In the 1990s, Sachin Tendulkar’s name was synonymous with the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, as the master blaster essayed some of the finest knocks in the history of ODI cricket at the venue. So it was fitting that, on the occasion of his 50th birthday, the West Stand was named after him. Khalaf Bukhatir, CEO of Sharjah Cricket, made the announcement, and spoke of the unforgettable impact left by one of Tendulkar’s greatest innings, especially the 131-ball 134 in the Coca-Cola Cup final against Australia on April 24, 1998 – his 25th birthday.
Two days previously, in a match disrupted by a frightening desert storm, he had smashed an epic 143 off 131 balls to take India into the final, ahead of New Zealand on net run-rate. Though Australia won that match, the audacious assault – VVS Laxman was largely a mesmerised onlooker at the other end – that produced 104 runs in 14 overs took India past the total they needed to qualify.
Tendulkar played more ODIs in Sharjah than at any other ground in his illustrious career, cracking seven hundreds and seven fifties in 42 games there. Besides the Desert Storm effort and its encore, fans will also remember the way he took apart Zimbabwe’s Henry Olonga in a subsequent tournament. And who can forget the iconic six he smacked off Wasim Akram in the Austral-Asia Cup game against Pakistan in 1994, or the 18-year-old Tendulkar scoring 52 off just 40 balls against the likes of Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed?
As Bukhatir said in his short speech, renaming the stand in his honour was the least that Sharjah Cricket could do to say thank you.