Shoaib Akhtar has done it again. He is the centre of attention, managed to invite some controversy and started a debate that perhaps did not even cross the minds of cricket fans.
“I think players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid weren’t exactly match winners to start with, nor did they know the art of finishing the game,” Akhtar said on the eve of his book launch in India.
The auto-biography titled “Controversially Yours” is Akhtar at his candid best, and besides Tendulkar many personalities and cricketers come into the cross-hair.
But undoubtedly, the claims putting Tendulkar under the spot-light have managed to ruffle the most feathers, with most experts terming Akhtar’s words as nonsense.
While some members of the press have termed Akhtar “the sales man of the year”, some have put the claims against Tendulkar under the microscope.
The Indian legend’s record speaks for itself but is there any weight behind Akhtar’s claims?
Dawn.com invites its readers to give their view and suggestions.
I agree some parts. Tendulkar may be good cricketer and has lot of records. There are some key elements may be absent from his cricket. Like Leadership, match winning skills, etc..
As a solo player, he is very good, but as a team performer, even I agree some loose ends.
As such Indian/Pak folks care much for Records, where as Australians care for winning the match and less care for personal propaganda.
I agree with you Rajesh. I heard Nasser Hussain making comments on bopara’s batting and saying that he must finish the game or selectors would not see his good knock but will say that he didnt finish the game. That he didnt take England home. We keep saying cricket is a team game and yet we love and brag about individual performances. Tendulkar couldnt win games for India because matches are usually won by wicket taking bowlers. So, I dont think agree with Akhtar. If India had Akram or Yunus in their side, they’d be world beaters in the true sense of the word.
Tendulkar is a good batsman and he has proved this most of the time but unfortunately he is not a match winner , if we look each that match in which tendulkar has scored , india has lost that match .
And it is cent per cent right that tendulkar was afraid of Shoaib’s bowling because He was and is the fastest bowler of the cricket world .
There is a variety of superlatives that may be used to describe champion batsmen i.e. some attack from the start i.e. Viv Richards, Sehwag, Lara, Miller, some counterattack from difficult situations i.e. Tendulkar, Miandad, Ponting, Inzamam, Compton, DeVilliers, and others are great defensive batsmen i.e. Dravid, Kallis, Hanif Mohammed, Gavaskar, Hutton. Cricket is a team game, and just like other team sports, the eleven players complement each other. Not all eleven can be forwards in football or in hockey – and similarly in cricket. Tendulkar is a champion counter-attacking batsman – second to none. His only weakness may be his defense on bouncy pitches – but that is like expecting Nadal to play from the baseline on hard courts, when his skills have been honed on clay courts. Only statistics can reveal how many times Tendulkar’s innings have led to an Indian win – but these same stats will not reveal what his presence has meant to the Indian team in helping them play as one of the top cricketing countries in the recent past.
Statistics are like a bikini.. they reveal the obvious and conceal the vital
To me a match winner is someone who takes away the game single handedly from the jaws of defeat… someone like Abdul Razzak, Adam Gilchrist, Virender Sehwag… i mean no respect the greatest batsman on this era Sachin Tendulkar but in my opinion he is not a match winner. He would score heaps and heaps of runs and would strengthen the position of the Indian team… but lacks the ability to kill off games. Now i am not saying he has never done it, he did that in sharjah against Australia, in WC 2003 against Pakistan… but for a batsman who has played almost 750 international innings scored 99 centuries the count of match winning knocks is faar less than what it should have been… in my opinion he should have had 30-35 match winning innings under his belt by now.
I have been following Tendulkar ever since he made his debut. There have been times early on his career that he carried the whole team even when his more established seniors like Shastri, Azaruddin, etc where in the team. The moment Tendulkar got out, the opposition sensed chances of their victory. This man has carried expectations of more than a billion people and performed time and again and sincerely. It is more often that when he scores others in his team fail, that is why in some of the matches even when he scored India are some times not victorious. But ..hey this is sport and you can’t win everything.
To me Tendulkar is the absolute master to have graced this game. There are many jealous people out there like Shoib Aktar, who try to make living by taking short cuts. For starters, Akhthar lacks sincerity.
For me Tendulkar has been a matchwinner for his country .. no matter who says what. He is a treat to eyes when he is in full flow with his bat!!
Well said Abbas Bhai …That reflects a true heart from a honest pakistani
Regards,
Muthu
Chennai
India.
Well said. I am a Pakistani but I still have to admit that Sachin has been an excellent match winner… he’s a legend. There have been times when I have hated watching him scoring against Pakistan, but for his own country India he has been a boon … really a master. He has been an excellent role model on and off the field. On the other hand Shoib Akhtar has been a BIG problem for Pakistan… completely a waste of talent. Lets not feel shy in applauding his greatness. May Allah give next Sachin kind of talented batsman in Pakistan:)
you both are real cricket lovers.
and i salute your honesty.
even we indians love your fast bowlers like wasim waqar and imran and jelous of not having them.
Love you all.
Thanks Shahid, I am a die-hard Sachin fan from India, i had this conviction that Pakistanis hate Sachin but your comment has changed my thinking, i also pray to have someone like Akram and waqar here …
Well said shahid but, I am Indian I dont think Sachin is a match winner, Like everybody said he has been given too many opportunity , if you look at the bad patches when he was a captain, it will freak you out..it is somuch..Yes I agree he a good batsman who does not know how to play under pressure.The best ex is India-pak test at chennai…Last but not least,look at way people from both the countries are exchaning word.I am really overwhelimg and astonished by the mutual respect every one showing here..I hope this will continue
Kumar,
I totally agree with you. Good to see people from both the countries exchanging their point of views in a respectful way. Shoaib has been a problem for Pakistan due to his fitness and off the field controversies but lets be fair to the guy, he has bowled his heart out on dead wickets in Pakistan & India and i think every die hard cricket fan loves to watch shoaib bowl to sachin or sehwag (Clash of the titans).
Sachin is a great player but he has never been a match wiinner like the Ponting & Hussey for Australia, Inzi for Pakistan, Kallis for South Africa. I think Yuvraj can be considered as a match winner for India
@omer – i dont think u understood the point of being a team member.. a team’s win is a collective effort, no team in the world can win by the heroics of a single person, there has to be atleast 15%-20% efforts from the rest to ensure they end up winning. As for Sir Viv, with all due respect, i don’t think they would have survived the game and still be so prolific once they past their prime. Its the longitivity of his innings that counts, and if you think he lets himself be treated as a average batsman, then i think you didn’t followed his game from last few years. At the age of 38 this guy has scored 200 runs in an ODI, thats patience, perseverance, authority and supreme talent for you.
As for this chucker, i dont think he is even worthy enough to say things to the little master. what credibility does he have when he himself admitted of cheating. he comes nowhere near the greats. just after cheap publicity.
Tendulkar is a great batsman, probably the best in the history of cricket in terms of getting runs but a complete study needs to be done before calling him a match winner or otherwise.
I agree with Shoaib wholeheartedly! Tendulkar may be a good batsman but absolutely not a match winner. Match winners are those who perfom when their team needs them to perform. Tendulkar fans may boost of his centuries of centuries but most these innings were personal feats rather than match winning performances.
Most of the Indian players including Tendulkar are over-hyped and over-rated by their media. They are more keen on being a media darling than a match winners for their team. Their media make them idols and their junta loves to worship these idols, whether they perform in the field or not.
The greatness of a player is judged by the appreciation of his critics and opponents and not by his fans or worshippers.
When critics suffer from prejudices and intellectual dishonesty, they will never agree. Where in the world opposition praises ruling party ? Why would critics appreciate thats why they are called critics. If indians are wrong are Australians and British also affected by Indian media that they give standing ovation to Sachin Tendulakar ?
Dont get irked. No body is denying his greatness. But u must agree Sachin has never been a match winner i.e.a finisher of the game.Records speak for itself.
He is an opening batsman. How can he last 50 overs to finish a game?
How do you define a match winner ? Cricket is a team sport and all 11 players performances add to the win. Sachin has been declared Man of the Match countless number of times. Isn’t that award reserved for the match winner ?
People who do not deem Sachin as a match winner are looking for that heroic performance where a individual against all odds takes his team to victory and snatches it from the jaws of defeat. Cricket is a complicated game. It is not necessary for a person to have this kind of heroic ability to be a match winner.
Sachin can be a match winner just by making a 50 and playing out the 2 best bowlers from the opposite side. Just a soccer player like Messi can be a match winner just by having the 3 members of the opposite team guard him which in fact makes the job of his team much easier. Messi doesnt have to score any goals. Just him being on the field makes the team strong.
Akhtar was terror when he was in full form . It it true that Tendulkar was not comfortable in said test match . However ” Match winner ” coment was avoidable . Cricket is team game , individual may contribute . One or two player alon can not win match
absolutely true…
Agree with Shoaib and I am sure people who follow this sport know this too. Difficult to admit since both of these players have an impeccable record both on and off the field.
@ Akhtar ? Impeccable ? Well…I suggest you take crash course in English.
Regards,
Muthu.
Chennai.
India.
I think your state of mind is similar to that of akhtar, urgently need a psychiatrist
Really? Shoaib has impeccable record???? I cannot imagine what you have said buddy.
Lets be honest, neither of the two are flawless, that would imply perfection, in this context both players have failed on numerous occasions. If you assume 1 good performance or a century cancels out a duck or a million no balls then you can press that argument.
Comparing Shoaib with Sachin is like comparing RDX with Atom Bomb, Akram and Sachin can be compared ..
Shoib had the immense talent and wasted it. And off the field… Shoib was even worse… drugs and stuff. Comparing Sachin with Shoib is pretty much like insulting the lengend batsman.
10 yrs from now….Who Shoib…?
Sorry Suraj, 10 years from now when people check out the record for the fastest ball bowled , it will still be Shoaib. No more fast bolwers appearing any more. I am a Sachin fan and he is my hero, but in the current Indian team, Dhoni is the match winner . So is Sehwag. sachin is one of the greatest batsman and a gentleman. So is Dravid. I admire both of the immensley.
