Mid-Day Opinion: Ever thought about lensman Eagar?

Specialist cricket photographer Patrick Eagar working on the boundary edge during the first Test match between England and South Africa at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, on July 11, 2008. Pic/Philip Brown

Sourav Ganguly, Kevin Pietersen, and Anjum Chopra were recently inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame. Ganguly and Chopra thus joined Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vinoo Mankad, Diana Edulji, Virender Sehwag, Neetu David, and MS Dhoni. In all, there are now 13 Indians in the Hall of Fame, including Mankad, who was honoured posthumously in 2021.

One wonders whether those responsible for selecting ICC Hall of Fame inductees considered honouring the late Polly Umrigar during his birth centenary year. Be that as it may, the ICC would do well to broaden the Hall's scope and recognise members of the media and others like umpires who have rendered yeoman service to the game.

Cricket can emulate tennis in this regard. The International Tennis Hall of Fame has a Contributor category that honours writers, broadcasters and authors. When Vijay Amritraj and Leander Paes were announced as 2024 inductees, veteran tennis writer Richard Evans was honoured alongside them. Steve Flink, biographer of Pete Sampras, was inducted in 2017, while the colourful broadcaster and journalist Bud Collins entered the Hall in 1994. John McEnroe once said in a tribute, "Thank you, Bud Collins, for loving tennis."

If the ICC ever decides to broaden its canvas, Patrick Eagar, the renowned English cricket photographer, would be among the first names many cricketing greats would endorse.

Now in his early 80s and long retired, Eagar travelled the cricketing world for decades, producing still and action photographs that defined an era. Almost every major cricket publication carried Patrick Eagar images. Importantly, he never confined himself to England assignments.

When Ian Chappell's Australians toured the West Indies in 1973, Eagar headed to the Caribbean. The 1975-76 West Indies tour of Australia - widely billed as the unofficial world championship of cricket - took him back Down Under after the 1974-75 Ashes. During India's historic 1978-79 tour of Pakistan, the first series between the neighbours since 1960-61, much of the available photography appeared sketchy and uninspiring. Eagar's images, by contrast, stood apart for their quality and artistry.

When the BSI World Masters tournament was staged at the Brabourne Stadium in 1995, Eagar did not want to miss the opportunity to reunite with and photograph many of the international stars who had lit up the game during the 1970s and 1980s. Among his favourite subjects was West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge - not merely because Greenidge represented Hampshire, Eagar's home county, but because he believed the hard-hitting batsman was "slightly underrated." As Eagar put it, "He never really got the acclaim he deserved."

His remarkable eye is perhaps best reflected in Test Decade 1972-1982. In the book's introduction, Eagar offered a memorable insight into the craft of sports photography: "Photographers do not get a second chance. The good action photograph is the product of an instant; the instant missed is a photograph gone for ever. Our colleagues with the typewriters do, on a moment-to-moment basis, get second chances. A powerful lobby group, some years ago they successfully applied for television sets in the press box. The television instant replay gives aid and comfort for those who have their heads down at the typewriter, or who are unfavourably positioned to see the nuances of a particular stroke or dismissal."

I had the good fortune of interviewing Eagar in 1995. When I met him again during the Lord's Test in 2011, he had covered no fewer than 300 Test matches. During our first interaction, Eagar told me he had already worked at 190 Tests, including every Ashes series from 1972 to 1993. Imagine the number of unforgettable bowling actions, majestic strokes and defining cricketing moments his camera preserved for posterity.

Besides producing pictorial books on England's home seasons - Summer to Remember (1981), Summer of the All-rounder (1982), Kiwis and Indians (1983), An Australian Summer (1985), Summer of Suspense (1986) and West Indian Summer (1988) - the work that drew particular critical acclaim was An Eye for Cricket, which he co-authored with the legendary commentator John Arlott.

During my interview, I discovered that he derived immense satisfaction from presenting players with photographs commemorating their milestones. "I give them the picture if it's their first or 100th wicket or whatever," he told me. "It's a big moment for them and they are going to remember that all their life."

Eagar has captured a lifetime of cricketing memories through his lens. He has received numerous honours over the years. In 2007, he was invited to ring the famous Lord's bell to signal the start of play on the fifth day of the India-England Test. He has every reason to cherish those memories. Yet, if the ICC were ever to recognise the game's chroniclers alongside its players, making Eagar the first living non-cricketer to enter the ICC Hall of Fame would be a fitting tribute - and the crowning jewel of a remarkable career.

mid-day's Deputy Editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance.
He tweets @ClaytonMurzello. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.