took ‘great umbrage’ with cricket commentary in the Caribbean, and more so, in Guyana. His lament was that the ‘authorities that be’ seem bent on finding ‘pals’ and ‘past players’ to do the job, when real, live cricket commentary demands some exceptional skills.
I guess someone is listening and acting now to restore this wonderful ‘specialised’ profession. This will translate to Dutt’s desire (and mine too) of the weeding out of “the cacologies that are just too frequent and numerous; the defectively produced speech; socially abhorrent enunciation; and nonconformist pronunciation.” I guess overall, listeners will be treated to ‘realistic ‘ball by ball’ play, where ‘use of language’ will be grammatical and appropriate, so that followers can ‘see’ the game as it unfolds.
My hope then is that Minister Kwame McCoy will search for and appoint ‘experts in the basic ‘use of language’ to address issues, so that there will be “… quality and professionalism (not being far) far removed from international standards and expectations. Lots of people are hoping for some level of change, as live cricket commentary is supposed to be educational as well as enlightening. In the current tenure of Minister Kwame McCoy, quality and professionalism are far too removed from international standards and expectations. He needs to act.
Yours truly,
Prescott Mann