Dom Kureen returns. Guest opinion articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication. Ed
Cricketing God Sachin Tendulkar announced to great fanfare earlier this month that he was to play two final Test matches for India against the West Indies in November before calling it a day.
For the ‘little master’, having blown out forty candles on his cake earlier this year, there is method behind the prolonged farewell, with his final brace of appearances for the men in blue making him the first player to ever gain 200 Test caps.
Jumping the shark
Those who revere him appear torn between unadulterated celebration at the landmark and the perceived selfishness of a fading force continuing to take the place of an up and coming prospect. The diminutive Tendulkar has not managed a five day ton for almost three years, a typically sumptuous 146 against South Africa.
It begs the question: Has Sachin ‘jumped the shark’? His 2010 Indian summer (no pun intended) saw the great man compile 1,562 at an average of 80 runs per innings. By comparison, the past 13 matches have yielded a meagre 549 runs at 26.
One final flourish
The skills have understandably diminished after 24 years of taking on the world’s best bowlers and compiling 100 international centuries, a feat unlikely to ever be replicated.
Now, with 198 appearances and nearly 16,000 runs at the top level under his belt, the Godfather of Indian cricket prepares to conclude things where it all began, at his home ground of Wankhede in Mumbai, surely even the staunchest cynic wouldn’t begrudge him one final flourish.
Those who went on too long
Undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all time, Maradona was a fan favourite during productive spells in Argentina, Spain and Italy. His genius and the ‘hand of God’ were in full force in 1986, carrying his country to World Cup success, with the curly haired virtuoso lifting the Jules Rimet trophy as triumphant captain.
By 1990 the powers were starting to wane, although ‘El Diego’ was still able to assist in another final appearance on the biggest stage, as Argentina were lost their crown to a powerful Germany side.
The drugs don’t work
In 1994, aged 33 he failed a drugs test at the USA World Cup and promptly retired from International football, that should have been the end, but the once dynamic dribbler returned for a second spell at Boca Juniors, gaining weight dramatically and at one point missing six consecutive penalty kicks.
The fans who loved him urged him to retire, which he did, but not before over 30 lethargic appearances in the shirt, much to the chagrin of those who idolised him.
A strange case, as Borg initially arguably went out too early, retiring from tennis at just 26, after becoming disillusioned when John McEnroe ended his five-year winning streak at Wimbledon.
That should have been that, only for the Swedish playboy to return to action in 1991 at the age of 36, replete with his old wooden rackets that had long given way to graphite replacements.
Borg lost all 13 professional matches of his comeback, taking only three sets in total and somewhat damaging his legacy in the process.
Purists will strike that ill-advised phase from the record books and focus on the groundbreaking topspin expertise that secured his five Wimbledon and six French Open titles.
Tyson arrived on the scene as the most exciting inside fighter since Joe Frasier, winning his first 37 fights under the watchful gaze of crooked promoter Don King.
Troubled from the start, a marriage to actress Robyn Givens ended with alleged spousal abuse and the man dubbed ‘Iron Mike’ soon after suffered his first defeat, losing his WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles as he was knocked out by 42-1 underdog, Buster Douglas, in Tokyo.
Worse was to follow, as Tyson was arrested for rape in the summer of 1991 and sentenced to six years behind bars, of which he served three.
Comeback
His comeback started well, as he regained the WBC title, beating pantomime king Frank Bruno. A match was lined up against the massive Evander Holyfield, a puglist who stood almost six inches taller than Tyson and had a far greater reach, it was the beginning of the end.
Tyson lost their first fight comfortably and resorted to taking a chunk of his opponents ear in the re-match, sinking his teeth into Holyfield’s flesh in a manner that would make even Luis Suarez blush.
There were several more fights, but after a brutal battering at the hands of Lennox Lewis, Tyson’s desire deserted him. Picking up the microphone after the sixth round of his bout with clumsy journeyman Kevin McBride, Tyson told those in attendance: “I don’t have the fighting guts any more, I don’t have this in my heart and I don’t want to disrespect the sport by losing to this calibre of fighter.”
Image: ramuarun under CC BY 2.0
Image: Tim Snell under CC BY 2.0
Image: Abelito Roldan under CC BY 2.0
Image: Mad Marlin under CC BY 2.0
