Sachin Tendulkar is set to add another feather to his already crowded cap as Australian PM Julia Gillard announced ton Tuesday that the iconic cricketer will be conferred the membership of Order of Australia, an honour ‘rarely’ awarded to non-Australians.
Tendulkar, who is currently in South Africa playing in Champions League Twenty20, will become only the second Indian after former attorney general Soli Sorabjee to get the honour. Sorabjee was conferred the award for ‘service to Australia-India bilateral legal relations’ in 2006.
‘Cricket is of course a great bond between Australia and India. We are both cricket-mad nations. I am very pleased that we are going to confer on Sachin Tendulkar, membership of Order of Australia. This is a very special honour that’s very rarely awarded to someone who is not an Australian citizen or an Australian national. The award will be conferred on him by cabinet minister Simon Crean when he visits India,’ Gillard, who is on a visit to India, told reporters..
Tendulkar, however, is not the first non-Australian cricketer to be made an Order of Australia as in 2009, West Indies legend Brian Lara was also made an honorary member for his service to Australia-Caribbean relations by promoting goodwill, friendship and sportsmanship through the sport of cricket.Another West Indies legend, Clive Lloyd, is an Honorary Officer in the Order of Australia, having been conferred the award way back in 1985. Another West Indian, Sir Garfield Sobers, was also made a member of Order of Australia in 2003.
The prime minister was accompanied by several members of the Australian indigenous cricket team, who are in India to play four exhibition matches, during her visit to the cricket clinic organised by Magic Bus, an NGO.
‘I AM PRIVILEGED’
Sachin Tendulkar was elated after it was announced that he will be conferred with Membership of Order of Australia and hoped it would further ‘cement the bond’ between the two countries. ‘I indeed feel privileged and honoured at receiving this recognition,’ Tendulkar said from South Africa where he is representing Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 tournament. ‘I hope that this honour will further cement the bond between the two countries, we both share a unique love for cricket. As an Indian cricketer, I have always enjoyed playing against and in Australia and feel it is one of the great cricketing rivalries, which is pivotal to the health of our game,’ he added.
Tendulkar, who is currently in South Africa playing in Champions League Twenty20, will become only the second Indian after former attorney general Soli Sorabjee to get the honour. Sorabjee was conferred the award for ‘service to Australia-India bilateral legal relations’ in 2006.
‘Cricket is of course a great bond between Australia and India. We are both cricket-mad nations. I am very pleased that we are going to confer on Sachin Tendulkar, membership of Order of Australia. This is a very special honour that’s very rarely awarded to someone who is not an Australian citizen or an Australian national. The award will be conferred on him by cabinet minister Simon Crean when he visits India,’ Gillard, who is on a visit to India, told reporters..
Tendulkar, however, is not the first non-Australian cricketer to be made an Order of Australia as in 2009, West Indies legend Brian Lara was also made an honorary member for his service to Australia-Caribbean relations by promoting goodwill, friendship and sportsmanship through the sport of cricket.Another West Indies legend, Clive Lloyd, is an Honorary Officer in the Order of Australia, having been conferred the award way back in 1985. Another West Indian, Sir Garfield Sobers, was also made a member of Order of Australia in 2003.
The prime minister was accompanied by several members of the Australian indigenous cricket team, who are in India to play four exhibition matches, during her visit to the cricket clinic organised by Magic Bus, an NGO.
‘I AM PRIVILEGED’
Sachin Tendulkar was elated after it was announced that he will be conferred with Membership of Order of Australia and hoped it would further ‘cement the bond’ between the two countries. ‘I indeed feel privileged and honoured at receiving this recognition,’ Tendulkar said from South Africa where he is representing Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 tournament. ‘I hope that this honour will further cement the bond between the two countries, we both share a unique love for cricket. As an Indian cricketer, I have always enjoyed playing against and in Australia and feel it is one of the great cricketing rivalries, which is pivotal to the health of our game,’ he added.