Hello and welcome to Stumped, your intercontinental hit of news, features, and debate from the
quirky world of cricket. I'm Alison Mitchell in London back after a lovely week on the
north Cornwall coast. I want to thank the guys for standing in in my absence. It was
lovely to spend a bit of time near a beach. Not quite as warm as some of those beaches
that I've experienced in Australia in the last few years, but it was bright and it was
lovely to have a little bit of family time around the Easter period. And then coming
back and there's plenty of excitement building already, what with the announcement of the
men's Ashes squad coming out for the Aussies. Absolutely, Ali. Brett Sprigg here in Sydney,
where again I'm filling in for Jim Maxwell and plenty of excitement here this week around
that squad and the surprises, of course. Some players missing out, another reminder of course
it's only six weeks away. The ones that did miss out still have County cricket
to put their name forward. There are a few Aussies getting around there as well as in
the IPL, of course. We can't forget that either where Cameron Green put his name back up
in lights a few days ago. So, it is an exciting time for sure. Hello, this is Charu Sharma
for All India Radio. Just back in Bangalore after a trip to New Delhi. The Delhi Capitals
squad of the WPL put three players together and we had a wonderful chat. Shikha Pandey,
you may remember we had a chat with her on Stumped earlier on. We also had Taniya Bhatia
at their keeper and wonderful young bat that you will know who does wonderful things for India,
including of course winning the U19 World Cup. We also had Miss Verma with us and what
was really fabulous and pleasantly surprising was how well they spoke. The programme was
much more about their journeys and not so much about cricket at such, or the technicalities
of it. They were delightful. What a shame, though, that DC are, in the IPL, off to a horrendous start.
The action continues and some of it's quite riveting. Yep, it is Charu
isn't it and those girls all have great stories to tell. Some of them are really interesting.
Brett, great to have you on the show as well. We will start this week with the famous yellow
book. Now, this is the 160th Wisden Almanack, which has been published this week. It chronicles
the last 12 months in cricket. It also gives out the prestigious award of the leading cricketers
of the year. This year's winners, England men's captain Ben Stokes and Australia's Beth
Mooney. An accolade, which both players, in fact, won before. And earlier this week, I
managed to catch up with the editor of the Almanack, Lawrence Booth and asked him if
they were both obvious choices. I think so in a way. Stokes was an interesting one because
it wasn't simply for his weight of runs and wickets which is the usual criterion for that
award. It is as much as anything for his transformative Test captaincy. He got England playing a brand
of cricket. As you know, when he took over they had won one Test out of 17. He takes
over and they win 10 out of 12, mainly in spectacular fashion. So, it's not often a
cricketer changes the perception of a format of the game and Stokes did that. I thought
he was an obvious winner really, and Mooney as well. I mean she averaged 100 in one-day
internationals for a start, which wasn't bad. She scored 60-odd with a titanium plate
in her jaw in the Ashes against England and she starred in the Commonwealth Games where
Australia won gold. So, she often gets overlooked in that kind of discussion about the great
Australian women players, but she as much as anyone over the last three or four years has led the charge.
She's always been there hasn't she. Now, of the five cricketers of
the year - the famous five - remind everyone of the criteria for this because when they
look at the list, some people might automatically think why is that person on this list? So
just run us through the names and remind us of the criteria. The criteria refers to two
main rules: You can't have been chosen before. It's been going since 1889 and the emphasis
is on the previous English summer, so it is a bit Anglo-centric but that's how it's always
been done. It differentiates it from other awards, I guess. The five this year
were Tom Blundell, the New Zealand wicketkeeper. Ben Foakes, the England wicketkeeper. Harmanpreet
Kaur, the Indian captain. Daryl Mitchell, another New Zealander and Matthew Potts, the
Durham and England seamer. So those are our five. I suppose that sense of it being impacting
on the English summer might answer the question as to why there is only one female amongst
the five when so much women's cricket is played around the world. But I just wonder, given
the impact of The Hundred now on the women's game and how big that is, do you think there
will come a time where we have more women amongst that famous five?
Yeah, probably. It is something we are monitoring very closely. Obviously, this year for example, we tweaked
the title of the leading... It's no longer a leading cricketer in the world and a leading
woman cricketer in the world. It's leading cricketers in the world, one of which is a
man, and one is a woman because we are worried that the female award was beginning to look
a bit token. So we've done that. We are monitoring very closely. Some people have suggested having
five women cricketers as well as five males. The issue at the moment still I think is that
there aren't enough professional women cricketers to justify that, and we'd run out of choices.
But that is changing. As you say that it's changing very fast, both because of The Hundred
and because of the WPL which started recently, which is the real big game changer. I like
to have a woman in the five, absolutely. They're never token picks. They're there because
they deserve it. Three, four years ago, actually five years ago we had three women in a five
and so more women have been chosen in the last ten years that previously. Wisden was
pretty slow on that, but we're monitoring the possibility of extra awards for women, for sure.
Of course, in terms of those international women's names that just depends on who is
the touring team touring England in that summer, as with the men. What about some of the other
stand out names in the book this year? Have you got some personal highlights?
Yeah, I mean, obviously Shane Warne died in March 2022, which was too late for the 2022 Wisden,
but gave us a good run at covering his career in this year's book and Gideon Haigh has written
a terrific piece on Warne. One of the best writers in the game on the best bowler ever
to have played the game. That was a nice pairing. We spoke to the seven... Warne's seven landmark
victims, so his 100th, his 200th through to his 700th Test victim of the guys who had
got out, what it was like facing him, which was a nice insight into that. Three of those
seven happened to be English. So Alec Stewart was the 400th, Marcus Trescothick the 600th
and Andrew Strauss was 700th and some of the points they make it quite interesting. Stuart
says he wished he hadn't let Australia and Warne dominate England so much when he was
a player. Trescothick said there was never any breathing space when you faced him. Even
if he faced the likes of Muralitharan and Kumble, there might be a spell where you could
knock them around and Warne never gave you that. Strauss said that Warne seem to know
what you were thinking before you did and that was his great strength. To get those
insights was pretty special. Lawrence, congratulations on yet another almanack and
congratulations to you and the team and good luck for starting the next edition already. Thanks for being on Stumped.
Thanks, Ali. Thanks for having me. Next on Stumped, one of the greatest cricketers
of all time Sachin Tendulkar turns 50 this week. Over his 24-year career, which started
in 1989, Sachin broke almost every record and had so many momentous moments, including
winning the 2011 World Cup on Indian soil. And being the first man to score a double
hundred in an ODI, which he did in 2010. Later this year, when India host the Cricket World
Cup again, a statue of the great man is expected to be unveiled at the Wankhede Stadium. I've
been lucky enough to have a number of interactions with him, notably in 2014 when he was 40 years
old. It was quite soon after his retirement and he told me about his most meaningful hundred
in his career. The most meaningful moment was back in 2008, scoring a century after
the Mumbai terror attacks. It happens to be my most significant memory of him as well.
I remember interviewing him on-field during the 2011 World Cup en-route to that victory.
But that 2008 was particularly momentous and significant because being in the wake of the
attack, Sachin himself he is Mumbaikar. He'd had a bit of a monkey on his back almost about
not scoring match winning hundreds in the second innings of Tests for India and so this
particular day, it was a record run chase. Sehwag got them off to a blistering start
and the Sachin, in one stroke managed to score the boundary which both brought up his hundred
and took India over the line all in one moment and the groundswell of noise but of emotion
as well. And it seemed almost that when Sachin dedicated the win to the people of Mumbai,
he was doing his bit to heal an entire nation that was grieving. Charu and Brett, I'm sure
you've both got standout memories yourself. Charu, should we start with you?
