Mathew Hayden unhappy over Sachin Tendulkar getting ‘Order of Australia’

Mathew Hayden unhappy over Sachin Tendulkar getting ‘Order of Australia’

Former Australian opening batsman Mathew Hayden has great respect for the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, but feels that the Indian does deserve the prestigious ‘Order of Australia’. He showed serious displeasure over this move, and said that the honour should
be given only to the Australians.

In an interview to an Australian Radio show, Hayden said: "I think the honour should be exclusive to Australians. There are things that are sacred amongst our country. I understand the point that he is an iconic figure. If Sachin was living in Australia
– give him the Prime Minister’s gong I reckon – but the reality of it is he’s living in India."

Aussie Prime Minister Julia Gillard recently announced that the Master Blaster would be honoured. Many Australians questioned this decision, and talked about Tendulkar’s role in the Monkeygate scandal in 2008, which resulted in Harbhajan Singh’s suspension
for racially abusing Andrew Symonds during the Sydney Test.

Gillard, however, has said that the Australians admired the maestro batsman just like the way Indians do. She said: "At the start of this year it was my pleasure to host the Australian and Indian cricket teams at my Sydney residence. The summer was a celebration
of the game and of the ties it has created between our two peoples.”

"And many Australians gathered for what could be their final sight of Sachin Tendulkar in Tests. Tendulkar is almost as widely admired in Australia as he is here in his homeland," she stated.

"We are delighted that he has accepted an honour from the Australian people, Member of the Order of Australia," she added.

Tendulkar has fans all across the world. He is the highest run-getter both in Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket. The star batsman recently completed his century of International tons.

The big man is already a Rajya Sabha MP in India, and will become the second Indian to get the honour after Attorney General Soli Sorabjee – the first sportsperson from the country.

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Posted by Rana Nasir Ghafoor on Oct 19 2012. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry