On April 24, Sachin Tendulkar celebrated his 50th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the venue for seven of his 49 ODI centuries, named the West Stand after him. Tendulkar has a special bond with this ground, and his greatest knocks there included two hundreds during Coca-Cola Cup in April 1998. The most memorable, a blazing 131-ball 143, came after a sandstorm had interrupted play, and is immortalised in cricket’s annals as the Desert Storm.
The ceremony to rename the stand was attended by Khalaf Bukhatir, the CEO of Sharjah Cricket. Tendulkar could not attend the ceremony in person due to prior commitments, but he expressed his gratitude in a message.
Sunil Gavaskar on Sachin Tendulkar
“I wish I was there, but unfortunately I had prior commitments,” he said. “Playing in Sharjah has always been a magnificent experience. From the electrifying atmosphere to the love, affection and support, Sharjah has been a special venue for Indian cricket fans and lovers of the game from around the globe.
“A big thank you to Bukhatir and his team for this kind gesture on the 25th anniversary of the Desert Storm match and my 50th birthday. Feels like the greatest 6 of them all.”
The Sydney Cricket Ground also paid tribute to Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara by unveiling a set of gates named after them. Tendulkar retired from professional cricket in 2013 after a glittering 24-year career that saw him score an unmatched 100 international centuries.