Well, you mention one very important. To Sachin himself, that was very important moment in 2008. For
starters, from all of us on Stumped, Sachin Happy 50th. Now, what I have to say it could
take a few hours, so Brett why don't you start. I will say I have a memory and it's a personal
one, so it's not one of the all-time great moments, but certainly a story I like telling
and I'll say this that. It was a special thing for me growing up to go to a Boxing Day Test.
I didn't live in Melbourne or Sydney then. I grew up in Perth, so every few years as
a family, we would fly across on Christmas Day and I'd be lucky enough to be there at
the MCG. This particular year was 2003/04. Sourav Ganguly's touring Indian team and it
was also Steve Waugh's last series - kind of a forgotten era for Aussie cricket. There
were long term injuries and Shane Warne's post-World Cup drug suspension and all the
rest of it. So Australia had an under strength team and their bowling attack I recall include
Nathan Bracken and Brad Williams. Not exactly household names and no Shane Warne, so Stuart
MacGill was the spinner. But on this day, day one, Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra
put on a phenomenal partnership. Sehwag put on 195, Rahul Dravid made a few as well and
so the first two Indian wickets fell for nearly 300. So, we're into the final hour and we'd
been starved of action or starved of wickets at least from a home team's point of view,
but it's OK because everyone's looking forward to seeing Sachin Tendulkar come to the crease.
So, there is the usual ovation and admiration as he makes his way out and he chases Brett
Lee down the leg side. A nice diving catch by Adam Gilchrist and he's out very first
ball! Then that collective gasp of 70,000 or 80,000 people. I think they may have been
doing reconstructive works at the MCG, so it wasn't quite full capacity, but the disappointment
when we realised we'd waited all day and wouldn't even get to see their very best.
As good as a Aakash Chopra was that day and Virender Sehwag, to me that underlined the
effect he had, because back then he was India. I think in this day and age, cricket fans
are a little more globalist. They know more about the teams, they might have a few favourites
superstars in any given team but back then, cricket fans came to see India to see Sachin
Tendulkar. And I guess the same may have been true in India as well for a long time. He
has had a lot of triumphs, the little master, but I think of that rare day that he didn't
and the effect it had on that huge crowd at the MCG. You know my memory does go back to
when he made his debut and he looked 15 or perhaps even 11 because he just looked so
tiny and so vulnerable when he made his debut. Everyone's heart went out to him and of course
he made his debut against the fiercest fast bowlers in the world. And very soon, because
the Indian team was still shaky at that point of time, there were so many references to,
if you remember, the fact that he looked like The Boy on the Burning Deck. There he was
this youngster holding their hopes of India even then at that very tender age. And of
course, many wonderful memories. Back in 1996 when I was doing the South African tour and
then in 1997, the Indian team was decimated Kingsmead and then the kind of fightback century
that Sachin made in Capetown was incredible. 169 of the finest, most fluent runs ever seen
those days. The desert storm of 1998, very few people will forget that. Fans of Sachin
Tendulkar at any rate because the great Glenn McGrath was made to all but cry. It was terrific
set of knocks then. Of course, we will all remember 2011, but so many moments and of
course with the ball too. He literally snatched the ball away from the skipper saying, 'I m
going to bowl the over.' I think it was back in 1993 when he protected a very small score.
Some five or seven runs in the final over and actually won India the Hero Cup. Just
any number of memories. There's reference in the short piece sometime back about what
a wonderful person he is and I think that ultimately overshadows everything because
that's some of his records will be broken. The 100 centuries, Kohli is somewhat close
to that but he'd probably have to play another five years or so to get that 100 centuries.
But he did conduct himself, considering the weight of more than a billion people really
well throughout his career and ultimately, I think people will remember him for that.
Just being a gentleman and a soaking in so much pressure with grace.
Charu, I just wonder when it comes to Sachin, what expectations do you think the Indian public had for him
for what he would do in retirement? Do you think that people thought that he might go
into coaching? We see him as a team mentor with Mumbai Indians, but do you think people
wanted him to be a coach and be more present, or to do something with the Indian national team?
