3 times Simon Doull slammed a big player 

Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull is among the most revered broadcasters in recent times. What sets him apart from his peers is arguably his unabashed fashion of expressing his views, especially surrounding issues, which the majority will evade making a comment about.

Doull's playing career with the Blackcaps only lasted eight years, with injuries playing a big part. Since then, he has turned to commentary and broadcasting and has garnered a massive reputation.

He has marked his presence across major international tournaments and also plies his trade for numerous franchise-based T20 leagues around the world.

His frank views and opinions have often been welcomed as well as widely debated by fans and fellow pundits alike.

A man of strong opinion, Doull has never deterred or deviated from his commentary style and still continues to ask tough questions and answer the tricky ones without batting an eyelid.

On that note, let's take a look at three such instances where Simon Doull slammed a big player with his comments.

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#1 Babar Azam

The Pakistan skipper has earned the wrath of Simon Doull on multiple occasions over the past few years. Babar Azam recently made headlines for his eighth T20 century, which puts him only behind Chris Gayle in terms of hundreds in the format. He scored 115 off 65 deliveries.

Doull, however, was not impressed with the fact that Babar prioritized his hundred over the team's first innings total. His points stemmed from the fact that the ace batter took 14 deliveries to get from 83 runs to the three-figure mark.

While his century helped Peshawar Zalmi score an imperious 240-2 in their 20 overs.

Quetta Gladiators, however, pulled off a chase for the ages after chasing down the total with 10 balls to spare. Opening batter Jason Roy slammed the highest score in Pakistan Super League's (PSL) history to steer his side home.

Criticizing Babar for his approach, Doull said during his commentary stint on air:

“Rather than putting the team first... the last little while, that's all that been happening. Rather than looking for boundaries, still so much firepower to come. Hundreds are brilliant, stats are great, but it has to be team first,”

Even during the Test series between Pakistan and New Zealand, Doull reserved some comments for Babar pertaining to the lifeless pitches in the subcontinent. While commentating during the series in Karachi, he said:

“Where does that directive come from? Does it come from Babar who wants to bat on a road and improve his own stats? Does it come from above him?”

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#2 Virat Kohli

The former New Zealand cricketer also had a go at Virat Kohli during his lean patch.

The ace batter spent the better part of the last couple of years struggling heavily for runs across all formats, also including dreadful Indian Premier League (IPL) campaigns.

Kohli scored a historic century during India's first home pink ball Test against Bangladesh in December 2019 but had to wait almost three years for his next one.

Addressing the former India skipper's well-documented century drought, Doull accused Kohli of not being completely honest ahead of the second Test between India and New Zealand in Mumbai back in late-2021. He said:

"Virat knows how many innings it has been (since his last international century). He says he doesn't know how many it has been, but he is not being honest either. He knows exactly when he had scored his last hundred and he knows that he needs another hundred to silence some of the critics. So he is feeling the pressure as much as anyone."

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#3 Dale Steyn

Former South African pacer Dale Steyn's final cricketing endeavor came in the form of the 2021 Pakistan Super League (PSL).

He represented the Quetta Gladiators across three matches before eventually announcing his retirement in August 2021.

During a contest between the Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi, Doull had a go at Dale Styen's hairstyle. He even went on to state that the Proteas ace is going through a mid-life crisis.

The comments did not go down well with Steyn, who responded strongly on Twitter. He wrote:

"If your job is to talk about the game, then do that. But if you use that airtime to abuse anyone for their weight, sexual choices, ethnic backgrounds, lifestyle etc or even hairstyles, then im afraid I have no time for you as a human. You and anyone else like that to be fair."

Does Simon Doull take it too far at times with his comments? Let us know what you think.

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