Farokh Engineer Dejected Over "Not Receiving Recognition" In India After Old Trafford Stand Is Named After Him
'It is a proud moment not only for me but for India as well. Both Clive and I were talking about it in the morning. We never thought something like this would be done in our honour. God is Great. This makes up for not receiving recognition in my own country,' Engineer told PTI.
Engineer, 87, played the majority of his cricket in Bombay, particularly at the Brabourne Stadium. 'It is a shame that my achievements are not recognised where I played most of my cricket,' he said.
However, Engineer was thankful to the BCCI for presenting him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.
'Lancashire Cricket is delighted to announce that the Club have named a stand at Emirates Old Trafford after Club icons, and Hall of Fame inductees, Sir Clive Lloyd and Farokh Engineer 'The ceremony took place this morning, on Day One of the Fourth Test between England and India, with Sir Clive and Farokh joined by representatives from the Club to unveil the plaque,' said Lancashire Cricket in a statement.
The West Indian legend said it was a privilege for him to share the honour with Engineer.
'I share this honour with Farokh, a great friend and brother, as well as all our teammates, and the Lancashire supporters who stood by me through triumphs and trials.
'Cricket has always been a team game, and my name on this stand reflects all the people who helped me along the way,' he said.
Lloyd, a two-time World Cup winning captain with West Indies, made 219 appearances in first-class cricket for Lancashire between 1968 and 1986. He scored 12,764 runs and claimed 55 wickets.
In List A cricket for the Red Rose, Lloyd scored 8,522 runs added to 60 wickets.
He made a huge contribution to Lancashire's one-day successes and went on to win two One-Day League titles in 1969 and 1970 and four Gillette Cups between 1970 and 1975, with a memorable 126 against Warwickshire in the 1972 final at Lord's.
Lloyd hoped his recognition will stand as an inspiration for future generations of cricketers.
'I am deeply honored and humbled by this recognition. Old Trafford has always held a special place in my heart…and to have a stand named after me at this historic ground is truly one of the special moments of my life.
'What makes this moment so emotional is knowing that young players – from here and around the world – will look up at that stand and maybe feel inspired, just as I once was walking into this ground for the first time,' he added.
India international Engineer was Lancashire's wicketkeeper, playing 175 matches for the county from 1968 to 1976, scoring 5,942 runs, holding 429 catches and claiming 35 stumpings.
Engineer's dashing displays with the bat and his dazzling skills behind the stumps, sparked a golden era at Lancashire who were the undisputed one-day kings in the 1970s.
When Lloyd and Engineer made their Lancashire debuts, the Club had not won a major honour since 1950, but eight years later, having won the Gillette Cup four times in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1975, and the John Player League twice in 1969 and 1970, the duo had raised the bar to a new height.
Both Lloyd and Engineer are Vice-Presidents at Old Trafford and the pair were among the first group of former players to be inducted into the Club's Hall of Fame at a special ceremony held in 2020.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
2 minutes ago
- First Post
'Magnus respects Gukesh, his words are being misinterpreted': Nihal Sarin defends World No. 1 after table slam reaction
In an exclusive chat with Firstpost, Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin reacted to Magnus Carlsen's remarks on Gukesh, and shared his thoughts on India's growing dominance in world chess. He has also qualified for the quarterfinals of the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, representing Team S8UL. read more Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin is making headlines again, this time in the world of esports chess. The 20-year-old has qualified for the quarterfinals of the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after beating France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 1.5-0.5 in the group stages. He has now joined fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi in the knockout rounds. Sarin, who represents Team S8UL, bounced back strongly after losing to Arjun in his opening match on Tuesday, July 29. He went on to defeat Dutch GM Anish Giri 2-0 before his impressive win over Vachier-Lagrave. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In an exclusive chat with Firstpost, Nihal shared his thoughts on a range of topics, including Magnus Carlsen's recent comments, where he downplayed Gukesh's potential, to Carlsen's table slam reaction after losing to the World Champion at Norway Chess earlier this year. On Carlsen's remarks on Gukesh, table-slam reaction & more On Carlsen's remarks about Indian GM Gukesh, Nihal said that the World No. 1 player's words are being misinterpreted and overdramatised. Carlsen had said he was not fully convinced about Gukesh's skills in rapid and blitz formats. He mentioned that Gukesh hasn't really proven himself in those formats, and that he would treat games against him like he is playing a weaker opponent. But after losing to him in the SuperUnited Rapid and blitz tournament, Carlsen changed his stance and acknowledged Gukesh's abilities. 