I'm not so sure about the numbers there. Some might have, but not the bulk of the people.
I think they just rejoiced and cherished his performances on the cricket field, rather
than as a support staff team member. Just very quickly, the effect he had on Indian
cricket, of course, was exemplified in that Chennai Test match in 2008. But, having recently
having a chat last night with Shefali Verma. She mentioned very clearly that her father
said he only watched cricket because of Sachin. Like so many other millions, he said that
once he was out, the television went off and just walk away. And Shefali said, Ah, that
struck a chord with me. She said, that's what I want to be. The one person that people come
to see at the match at the stadium, so just a quick side-line there. Sachin's also smart
enough. Earlier in his career to not want to be the captain very long and similarly
with coaching. I think Sachin is smart enough to know that as a coach, you can't really
deeply influence the result of the game. It depends on the players out there. And maybe
he has deliberately kept away from being directly responsible for the fortunes of any team,
be it Mumbai Indians, whatever. Being a mentor is different, but I think he does realise
that his equity might have been eroded if he were to be a coach who then at times loses
matches. People might say, 'Oh even the great Sachin can't hold the team together and the
team's losing, so does he not have a brain for it?' I think he's smart enough to realise
that you know you should just have people remember the best part of Sachin Tendulkar,
which was his incredible genius batting. What about his son, Charu, because Arjun Tendulkar
made his IPL debut for the Mumbai Indians in the last week. So, the Tendulkar's are
the first father and son duo to play in the IPL. I had a look at how he got on. He conceded
17 runs in his two overs. In his second match, he managed to take a maiden IPL wicket. How's
that had been received and how much attention is on him as the son of Sachin Tendulkar?
Well, it began as something which had enormous... the pressure was enormous on young Tendulkar.
But as he went along, I think he was honourable, honest enough to realise what his calibre
was and what his own internal assessment was. I think that pressure eased off Arjun
Tendulkar, because 1, he's got a different forte, as it were. He's a lefty seamer and
Sachin of course being a batsman. Now if Arjun Tendulkar wanted to apply his trade in the
world of batting, that pressure would never have lifted. But he's a lovely young man,
he takes his budding career rather lightly and I think it's more Sachin who's the nervous
father. And the kind of celebration after that first wicket in the IPL was incredible,
because as Sachin said, 'finally a Tendulkar has taken a wicket in the IPL!' Because Sachin
never did. But I can only imagine the kind of pressure that Arjun grew up with having
Sachin as a father. Ninety five percent of the time, people would imagine he would not
have taken to cricket, but he did on his own and Sachin admits that he didn't really push.
And while he has gone on to do as much as if he's getting in an IPL squad, getting a
bowl now, getting a wicket as well. So he's moving along well. But I'm not so sure about
his long-term cricket career and of course, there will be the cynics who say that he gets
these opportunities easier than others because he's got a Tendulkar name. But he's done well
enough on his own and he is a wonderful young man. So that counts a lot for me. He's very normal
as well. You mentioned you talked to Sachin as well and that's pretty normal. Arjun's a lovely young man.
You know he was a familiar sight often in the cricket nets on the nursery
ground at Lord's because, of course, the Sachin Tendulkar family have an apartment not far
away from Lord's cricket ground when they come to the UK. And so often there would be
this young lad netting and people wouldn't know who he was. But then all of a sudden,
you might have occasionally noticed Sachin wandering by and watching it and people realised
that's a Tendulkar. That's Sachin's son in the nets and on Monday afternoon in the autumn,
you know not even during the cricket season, but good luck to him. He's grown up and he's
in the IPL, so good luck to Arjun. Well, that is all we've got time for on this week's Stumped.
So, my thanks to Brett Sprigg for being with us and to Charu Sharma and to all of you for
listening and we'll see you again next week. Bye for now.