However, The sight of Shoaib tearing down the pitch use to give me goose bumps. He was not well managed. He could have become what Sachin is today, a legend and a hero , if he was born in Australia or UK or South Africa and perhaps even in India. Pak cricket board rarely grooms its players.
Also , I do not understand the big deal? It is only Shoaib’s opinion and it appears to be shared by many Indians also. An opinion is only an opinion. Shoaib did not insult Sachin. He did nottake Sachin’s greatness away from him ,nor did he say that he is not a legend. We people from the sub continent need to be less emotional.
I am an Indian and I quite admire Tendulkar for his appetite for runs. But the fact remains that he is at best a “match saver” and not a match winner. I have to grudgingly agree with Shoaib.
Completely disagree…. how could he even play freely when the entire would collapse once he gets out. This is what was happening during whole 1990’s and it didnt change until Ganguly became captain and youngsters started performing… more it changed after India won Natwest ODI series in England. Sachin had to carry the whole burden. Sehwag doesnt do that… he hits or miss. Sachin is a legend… repect him… adore him… world might not see a similar player again.
Guys, Tendulkar is an all time great. You rank him along Hobbs, Suttcliffe, Grace, Bradman, Sobbers, Headley, Richards, Lara, Gavaskar, Ponting and probably at the top of modern day greats like Hayden, Langer, Kallis, Dravid, Sehwaq, Sangakara, Jaywardne, Miandad, Inzi, Yousuf, etc but being a truly match winner is something else. So I partially agree with Shoaib that Tendulkar and Dravid are not really good finishers, one is an attacking foundation setter while the other one is probably the most reliable game saver. They are not finishers/winners in the mould of Miandad, Bevan, Inzy, Hussey etc.
I think Shoiab Akhtar with his runnerup and the pace that he generates is absolutely true that Sachin Tendulkar did not like to face him.
I am a Pakistani and I think Tendulkar is not only one of the but is actually the best batsman the game has ever produced. Not a match winner? The guy has been carrying his team for over two decades. On so many occasions he got the game out of the jaws of defeat. Just see the record books and almost all the batting records either belong to him or he is involved in them. No doubt Tendulkar is respected beyond the boundaries of India for his class batting and even his presence in a match is a 70% chance that India will win it.
Yea right you are a Pakistani! Your argument is flawed my friend. Tendu is a great run getter but not a match winner.
Dear Farooq… Do I have to remind you about the world cup match when Sachin smashed Shoib for 18runs in an over. Learn to respect my friend. Because Asif said few good words about Sachin you think Asif is not a Pakistani…. so Pakistanis are not taught to respect others, is this your definition of being a Pakistni??
Rohit ,
To add to that match ( In South Africa ) Pakistan had scored 275+ runs. Pak had Wasim , Waqar, Saqlain, Razzak and Shoaib. That means the best bowlers in the world. Any team would have succumbed to less than 200 runs in front of these bowlers on African pitches. But remeber Sachin who scored 18 runs in Shoaibs’ first over and Waqar did not give him second over to bowl for time being. Sachin scored 98 runs in 90 bowls and India won the game quite comfortably. He was declared Man of Match of that world cup match.Shoaib finaly got Sachin out , but it was too little and too late.
India had won.
India had beaten Pakistan even in 1999 WC and Sachin had scored a half century.
Wasim and Waqar retired after that tournament. Saqlain played only a handful of matches after that. You cannot call that attack, best Pakistan attack. I think the best bowling attack Pakistan has fielded was during the 1999 world cup. Comprising Wasim, Shoaib, Saqlain, Azhar Mehmood and Abdul Razzaq (all in their prime).
well, my dear Rohit…
when i first read the news on yahoo cricket, i saw about 1000 comments, mostly by indians and almost all of them were abuses, ill words, insulting remarks and etc, is that respect my brother???
Dear Hadi,
You saw 1000 comments mostly by Indians; I too saw so many comments from both sides of the border and believe me pro Sachin & anti Sachin are at both sides, similarly Akhtar too gets friends & enemy for his recent remarks at both countries. Some remarks were inspired by patriotism & some remarks were with unbiased mind.
Dear Hadi,
You saw 1000 comments and mostly abusive by Indians, these type of comments you can see from both the sides. I too saw such comments from Pakis. To be very honest I too did put some abusive comments in response but the fact is no matter how much we abuse each other but somewhere down the heart we know we have the same roots and trust me I feel bad when something bad happen in pakistan somewhere deep in my heart. Anyway Its all in the heat of that moment. I made some very good Pakistani friends here in US and they are so friendly the way we are.
Thanks
Although both players are cricket greats but what shoaib told is also blunt but not wrong specially in case of Tedulkhar. Yes he played great innings but look the number of innings with choice to which no. he should play and even quit when opposition and conditions not suit.
Dravid undoubt much great player and team man and always put himself front somtimes due to his style of conventional batting fails but never shows his back.
Yes, Shoaib Akhtar is absolutely right…..
Sachin is not a match winner….
Sewag, Yuvaraj and Goutam Gambir can win a match with their individual performance….