Nearly 62,000 international runs and 171 international hundreds and here they were, two of cricket’s greatest batsmen, coming out to open an innings in a Twenty20 match. It was a surreal but compelling moment watching the two bat together: two such different styles of batting, two such different approaches but two such great players.
Ponting had already retired and Tendulkar was a few months from doing so, a combined age of 78 at the time. Neither had ever really set the format on fire but still it was impossible to take your eyes off them. For one, by their very presence together, they provided a sense of gravitas to the occasion. This was genuinely something the commentators could justify hyping up.
In many ways it was what the IPL stood for, to bring together the world’s greatest players, in partnership or opposition.
More gold shone on the occasion when Muttiah Muralitharan came on to bowl the innings fifth over. Tendulkar-Ponting-Murali? Even if it was for just the one over, this was a dream for the league’s marketing team. Tendulkar took charge, smacking a straight drive for four and then clipping the next ball to midwicket for another.
But maybe it would have been better had “Pondulkar”, as they became known, happened a decade earlier, when they were in their prime. They put on 52, but it was at a sedate and underwhelming pace, and it ended with a whimper, a run-out – of all dismissals – a little miscommunication between two greats.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
