Watching a cricket match without commentators explaining the action would be dull. They add so much value to the game. However, at times, their opinion or idea can turn into reality immediately on the field. This is not intentional or deliberate but purely coincidental. However, such scenarios have been given the name “commentator’s curse”.
In this article, we look at three such instances:
Michael Holding’s opinion on Harbhajan Singh - Natwest Final, Eng v/s Ind, Lord’s, 2002:
During the iconic NatWest final at Lord’s between India and England, Michael Holding who was on-air for Sky Sports made an interesting observation. After a glittering partnership between Yuvraj and Kaif that brought India closer to the target of 326, Yuvraj got out and Indians sent Harbhajan out with 59 needed off 50 balls. Holding opinioned on-air that India should have sent Zaheer instead of Harbhajan as Zaheer was more suited to hitting the ball than Harbhajan. This was more of a blessing than a curse as Harbhajan smashed the first ball of Ashely Gile’s over square-leg for a massive six. Holding confessed on-air that he got his answer and now he was put back in his box.
Sunil Gavaskar’s opinion on Suresh Raina - SA v/s Ind, Cape Town, 2018:
Suresh Raina was brought back to the Indian side for a three-match T20I series in South Africa in 2018. After two below-par performances in the first two T20Is, Raina was on the verge of getting dropped but luckily for him, Kohli got injured and missed the decider at Cape Town. So Raina retained his place. By the 10th over of the innings, Dhawan and Raina had built a good partnership but the rate of scoring was not that great. So Gavaskar said that it was okay to go after the bowling and if the batsman mistimed, it was fine as India had 8 wickets in hand. On the third ball of that very over, Suresh Raina hit Shamsi long but only as far as the fielder in the deep. The curse was upon Raina on this occasion and unlike Gavaskar believed, going for a big shot at that stage triggered a collapse.
Mark Nicholas’s comment on David Warner - Aus v/s SA, Perth, 2016:
The first test of the 3-match series between Australia and South Africa didn’t start too well for the Proteas as they were knocked over for 242 on the very first day. Australians were highly aggressive in their reply as they were at 156 without any loss at the end of 35 overs. That’s when Dale Steyn took the ball in his and David Warner was batting on 97. Mark Nicholas who was commentating at that time told the viewers that Warner had never been dismissed in the 90s in tests. This unique comment turned out to be the ultimate commentator’s curse as Warner edged one from Steyn to Hashim Amla at slip the very next ball. It was the most dramatic scene in the commentary box. In fact, Australia was subject to a dramatic collapse after that wicket and ended up losing that test match.
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