By: Keyur Seta
Memorable matches are the ones that witness an extraordinary feat by a player, a team or both teams. So naturally, a match becomes memorable after it’s over; in the past tense. Even a World Cup Final becomes unforgettable only if something great happens in it. But a match to be played on July 5 has already achieved a title of ‘memorable’ or ‘unforgettable’, although it is very much in the future tense right now.
Tendulkar during MCC v/s ROI match in 1998 (Picture: Espncricinfo.com)
The said match is between MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) and Rest of the World on July 5 at Lords, the home of Cricket. It is the presence of some legends in both teams that is responsible for the match to be terribly awaited.
Just imagine, Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist, Mutiah Muralitharan, Yuvraj Singh, Kevin Petersen, Virender Sehwag, Brett Lee and Shivnarine Chanderpaul together on the field! It doesn’t get bigger than this, can it? Plus, this might even be the last time we would be able to see the likes Tendulkar, Warne, Lara, Dravid, Muralitharan and Gilchrist on a Cricket field. And if we are lucky enough to see a battle between Tendulkar and Warne or Lara and Warne, what more can a Cricket fan ask for?
So the occasion will not only be memorable but also highly emotional for anyone who has grown up watching these great ambassadors of the game. Needless to say, one player that would be looked forward to the most is Tendulkar, not only by Indians but fans from around the globe. After the legendary farewell he received last November, watching him bat again will be a heavenly feeling.
But even if some of these great names fail to live up to the expectations, their mere presence is enough to generate tons of excitement, like it happened in 1998 when a similar match was played at the same venue in memory of Lady Diana. If you grew up in the 90s, I am sure you would remember that contest. Tendulkar and Chanderpaul are the only two out of the 22 players that had played the 1998 match. Interestingly, they both scored centuries in it.
So July 5 is our date with history!
Teams:-
MCC: Sachin Tendulkar (Captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Rahul Dravid, Aaron Finch, Brian Lara, Brett Lee, Chris Read, Saeed Ajmal, Shaun Tait, Umar Gul and Daniel Vettori
ROI: Shane Warne (Captain), Tino Best, Paul Collingwood, Adam Gilchrist, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kevin Petersen, Virender Sehwag, Shahid Afridi, Peter Siddle, Tamim Iqbal and Yuvraj Singh
Venue: Lords Cricket Ground, London
Date: Saturday July 5, 2014
Time: 10:45 am local time; 3: 15 pm India time
Highlights of Tendulkar’s innings from the 1998 Diana Memorial Match: