MUMBAI: Batting great Sachin Tendulkar has come out strongly in support of the beleaguered Yuvraj Singh after the left-hander’s poor performance with the bat during India’s loss to Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 final on Sunday.
Yuvraj has been made something of a scapegoat for India’s defeat after he used up 21 deliveries to score 11 runs, which robbed his side of momentum towards the end of their innings.
The 32-year-old, who hit England’s Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in the 2007 World Twenty20 and was the architect of India’s 50-over World Cup win in 2011, looked a pale shadow of himself, even struggling to rotate the strike.
“It is the unpredictable nature of the game that makes cricket such an exciting sport,” Tendulkar, who retired from the game last November, said in a post on his Facebook page.
“As cricketers, we always enjoy the applause when we succeed but it is the support and encouragement from fans, during tough times, that we appreciate the most.”
Yuvraj was the focal point of all discussions in the cricket-crazy country after the Indian juggernaut in Bangladesh came to a screeching halt on Sunday with a six-wicket hammering by Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
There were even reports in the local media that Yuvraj’s house in Chandigarh was pelted with stones by angry fans.
Tendulkar, the most prolific international run-scorer and one of the country’s greatest unifiers, reminded the fans of Yuvraj’s past contributions. “All of us took pride in the heroics of Yuvi when we won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and his outstanding contribution in the ODI World Cup win in 2011 will always be cherished,” he wrote.
“Last evening (Sunday), Yuvi had a tough day and he can be criticised. But he should not be crucified nor should he be written off.”
Yuvraj, who has not been part of India’s test and 50-over sides in the recent past, made an emotional return to the game in 2012 after a lengthy fight with a rare germ cell cancer in his lungs.
The diagnosis came after he endeared the whole nation with his all-round performances in the 2011 World Cup, when he was named the player of the tournament as India triumphed on home soil. He later dedicated the victory to Tendulkar, his mentor.
Tendulkar backed Yuvraj to come out even stronger after the latest setback. “I have been an admirer of Yuvi’s indomitable Spirit which has overcome many challenges, both on and off the field,” Tendulkar added.
Pakistan was offered ‘Big Four’ role: Chairman
LAHORE: Pakistan’s cricket chief Najam Sethi has said his predecessor spurned an offer by India to join the so-called “big three” during a major reorganisation of the game’s administration.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was initially one of three countries which opposed the revamp of the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved by members in February.
The move handed the majority of the powers and revenues to the “big three” of the game — India, Australia and England.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka abstained from voting on the reforms, but since then Sri Lanka have hinted they will sign the draft.
Sethi, who will attend the ICC meeting in Dubai on April 9-10, said Pakistan were offered a seat at the table but declined.
“The big three of the ICC had invited Pakistan to be part of a ‘big four’ plan but the administration under former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf refused the offer, to the detriment of the country,” Sethi said as he was preparing to leave late on Monday.
“In the cricketing scenario, currently there are eight countries at one side and Pakistan at the other. The ICC doesn’t need Pakistan after the rejection of such a rare offer.”
Reacting to the claims, Ashraf confirmed an offer was floated at one stage but said it was never a firm commitment. “They did offer us to join the group but when I went to attend the ICC meeting in February India stepped back from its offer, claiming two other members of the body — Australia and England — are not ready to admit Pakistan as a fourth member,” he said. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sacked Ashraf two days after the “big three” reforms were approved, reappointing Sethi who himself was suspended by Islamabad high court in January over alleged irregularities in his appointment.AFP
