ECB blasted, told 'Pataudi medal an afterthought' to reduce 'Anderson-Tendulkar' damage: 'Invite Sharmila Tagore, Saif'
To reduce the extent of the damage, the ECB introduced the Pataudi medal, but not before Tendulkar himself and the BCCI stepped in to ensure that the Pataudi legacy remained intact. Engineer believes that the newly introduced medal – which will be given to the winning captain – is nothing more than a compensation made to please Pataudi supporters.
Also Read: No disrespect to Anderson-Tendulkar, but renaming the Pataudi Trophy isn't quite cricket
"Well Tiger Pataudi was a great friend of mine. Great colleague of mine. We played a lot of Test cricket. Great heritage, great family. I was most happy when the trophy was named after him back in 2007. On one hand I was very disappointed that the Pataudi name was removed, I would love Tiger's name to go on but instead powers that be decided with Anderson and Sachin who are legends of the game," Engineer told PTI.
"It (introducing Pataudi medal) was obviously an afterthought, they should have announced it in the beginning that would have more credibility but at least they have done something. Common sense has prevailed and hope the Pataudi name always remains."
The series between India and England, played in the UK, was named the Pataudi Trophy in 2007 to mark 75 years of strong cricketing relations between the two nations. The Pataudi name has plenty of significance in India-England cricketing ties: Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son Mansur both captained India, and both played county cricket in England. Engineer himself moved to England in the 1960s and became a beloved figure there, playing for Lancashire at Old Trafford. As for the two names after whom the trophy has been named, Engineer has nothing against either Tendulkar or Anderson and hopes that the least the ECB can do is invite Sharmila Tagore and Saif Ali Khan to present the award. 'Invite Sharmila Tagore and Saif Ali Khan': Engineer to ECB
"The achievements of Tendulkar and Anderson can't be argued against. There are two sides to the story. They have named the medal after Pataudis which is a very thoughtful thing. That must be a second choice to appease a lot of Pataudi supporters of which I am one, but you can't blame them for naming the trophy after Sachin and Anderson," Engineer said.
"The whole issue is debatable but they have kept the name. I hope they invite Sharmila Tagore (Mansur's wife) and his son Saif Ali Khan to present the medal. Last series they didn't do that. Fingers were pointed at ECB for that. Hopefully they give them due credit."
Engineer played 46 Tests and five ODIs for India between 1961 and 1975.
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