Kass Naidoo
Kass Naidoo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kasturi Naidoo 12 January 1978 |
| Citizenship | South Africa |
| Occupations | Cricket commentator, sports journalist |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse |
Ryk Meiring (m. 2004) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | kassnaidoo |
Kasturi "Kass" Naidoo (born 1978) is a South African cricket commentator. She is widely recognised as South Africa's first female television cricket commentator, having made her broadcasting debut during the 2003 Cricket World Cup for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). She is also the founder of the gsport Trust.
Early life and education
Naidoo was born in Durban to Bugwathie and Sannasy Naidoo.[1] Her family has origins in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.[1] She is the youngest of three children and has two older brothers. At the age of 14, she was inspired to pursue cricket commentary after hearing West Indian commentator Donna Symmonds during a series in South Africa.[2][3] She attended the Durban University of Technology, where she earned a degree in journalism.[4]
Career
Naidoo began her career as a vacation reporter for The Mercury newspaper in 1996.[4] She also worked briefly for the South African Press Association and as producer for John Robbie at 702.[5] She later joined the SABC, where she worked as a writer on the news desk and edited sports stories. She made her television cricket presenting debut during the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, hosted by the SABC.[4] She made her radio cricket commentary debut alongside Neil Manthorp during the Boxing Day Test between South Africa and the West Indies in December 2003. Her international commentary debut came at the 2006 Hong Kong Sixes.[1]
In 2008, Naidoo joined Cricket South Africa (CSA) as Commercial and Corporate Relations Manager, where she worked on shaping the brands of CSA and the Proteas. She left CSA in 2012 to focus on her own projects.[4]
In 2020, Naidoo commentated on the Pakistan Super League. In July 2021, she made her Sky Sports debut as a host of The Hundred.[6] In December 2021, she made her SuperSport cricket commentary debut. She was part of the commentary panel for the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, calling the opening match between England and New Zealand.[7][8] She also commentated at the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup and the 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.[9][10]
In 2024, Naidoo received the Minister's Recognition of Excellence Award at the South African Sport Awards.[11]
Personal life
Naidoo married Ryk Meiring in 2004.[1] They have three children, Daniel, Ella, and Luke.[1] Her father, Sannasy, died in 2012.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Dani, Bipin (21 January 2018). "My dream is to commentate in India: Kass Naidoo". Deccan Chronicle.
- ^ Crouch, Faheedah (22 September 2023). "SA's first woman commentator, Kass Naidoo, continues to inspire with gsport4girls". East Coast Radio.
- ^ Vasu, Anand (11 January 2018). "Meet South Africa's first female cricket commentator Kasturi Naidoo". Mid-Day.
- ^ a b c d Naidoo, Mervyn (22 November 2015). "Kass is not over cricket, yet". Sunday Tribune.
- ^ "Kass is on a good wicket". IOL. 25 August 2003.
- ^ Ammon, Elizabeth (25 November 2023). "Kass Naidoo: If social media had been around then I would have been torn to pieces" – via The Times.
- ^ "South African broadcaster Kass Naidoo joins Cricket World Cup commentary panel". 4 October 2023.
- ^ Naidoo, Mervyn (8 October 2023). "Kass Naidoo cricket commentator, 20 not out". Independent Online.
- ^ "ICC announce star-studded commentary panel for Men's T20 World Cup 2024 | ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2024". ICC. 24 May 2024.
- ^ "ICC confirms commentators and broadcast enhancements for ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025". icc. 28 September 2025.
- ^ Hohip, Chante (9 May 2024). "WATCH: SA's first female commentator, Kass Naidoo on juggling sports and family". Eyewitness News.