At the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara were honoured with gates featuring their names. The gates, which are situated between the Noble Bradman Messenger Stand and the away dressing room in the member’s pavilion, will be used by visiting players to get onto the pitch.
In honour of Tendulkar’s 50th birthday and the 30th anniversary of Lara’s 277 at the SCG, his first Test century, the gates were unveiled on April 24, 2023, and were given the names Tendulkar and Lara. The gates join those named after famous cricketers from New South Wales and Australia, such as the Donald Bradman, Alan Davidson, and Arthur Morris gates.
The first non-Australian cricketers to be presented with a set of gates at the SCG are Tendulkar and Lara, who both have stands and stadiums named in their honour at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and Trinidad, respectively.
“The Sydney Cricket Ground has been my favourite ground away from India,” Tendulkar said in the statement. “I have had some great memories at the SCG right from my first tour of Australia in 1991-92. It is a great honour to have the gates used by all visiting cricketers to access the field of play at the SCG named after me and my good friend Brian.”
“I’m deeply honoured to be recognised at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as I’m sure Sachin is. The ground holds many special memories for me and my family and I always enjoy visiting whenever I’m in Australia,” Brian Lara said.
Sachin Tendulkar’s record at Sydney Cricket Ground
Sachin Tendulkar’s performances at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) have been exceptional, with a total of 785 runs, including three centuries, in the five test matches he played there. One of his notable innings was his unbeaten 241 in January 2004. In contrast, Brian Lara played four Test matches at SCG and only scored a total of 277 runs.
Recently, the gates at SCG were inaugurated by SCG & Venues NSW Chairman Rod McGeoch AO, CEO Kerrie Mather, and Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley. The Don Bradman Gates are used by the Australian cricket team to enter the field, while the Lara-Tendulkar Gates are now utilized by away teams.
Kerrie Mather, CEO of SCG & Venues NSW, expressed admiration for Sachin Tendulkar’s impressive record at the SCG, while also acknowledging Brian Lara’s remarkable maiden Test century, which remains one of the most celebrated innings by a visiting player. Both players have a deep affection for the SCG and are immensely popular whenever they visit Sydney.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley stated that recognizing Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as two legends of the international game with exceptional records at the SCG is a fitting and timely gesture, particularly as the cricketing world celebrated Sachin Tendulkar’s 50th birthday.
In the upcoming annual New Year’s Test held in Sydney, the Pakistan cricket team will be the first touring team to play, and they are expected to be the first away team to walk through the gates early next year.
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