ECB ordered by BCCI to honour Pataudi after scrapping the name from England-India series

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently made a big change by renaming the historic England vs India Test series. The upcoming five-match Test series between India and England will no longer be called the Pataudi Trophy, and this comes into effect this year.

Now, the historic England vs India Test series will be known as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, paying tribute to legendary English fast bowler James Anderson and India’s iconic batter Sachin Tendulkar. This move has sparked mixed reactions from cricket fans and experts around the world.

ECB renames Pataudi Trophy as Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

Many feel it’s a fitting tribute to two modern-day legends, James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar, while others are upset with the England and Wales Cricket Board that they are dropping the name of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, one of India’s most respected former captains.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reacted to the matter ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series between the two teams, starting on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds. In order to ensure that Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s legacy is not forgotten, the BCCI has requested the ECB to name one of the individual awards in the Test series after Pataudi.

BCCI requests ECB to keep Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's legacy alive

This could be an award for the best player or a special performance category, keeping Pataudi’s name alive in some form. However, a BCCI official has said that the decision to name the Test series is entirely up to the England cricket board, as it's their home series, and now they are awaiting a response to their request.

A BCCI official was quoted as saying by The Indian Express, “It’s the ECB who decides on whom they want to name their series. The BCCI has no role in it as it’s their home series. We have requested them to name one of the post-match trophies after Pataudi, and they will revert to us.”

Read Also: MCC bans 'bunny hop' catches in major boundary rule change; ICC set to integrate

Earlier this year, the ECB decided to drop Pataudi’s name from the Test series but didn’t give any official reason. However, they did inform his son and Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan about the decision in April.

ECB joins trend of honoring legends with renamed Test series

The ECB’s decision follows a growing trend of naming cricket series after legendary players. The historic Wisden Trophy, which has been played between England and the West Indies since 1963, was renamed the Richards-Botham Trophy in 2020, honoring Viv Richards and Ian Botham after both the England board and Cricket West Indies agreed to it.

And then, the Test series between England and New Zealand is now played for the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, named after Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe. India’s well-known Test rivalry with Australia is played for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, named after Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar, since 1996.

Notably, the Pataudi Trophy was introduced in 2007 to celebrate India’s 75th anniversary of their first Test in 1932. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi became India’s youngest Test captain at just 21, and his father, Iftikhar Ali Khan, had the rare honor of playing for both England and India.

Read Also: England women's squad for T20I series against India announced, Sophie Ecclestone returns