Mid-Day Opinion: Ever thought about lensman Eagar?

Sourav Ganguly Kevin Pietersen and Anjum Chopra were recently inducted into the International Cricket Councilrsquos 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 2021One 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 Hallrsquos scope and recognise members of the media and others like umpires who have rendered yeoman service to the gameCricket 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 ldquoThank you Bud Collins for loving tennisrdquoIf 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 endorseNow 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 assignmentsWhen Ian Chappellrsquos Australians toured the West Indies in 1973 Eagar headed to the Caribbean The 197576 West Indies tour of Australia mdashwidely billed as the unofficial world championship of cricket mdash took him back Down Under after the 197475 Ashes During Indiarsquos historic 197879 tour of Pakistan the first series between the neighbours since 196061 much of the available photography appeared sketchy and uninspiring Eagarrsquos images by contrast stood apart for their quality and artistryWhen 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 mdash not merely because Greenidge represented Hampshire Eagarrsquos home county but because he believed the hardhitting batsman was ldquoslightly underratedrdquo As Eagar put it ldquoHe never really got the acclaim he deservedrdquoHis remarkable eye is perhaps best reflected in Test Decade 19721982 In the bookrsquos introduction Eagar offered a memorable insight into the craft of sports photography ldquoPhotographers 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 momenttomoment 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 dismissalrdquoI had the good fortune of interviewing Eagar in 1995 When I met him again during the Lordrsquos 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 posterityBesides producing pictorial books on Englandrsquos home seasons mdash Summer to Remember 1981 Summer of the Allrounder 1982 Kiwis and Indians 1983 An Australian Summer 1985 Summer of Suspense 1986 and West Indian Summer 1988 mdash the work that drew particular critical acclaim was An Eye for Cricket which he coauthored with the legendary commentator John ArlottDuring my interview I discovered that he derived immense satisfaction from presenting players with photographs commemorating their milestones ldquoI give them the picture if itrsquos their first or 100th wicket or whateverrdquo he told me ldquoItrsquos a big moment for them and they are going to remember that all their liferdquoEagar 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 Lordrsquos bell to signal the start of play on the fifth day of the IndiaEngland Test He has every reason to cherish those memories Yet if the ICC were ever to recognise the gamersquos chroniclers alongside its players making Eagar the first living noncricketer to enter the ICC Hall of Fame would be a fitting tribute mdash and the crowning jewel of a remarkable careermiddayrsquos Deputy Editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stanceHe tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper