8th Annual CEAT International Cricket Rating Awards -Tendulkar And Yuvraj-Kaif Combo Race To Grab The Best Match-Winning Performance Award

October 23, 2003 – Sachin Tendulkar with his 98-run thrilling act against Pakistan at Centurion in the World Cup and Yuvraj-Kaif combo with their heroic performance against Nasser Hussain’s England in the NatWest Triangular Final at Lord’s are in contention to grab the CEAT MAX Best Match-Winning Performance Award. The Award is co named after SET MAX TV channel, who are the offical telecast partners for the CEAT Cricket Awards this year.

A panel of judges, comprising test cricketers Ajit Wadekar, Sanjay Manjrekar and noted journalists Lokendra Pratap Sahi and Ayaz Memon, has nominated two more quality performances for the Ceat Best Match-Winning Performance Award. One is Ashish Nehra’s 6-wicket-haul, which was a shattering experience for England, also in the World Cup and the other is Rahul Dravid (109*) and Sanjay Bangar’s (57*) joint effort against the West Indians at Ahmedabad in 2002-2003.

One of these Herculean performances will be honoured with the Ceat Best Match-winning Performance Award during the star-studded 8th Annual CEAT International Cricket Rating Awards ceremony to be held on October 31, 2003, at Hotel Taj Mahal, Mumbai.

There will be little doubt that all these performances are noteworthy and deserve special mention whenever the saga of glorious moments of Indian cricket will be written. However, there is only one seat at the top and the panel is facing the arduous task of evaluating these performances piece by piece. If Tendulkar essayed that thrilling 98-run knock under tremendous pressure of expectations and in a demanding situation India still needed 100 runs to make the victory possible when he got out. But then he got out to a “throw” from Shoaib Akhtar! If Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Bangar’s effort was commendable it came at home and in more familiar conditions to both of them. If Ashish Nehra’s performance brought India a victory it came in conditions suitable to his style of bowling and England in any case weren’t showing signs of a great outfit then. And if the heroics by Yuvraj-Kaif combo largely brought home the famous victory, Yuvraj did get out before the glorious trophy was pocketed.

While the elite panel of judges is sitting head-to-head to name the best performance simply hold your breath to know who’s performance earns the CEAT MAX Best Match-Winning Performance Award this year.

About CEAT Best Match-Winning Performance Award

CEAT MAX Best Match-Winning Performance Award is a special category and was introduced in 2000-2001. The award is based on nominations by an elite panel of judges comprising veteran test cricketers and noted journalists. The panel nominates such performances, which were largely responsible for bringing home a victory. The CEAT Best Match-Winning Performance Award has been won in the past by V.V.S.Laxman for his classical double century scored against the Australians at Kolkata (2000-2001) and Virender Sehwag for his 69-ball hundred against New Zealand at Sri Lanka in the Triangular Tournament (2001-2002).