ECB halts Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy announcement in solidarity with lives lost in Ahmedabad plane crash

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has halted the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy announcement in solidarity with the lives lost in the infamous London-bound Air India airplane crash in Ahmedabad. The grand renaming of the bilateral series has been postponed to pay respect to 241 passengers who passed away in the tragic incident, 53 of which were British nationals. The revised schedule for the announcement of the trophy has not yet been revealed.

The renaming of the Pataudi Trophy to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was scheduled to take place on June 14, Saturday. The event, which was set to take place at the Lord's, has been postponed after a joint agreement between both the boards. A flexible date is being discussed as an alternative for the event by the participating administrations.

"Given the tragic events in India, the announcement may wait a while out of respect (for the lives lost). The BCCI is still deciding on the right time for the announcement. The announcement had been kept flexible due to the tragedy," an ECB official said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

There is a confirmed plan to retain Pataudi link in the series: ECB

Of 242 people who boarded the flight, 241 passed away, including some students from a nearby medical college, which witnessed the plane crash. It is being regarded as one of the worst aviation disasters in the history. The number of casualties among the students in the medical college building where the aircraft crash landed has not been confirmed yet.

"Yes, there is a confirmed plan to retain the Pataudi link in the England-India series," the official added in their statement. As per Cricbuzz, the winning captain is likely to get a medallion, which could be named after Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Jay Shah and Sachin Tendulkar are among those who wished for the continuation of the departed legend's legacy.

A controversy has erupted following the ECB's decision to rename the Pataudi Trophy to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The members of the Pataudi Family and Sunil Gavaskar have raised concerns over the legacy of the former Indian captain. Hence, the board has reportedly decided to keep the Pataudi link in the marquee series.