Lara and Steve take contrary positions on whether Sachin has displaced Bradman as the greatest batsman in history

Lara and Waugh take contrary positions over world's greatest batsmen

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Lara and Waugh take contrary positions over world's greatest batsmen

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Lara and Steve take contrary positions on whether Sachin has displaced Bradman as the greatest batsman in history

This year's most intense cricket debate, which has traversed all continents and many countries over the past month popped up in the Middle East in the hours leading to the Laureus Awards ceremony, this time with an engaging twist as Brian Lara and Steve Waugh took contrary positions on whether Sachin Tendulkar had displaced Sir Donald Bradman as the greatest batsman in the history of the game.

Lara, who flies to Mumbai today, said a trifle enigmatically before the awards that he was "keen to talk to the people of India" ever since Tendulkar's record breaking one-day double century following which he had been inundated with calls from all over the world on this issue.

Tendulkar's double century, it might be recalled, had triggered off awe, celebrations and the revisionist debate about Bradman across the cricket world with Sunil Gavaskar and Nasser Hussain in the vanguard of the opinion that the Don's exalted status as the Zeus of batting was no longer unimpeachable.

Lara's assent to this point of view could perhaps have been a clincher except that Steve Waugh, the most successful captain in the history of the game, threw in a caveat by closing rank solidly behind the Don.

"I hope India forgives me for this," said Waugh with a laugh, "but for me, Don comes first and then the rest.

Sachin is undoubtedly among the greatest players in history, perhaps the best of the last 25-30 years. But Bradman averages almost 100 and there is nobody within almost 40 runs of that."

Where the Laureus Awards -- considered the Oscars for sport -- is concerned, this debate however remains academic. In its 10th year now, and despite Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Waugh being integral members of the Laureus Academy, cricketers have not been top of the pops. Over the last decade, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher have been multiple winners, while others like soccer stars Ronaldo and teams like LA Lakers have also won.

But cricket stars like Tendulkar, Lara, Murali, Warne, McGrath -- to name a few have never featured. Only the Australian cricket team under Waugh, considered among the greatest of all-time, has won an award. Yet M S Dhoni's side which won the 2007 T20 World Championships against all odds, for instance, was not considered.

Nominations are made by media across the world before the jury swings into action. The fact that very few countries play cricket is a contributing factor. But Kapil Dev feels a change is in the offing, with Tendulkar likely to receive strong nomination support even from non- cricket countries next year for his record-breaking innings and overall brilliance.

"Sachin's a genius and the contemporary game's best brand ambassador. I can see him as a strong contender in 2011," said Kapil Dev. Even so, the impoverishment of Indian sports came through starkly and unless the sphere of excellence and achievement spreads beyond cricket, it will remain so.

This year's prestigious Sportsperson of the Year went to Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt and the winner in the women's section was Serena Williams. The Lifetime Achievement award went to Nawal Al Mutawakel, who had won the 1984 Olympics gold medal in the 400m hurdles race in which P T Usha had finished fourth by a whisker.