India and England’s next Test showdown will retire the Pataudi name for the newly christened Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy, celebrating swing king James Anderson and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. The switch immortalises two eras of greatness in one glittering prize.
The upcoming test series between India and England changed its name from the Pataudi trophy to the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy in recognition of the two great players, James Anderson and the god of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. Both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) took this decision to honour the greatness of both players on the cricket field.
James Anderson reacted very emotionally and said in a talk with a reporter, “It’s a huge honour and I still can’t quite believe it. Tendulkar is someone I used to watch playing when I was growing up, though I don’t want to disadvantage him because of his age. I remember watching him at his peak, an absolute legend and the greatest player of the game, and I played against him a lot as well. So to have this trophy is a huge honourable thing for me, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Anderson and Tendulkar had some good and heated moments in the field while facing each other at a time when both were in their prime. Tendulkar faced Anderson in 34 innings of test cricket and scored 208 runs, while Anderson got him out 12 times, which makes him the second bowler after Australia’s Brett Lee to get him out in test cricket.
The trophy for the series will be revealed at the Lord’s by Tendulkar and Anderson during the World Test Championship final, which will be held between South Africa and Australia on June 11. The venue for the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar test series will be Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord’s in London, Old Trafford in Manchester, and The Oval in London.
