MCC president Fred Oldfield considers honoring Sachin Tendulkar with honorary cricket membership

Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) president Fred Oldfield on Saturday reflected on cricket great Sachin Tendulkar being awarded honorary cricket membership of the MCC. Oldfield confirmed that Tendulkar had accepted membership. He said he couldn't be happier that the former cricketer is part of the esteemed group. Earlier on Friday, the MCC honored India batting great Sachin Tendulkar with Honorary Cricket Membership for his contribution to the game during his playing days. Speaking to ANI, Oldfield said that the MCC awards honorary life membership to cricketers who have made outstanding contributions to cricket.

“The Melbourne Cricket Club has, on occasions, conferred Honorary Life Membership on cricketers who have made outstanding contributions to cricket not only for the country but for the world. Recently, we invited Sachin Tendulkar to join that group. “And he has accepted it. We couldn't be happier that he is part of that esteemed group,” Oldfield told ANI.

According to the MCC official website, Melbourne Cricket Club was founded on 15 November 1983 by Frederick Powlett, Robert Russell, George B. Smith and brothers Alfred and Charles Mundy.

Talking about Tendulkar, the 'Master Blaster' is celebrated for his unique skills and mastery in cricket, who entertained fans across the world from 1989 to 2013. The Maharashtra-born player made his Test debut on 15 November 1989 at the age of 16. On 18 December the same year, he played his first ODI.

With 34,357 runs in 664 international matches at an average of 48.52, Tendulkar remains the leading run-scorer in international cricket. He has 100 centuries and 164 half-centuries to his name, which are unmatched records in the history of the game. Tendulkar was the first cricketer to score a double century in ODIs and played a record 200 Test matches.

In ODIs, he scored 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83, which included 49 centuries and 96 half-centuries. In Tests, he scored 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78, which included 51 centuries and 68 fifties. Tendulkar was also a part of India's ICC Cricket World Cup-winning team in 2011, fulfilling a lifelong dream of his since his World Cup debut in 1992.

From 2008 to 2013, Tendulkar represented Mumbai Indians in the IPL and won the tournament in 2013.