'I feel like Magnus' words are being misinterpreted, and he has said it himself as well. Magnus definitely respects Gukesh. He's an amazing player. Gukesh's results in classical have been significantly better than rapid and blitz. His style is a bit more like that, very precise. In classical, you have much more time to sit and calculate, and rapid-blitz is much more instincts-based. So, I guess Gukesh has trained much more in the calculation way; it's more natural for him. And it's normal. Obviously, he is improving in other formats too. He finished first in Rapid in Zagreb, I believe, ahead of a very strong field including Magnus,' Nihal said. 'I feel Gukesh right now is a bit like how Fabiano Caruana used to be a few years ago. He used to be the one considered weaker in rapid and blitz. In classical, he was a beast. Around lockdown, there was a lot more rapid and blitz, and he just started to adapt, started to take maybe more interest in it, focused a bit more on it, and now he is among the best in those two. I feel Magnus' words are being overdramatised a bit,' he added. Talking about what makes Magnus still such a strong player even today, Nihal said that the Norwegian is like a machine when in good form. 'He's [Magnus] just so good. You could say form is temporary and class is permanent. I kind of know the level, having had some opportunities to face him myself. I have felt that, because when Magnus is playing well, it's like playing against a machine. It's not something you feel against many people.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nihal also reacted to Carlsen's emotional reaction after losing to Gukesh recently, when he banged the table. 'It's not that common and it's not desirable for anyone. No one wants to actively do it. Having been in that kind of position, I totally understand the reaction. Magnus was completely outplaying Gukesh and was winning. When all hope seemed lost, Gukesh started resisting brilliantly, and Magnus, very atypical of him, went a bit astray and it got a bit out of hand, and he ended up losing the game. Having been in a similar position, I completely understand the reaction. Later, I saw Magnus saying in an interview that 'it's like a tennis player smashing a racquet.' So, I don't think it's anything personal.' Nihal congratulates Divya and talks about India's growing dominance Nihal also had praise for India's rising women's chess star Divya Deshmukh, who recently won the FIDE Women's World Cup and became a Grandmaster. 'Massive congrats to her [Divya]. That is a crazy achievement and something incredibly special and historic. In general, I wish her the very best and hope that it's the beginning of many more results to come. I believe that she has just shown a glimpse of what she is capable of.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When asked if India could rule both men's and women's chess at the same time, Nihal sounded hopeful and confident and compared India's position to that of Soviet Union. 'Yeah, definitely and I can also kind of say that it need not be future actually. We are already leading in chess. Like for example, this olympiad was an absolutely standout performance double gold and also in a very dominant fashion. I believe that is already something huge and I definitely hope that it won't be a one-time thing at all. Like a lot of great players, obviously, there are many other strong countries too, but I don't think it's a thing of the far future. It's extremely possible and with the trend I hope it will be how Soviet Union used to be at some point. It's not going to be easy, of course at all but there is potential for sure. I totally believe.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When asked what skill he would borrow from another top player, Nihal replied with admiration for Carlsen again. 'There are many good options to choose from but let's say Magnus' technique in conversion. How he used to convert slightly better positions, it was just something completely extraordinary.'
The Hindu
32 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Divya Deshmukh returns home after historic victory
Chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh on Wednesday (July 30, 2025) received a warm welcome upon her return to India after winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. The 19-year-old from Nagpur achieved the biggest milestone of her career by defeating fellow-Indian Koneru Humpy in the tiebreakers of the World Cup final held in Batumi, Georgia. On her arrival at 2.20pm at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai (CSMIA) airport to take a connecting flight to Nagpur, her hometown, she received a warm welcome from the airport staff. CSMIA spokesperson said, 'Mumbai International Airport had the honour of welcoming home Ms. Divya Deshmukh, the newly crowned FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 Champion. She is the first Indian woman to win this prestigious title. Her arrival was met with warmth and pride, as the airport marked her historic achievement on the global chess arena.' At just 19, Divya etched her name in history by winning the prestigious FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 Champion and securing the esteemed Grandmaster title, becoming India's 88th Grandmaster and only the fourth Indian woman to accomplish this remarkable feat. Her triumph stands as a shining example of India's rising prominence in global chess, and Mumbai International Airport was privileged to celebrate her return. The Maharashtra state cabinet on Tuesday formally congratulated Mr. Deshmukh for her landmark achievement of becoming the youngest winner of the Women's Chess World Cup. The congratulatory resolution was tabled and unanimously passed during the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with other ministers, in attendance. The cabinet praised Ms. Deshmukh's victory as a moment of pride for the state and the nation.
Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- Indian Express
England vs India: Visitors raise red flag after umpires gave 30-overs-old replacement ball after 10 overs at Lord's
India's team management is not happy with the ball-change protocol during the ongoing Test series in England and has conveyed its concerns to the ICC match referee. The management also believes that England got preferential treatment when it came to choosing balls at the start of the crucial third Test of the series at Lord's earlier this month. The Indian Express has learnt that during England's first innings at Lord's, when the second new ball went out of shape after 10 overs, the replacement turned out to be 30-35 overs old. The protocol states the replacement needs to be as old as the original but it is learnt that the umpires told the team there was no ball in stock that was 10 overs old. The Indians feel that since they got a softer and older replacement for a harder ball, which had been swinging and getting seam movement in the first 10 overs, it put them at a disadvantage in the Test that England eventually won by 22 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The fourth Test ended in a tense draw with the last match starting on Thursday. 'At Lord's, after about 10 overs, the Dukes ball lost its shape, something that has been happening so often in the series. The ball failed to pass through the rings that the umpires carry on the field to check if the ball is uniformly spherical. However, the umpires didn't have a ball that was 10 overs old, so the Indian team at a crucial moment of the match got a ball that was 30-35 overs old,' said an Indian team official. 'Check the scoreboard to see how the game changed after that. The bowlers lost their swing and England scored with ease,' the official said. On getting the much older ball, the Indian team management appealed to the match referee to allow them to switch back to the original that had gone out of shape. That's when they were shown the rule book. 'When you ask for a ball change, you aren't told about the age of the replacement you will be getting. At Lord's, we weren't told that the replacement would be 30 to 35 overs old. If we were told, we would have continued with the deformed ball that was used for 10 overs. The ICC needs to intervene. This rule needs to be changed,' he said. At Lord's, before the ball went out of shape, India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was getting it to talk, pocketing three wickets in 14 balls. Bumrah first got England captain Ben Stokes bowled with one that snaked in between bat and pad. After that, Joe Root couldn't read a fast incoming ball that took his bat's edge and shattered the stumps. Following Root, all-rounder Chris Woakes edged his first ball, a swinging delivery that straightened after pitching, to the wicketkeeper. It was at this moment that the ball got changed as also the flow of the Test. 'The second new ball… swung 1.869 degrees and seamed 0.579 degrees on average. The replacement ball swung 0.855 degrees on average and seamed 0.594 degrees,' reported. From wickets falling in clumps, the Indians started to struggle with the benign replacement. The next two batsmen – wicket-keeper Jamie Smith and all-rounder Brydon Carse – enjoyed an easy ride as the replacement ball didn't swing. This helped them compile a late-order game-changing partnership. Smith scored a 56-ball 51 and Carse an 83-ball 56, as the two took the score from 271 for seven to 355 for eight. In a match that India lost by 22 runs, this was a significant partnership. At the end of Day 2, Bumrah's displeasure was evident but he didn't speak on the issue. 'The ball changes, I don't really control that. Obviously, I don't want to lose out on money because I work very hard and play a lot of overs. So, I don't want to say any controversial statements and get my match fees deducted,' he said. According to the Indian team official, there is an urgent need to take a fresh look at the process to pick balls for every Test. According to convention, the fourth umpire, who is from the host country, comes to the dressing room with a box of balls and asks the team to pick two that they will bowl with during the Test. 'The match referee, the neutral chief judge of the Test, is not present,' said the official. During the ongoing series, there have been instances of the fourth umpire coming to the Indian dressing room with a box that had just one ball that had a darker shade of red and the rest pure red. It is said that the balls with darker shade swing more. 'I am not alleging anything but when we asked for the darker ball, we were told that was the ball England had selected as their second new ball,' said the official. He went on to say that the system can easily be manipulated by the home team since there is no involvement of match referees. 'The right thing would be to have this ball selection in the match referee's room and not in the dressing room with the local umpire as the only official present,' he said.
