Aaman Patel was born for cricket
The Hussman graduate, who travels the world as a play-by-play and color commentator, also helps student broadcasters.
Cricket has been part of his life since the moment Aaman Patel ’24 was born.
“My mom went into labor and messaged my dad while he was playing a cricket match. He finished playing the match and then went to the hospital,” said Patel. “That’s the way I’ve always been wired, and I’ve always loved playing cricket with my dad while growing up.”
When Patel was older, he channeled his love for the sport in a different way. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Patel started a cricket podcast that connected him with others in the sport’s community. Through that, he earned an opportunity to call a youth cricket game on a Facebook live stream.
He leveraged that experience into work calling first season of minor league cricket in 2021, as well as doing play-by-play for a USA Cricket game that same year.
Patel transferred to Carolina and the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media from Wake Technical Community College to grow his broadcasting skills. While at Hussman, he served as a director, producer and on-air analyst for the school’s student-run sports show, “Sports Xtra.” He was also a producer and director for the school’s student-run news show, “Carolina Week,” and a production assistant for Go Heels Productions.
Patel transferred to Carolina and the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media from Wake Technical Community College to grow his broadcasting skills. (Submitted photo)
“When I got to Hussman, I knew I wanted to be in broadcast,” said Patel. “I can now see during cricket broadcasts what is happening and what the flow is going to be like.”
Patel called his first major league game in 2024. Since then, he has worked U.S. and international matches ranging from three to eight hours.
He’s traveled to California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio and Texas for games, as well as Barbados for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and Argentina for the men’s and women’s World Cup qualifiers.
“I’ve loved meeting so many cool people. I’ve met some of my closest friends through cricket, whether it’s players, staff or commentators. The people make cricket worth it,” said Patel. “It’s fun to get a front row seat working the broadcast because I’m always trying to find people who are maybe coming to their first cricket game.”
Although Patel travels the world calling cricket games, he also gives back to his alma mater as an emerging media specialist at the Hussman School.
In his role, he helps student-run shows run smoothly, provides technical advice and offers creative input for “Sports Xtra.” Patel says the opportunity allows him to grow his production skills and try out new workflow ideas and camera shots.
“I’ve loved meeting so many cool people. I’ve met some of my closest friends through cricket, whether it’s players, staff or commentators. The people make cricket worth it,” said Patel. (Submitted photo)
“I’ve just become way more well-rounded. It’s helped me understand what broadcast truly is and allows me to stay in the realm of broadcast. There are very few places where you get to think through a broadcast and experience it,” said Patel. “There’s also so many great people and new ideas. I feel like I can help give some of the experiences I’ve had back to students. There are different nuances, and you’re never done learning, so to be in a position where I can continuously learn is a win for me.”
Patel hopes to strengthen his broadcast and production skills while doing what he loves most —storytelling.
“I want to call cricket all over the world and continue traveling and telling those stories of amazing people,” said Patel. “The Cricket World Cup has expanded in the past couple years, and it includes more of those smaller nations. There are some cool opportunities to tell the stories of those people.”
