Sightscreen too high for Sachin Tendulkar at P Sara Oval
Sachin Tendulkar, the little master who is a mere 5 feet 5 inches high from the ground, has requested for a higher sightscreen for the 3rd Test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 since he had trouble looking up to spot the ball. The Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club authorities took note of this request and have provided a higher sightscreen at the Air Force Flats End of the P Sara Oval, which will host the third Test against Sri Lanka. However, the new sightscreen is shorter than the one at the Press Block End and hosts two permanent advertising billboards, and because of the angle it has created, Sachin does not have a clear view as he had hoped for.
Two days before the match, Sachin was reported to have had a talk with the curator of the ground, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 explained to reporters why Sachin had issues with the height of the sightscreen, “We have requested the screen to be increased in height, because Sachin is quite short and when you have a taller bowler bowling to him at an angle, at times the hand crosses the sight screen. We have requested before the game so that no complications arise later.” Dhoni said.
The game went smoothly. Because of the orders from the match referee, the sightscreen was raised to 15 feet from the ground. The CEO of the Tamil Union, Tone Perera said they had been under pressure from the match referee to raise the height of the sightscreen, and they had done exactly that before the match. Other officials were not happy with the decision to raise the screen as not only was it an inconvenience right before the match but they faced heavy financial losses which resulted from covering the advertisements. The hoardings were advertising a milk company and a bank. The bank also sponsors the club team and according to reports, it was the main source for their revenues.
It is to be noted that the sightscreen has also been at a similar height and angle, and no one until now has complained against it. “If I recall right, this is the first time we are doing such a thing. Only once before was the logo of a sponsor partly covered because Thilan Samaraweera had put in a request during a match,” a senior club member said. The officials realized that the removal of the hoardings would cost them, but Tendulkar, who is a legend, is playing his record Test match and playing conditions need to be perfect.
But Sachin is somewhat a perfectionist when it comes to cricket. He also made similar requests in Mohali and Karachi, in 2005 and 2006 respectively. On the occasion of being crowned the most capped Test player in the world, Sachin was asked about his match preparations and he mentioned the importance of the sightscreen. On a separate occasion, during the SSC Test where Sachin scored a century that undoubtedly turned the match in favour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, Sachin had asked for the advertisements above the sightscreen to be covered.
“I am not saying cricket is simple, but everything around it, if you keep simple, it becomes relatively easy. For that, the pre-match preparation is extremely important. In that factor, I feel I have always been prepared. Sometimes I was able to achieve results, sometimes I wasn't, but my preparations were always there.” Sachin told reporters.
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