By BIPIN DANI
On Friday, Urooj Mumtaz became the first Pakistani woman commentator to officiate in men's ODI played between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi.
The 35-year-old Urooj Mumtaz will share the mike with Alan Wilkins (England), Bazid Khan, Ramiz Raja, Wasim Akram (all Pakistanis) and Tino Mawoyo (Zimbabwe) in all three ODIs.
"Cricket commentary had obviously been a men dominated platform but now we see all male commentators also sharing mike with Mel Jones, Isa Guha and we hear mix a lot", Urooj, speaking exclusively hours before the match on Friday, said.
"Boundary is being crossed now and there's great potential for the female commentators and a huge opportunity to commentate with male commentators at the top level".
"Of course, it takes time and home work is paramount but it is an art and one can educate and learn with the passage of time", she further added.
Her first experience of doing commentary in the men's international match was against touring Bangladesh (second T-20I) earlier this year.
"I was slightly nervous but excited and also thought it is a great opportunity to work with the likes of Morrison, Slater and Ramiz Raja. It was a great learning experience in terms of achieving great heights", she said about her debut experience.
Ian Bishop and Wilkins are her favorite male commentators. "They are absolutely brilliant with the knowledge of the game and I like the way they describe the proceedings to keep the audience busy".
"Melony Jones is my favorite female commentator. She has a beautiful way of conveying the message and provides the realistic views of the game", she signed off.
