Farokh Engineer, a close friend and teammate of the late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, has expressed his disappointment over the way the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) handled the renaming of the India-England Test series trophy.
The trophy, initially named after Pataudi in 2007, was renamed the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ahead of the ongoing five-match series. The change drew criticism from former cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, and Engineer shared the sentiment.
While he acknowledges the legendary status of both Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson, Engineer said, “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.”
He regretted that Pataudi’s name was removed but admitted, “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.”
Afterthought and Efforts to Appease
Engineer believes the ECB introduced the Pataudi Medal as an afterthought in response to criticism and to satisfy supporters of the Pataudi legacy. He remarked, “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 I hope the Pataudi name always remains.” The Pataudi family has a deep connection with both Indian and English cricket, with Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son Mansur both having captained India and played county cricket in England.
Although Engineer acknowledged the immense records of Tendulkar and Anderson, he said, “…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.” Still, he believed it was done 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.”
Respect for Legacy and Views on Bumrah
Engineer hopes the ECB will go further in honouring the Pataudi legacy by involving the family in the presentation. “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.“
With India trailing 0-1 in the series after a loss at Headingley, attention has turned to star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is scheduled to play only three of the five Tests due to workload management. Engineer, however, wants the team to reconsider.
“He is your trump card. He needs to be mothballed as he is far too precious for the Indian team. Hope he plays majority of the games,“ he added. Engineer, who played 46 Tests and five ODIs for India from 1961 to 1975, emphasized Bumrah’s value to the current squad.
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