The success stories of legendary cricket players inspire young cricketers to aim high and encourage others to become lifelong fans of the sport. They also help shape the sport’s culture and draw fans from across the globe.
Jordan crossed cultural boundaries that few athletes have done before him. He helped bring together diverse races and started an NBA craze for China and Japan.
Michael Jordan
Jordan was not only a basketball star, but also a cultural trend-setter. He appeared on hundreds of magazine covers as well as launching his own athletic clothing and sneaker brand. He also starred in a live-action/animated film that paired him with Bugs Bunny and helped launch an NBA franchise. And, of course, he won six championships during his career.
Yet Jordan was different from other black superstar athletes who had preceded him, such as Jack Johnson, Arthur Ashe, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali. While they had often been made into racial symbols, Jordan separated himself from the politics of black advancement and focused on safeguarding his economic interests.
His approach was a precursor to how contemporary athletes promote themselves and their brands. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Jordan were the first to emphasize selling individual personalities. But Jordan’s creative team managed his image.
Around the world, this type of sport diplomacy is gaining in popularity. Haresh deol, of Twentytwo13 and Center for International Studies and Diplomacy, notes that the Bulls and Jordan’s brand opened basketball to new audiences throughout Southeast Asia. This increased interest was important in a country with many religious, ethnic and political divides. It also allowed younger kids to aspire towards being like Mike and the rest of his teammates.
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar is the biggest cricket icon that the game has ever known. Tendulkar was a batting genius whose batting was based upon the purest principles, including perfect balance, economy of motion, precision in stroke making, and anticipation, an intangible quality that is only found in great batters. He was the greatest batsman of his or any era, and the most complete cricketer ever.
He was a modest, humble man who had an unquenchable appetite for success. In a career that spanned 24 years, he won hundreds of millions of fans from every community and age group. He earned the moniker ‘Master Blaster’ as he took India to the summit of international bet on cricket , and in so doing transformed himself into a global sports icon.
Throughout his long career, Tendulkar was a symbol of the nation and an ambassador for the world. He defended the integrity of the game against allegations of match-fixing and maintained a squeaky-clean image. He was a national hero, and he inspired unrivaled devotion among young Indians.
For many of his billion-strong fans, it didn’t really matter if he scored 100 or not. Fans of his, like those who worshipped Don Bradman or Muttiah Muralitharan were inclined to see anything less than a century as a failure.
Shane Warne
Shane Warne, better known as “Warnie,” revolutionized cricket thinking with his mastery in leg spin. This art was previously viewed as dying. He combined a relaxed, “two fingers up, and two down” grip, with regular accuracy, and a variety deliveries, including the flipper. He was the top wicket taker for Australia’s New Zealand tour in 1993.
In addition to his success as a cricketer, his contemporaneous Pakistani colleague Wasim akram also helped spin gain a foothold internationally and gave cricket audiences an alternative to fast-bowling. When he passed 300 Test wickets in the summer of 1998, the English newspaper The Guardian declared that “cricket fans know they are in the presence of true greatness.”
After retiring from playing, Warne stayed active in cricket and became a television commentator for Channel Nine in Australia. He is also an active charity worker and has endorsed many products. He was named in Richie Benaud’s Greatest XI and is an honorary member of Marylebone Cricket Club in London. In 2008, Warne captained a rag-tag Rajasthan Royals team in the inaugural Indian Premier League and led them to victory. He has returned to the field several times, including in 2010 for an ODI match against England. Warne also hosted a talk show and did promotional work for hair-loss recovery products. This was banned by Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority.
Waseem Akram
One of the fastest and most skilful left-arm fast bowlers to have ever played the game, Akram was an unstoppable force in international cricket. The left-hander, who has 502 ODI wickets to his name, is widely regarded by many as the greatest ODI wicket-taker. He was a powerful batsman who scored a number impressive Test and ODI hundreds.
However, the match-fixing scandals of the 1990s blunted Akram’s edge and dimmed his lustre. The bowler was unable to replicate his earlier success and struggled with injuries. He retired after the 2003 World Cup, and briefly joined Hampshire.
Akram was accused by the English media of ball tampering during his stay in England. However, no video evidence was found and he was cleared of any wrongdoing. He was able get prodigious movements off both old and new balls, making him an intimidating prospect for batsmen all over the world.
He was the natural successor to Imran as Pakistan’s skipper, but the controversial appointments of Ramiz Raja & Saleem Malik prevented his permanent appointment. He believes this is the main reason why they have not won a World Cup since 1992.
