Saeed Ajmal recalled that Sachin Tendulkar came running and told him to enjoy the game as it was a charity match and more funds will be collected the longer the match goes.
Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal recalled the interaction he had with Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar during the Rest of the World XI vs MCC in 2014.
Saeed Ajmal Was Told By Sachin Tendulkar To Enjoy The Charity Match Where More Funds Will Be Collected The Longer The Match Goes
It was a charity match in which some of the biggest names of the cricketing worlds were playing. While ROW XI was filled with the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Yuvraj Singh, Shahid Afridi, and Shane Warne, the likes of Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, and Sachin Tendulkar were playing for MCC.
In the first innings, ROW XI went on to bat, and MCC bowler Saeed Ajmal picked up four wickets quickly as ROW XI went five wickets down for 68 at the end of 12 overs.
_1621823139914_1621823152619.jpg "Sachin Tendulkar (L), Saeed Ajmal (R) During 2014 Mcc Charity Match(Ht Collage)")
Saeed Ajmal, in a video interview with Cricket Pakistan, recalled that Sachin Tendulkar came running and told him to enjoy the match as it is a charity match and more funds will be collected the longer the match goes.
“It was an MCC match. It’s supposed to be a friendly match. The players are required to spend some time in the middle because the longer the game goes on, the more funds will be collected. When the match started, I picked up four wickets in four overs,” Ajmal said.
“So, Sachin Tendulkar came running to me and he said, ‘Saeed bhai, you are not supposed to play this match too seriously. This is a charity match. This is for the people who have come here to enjoy, they will have food, drinks. This match has to not get over before 6:30’,” he further added.
“So I told him I was just bowling well to play in a positive way. So he said that ‘I agree with you, but this is a charity match, so funds have to be collected. So enjoy the match, play cricket and have fun’. So that’s what happened,” he signed off.
The Bicentenary Celebration match in July 2014 at the Lord’s created a tremendous buzz in the days leading to it, and rightly so. With teams made up of contemporary players and legends of the previous generation, it gave fans an opportunity to witness some never-seen-before clashes.
Yuvraj Singh And Aaron Finch Score Tons As MCC Defeats Rest Of World
Sachin Tendulkar’s words perhaps did the trick as Yuvraj Singh smashed 132 runs to take ROW XI to 293/7 in the match. As Aaron Finch smashed 181 runs in 145 balls, MCC chased down the total in 45.5 overs with 7 wickets to spare.
Saeed Ajmal ran through the RoW lineup, returning with four wickets from his ten overs. But it wasn’t enough to stop a rampaging Yuvraj Singh set up a counter-attacking 138 which propelled their innings to 293.
In response, Sachin Tendulkar and Aaron Finch set up an opening partnership of more than 100 in less than 16 overs. Sachin Tendulkar rolled back time by playing delightful strokes, but fell victim to another legend, Muttiah Muralitharan, before his half-century. Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul contributed their part, but the bulk of the chase was completed by Aaron Finch, who remained unbeaten on 181.
Rahul Dravid fell for a first-ball duck, Shane Warne never got to bowl (owing to an injury), and Shahid Afridi failed to trouble the scorers, yet the match managed to fill cricketing hearts with the nostalgia of seeing their favourite cricketers play one more time.