Tariq Saeed: Artist behind the art of Urdu commentary

Tariq Saeed, the sensational Urdu cricket commentator, was once a budding college-level cricketer. He used to play for FC College Lahore. However, the man who used to dream to represent Pakistan at the highest level was once struck by a bouncer on the head near his right eye, which halted his progressive career. He still has that scar on the eye that changed his life.

Tariq was always clever with the use of words. After quitting the game following the head injury, he used to commentate during college games. Knowing that he had the skill of juggling words, his friends convinced him to talk to their college professor Naheed Shahid who was also a producer in Radio Pakistan to give him a break as a radio commentator.

The 45-year-old got a break on the radio and the rest is history. He has now got the reputation of the best Urdu commentator in the country and is often known for his punchy one-liners.

Recently, during the National T20 Cup, while explaining the legendary allrounder Shoaib Malik’s habit of scoring runs and finishing matches for more than two decades, he said “Darzi jab tak jiyega tab tak siyega [the tailor will stitch as long as they live]”. People present in the commentary box were burst into laughter and that one sentence went viral online.

While laughing about the skill, Tariq explained that commentators also get ‘aamad’ (revelation) like poets, which help them come up with witty sentences effortlessly.

He gives credit for his grooming as a commentator to Radio Pakistan.

“Radio Pakistan was a great nursery for [Urdu] commentators but presently, things are not as good as they used to be,” he said while talking to Bol News.

The veteran commentator pointed out that Urdu commentary did not grow in the 50s and 60s because commentators tried to explain everything in Urdu, leaving out all the English terms. According to him, it confused listeners.

“But in the 70s, commentators started using English terms that helped the cricket fans understand the game better,” he maintained. “Urdu commentary has a rich history, Munir Hussain, Hassan Jalil, and Muhammad Idrees were some of the finest Urdu commentators.”

The man who hails from Sahiwal believes that the evolution of Urdu commentary was dented with the departure of international cricket after the devastating terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009.

“Unfortunately, when cricket went from Pakistan, it took everything with it, including the progress of Urdu commentary,” he said.

However, he feels that things are now heading in the right direction and if everything goes smoothly, commentary in the national language will hit a new peak.

Tariq gives credit to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for promoting Urdu commentary during key domestic events, including the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“PCB is doing a great job in promoting Urdu commentary as authorities have inducted it in big tournaments like PSL and other domestic tournaments, which has boosted the growth of national language commentary,” he maintained. “The time is not far when Pakistan, like India, will have a separate national language channel for Urdu cricket commentary.”

He further revealed that his most favourite moment of all time to commentate on was when Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2009 at the Lord’s Cricket Ground.

Moreover, former aggressive Pakistani opener Imran Nazir has been his favourite batter to talk on.

“Imran Nazir was my favourite batter, I always loved to do commentary on his batting. He was a very good timer of the ball, which thrilled me during c