British PM suggests knighthood for Tendulkar

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday suggested that India's record-smashing batsman Sachin Tendulkar be considered for knighthood for his rich contribution to the game.

"Sachin is one of the great cricketers in the world. It's not for me to decide honours in our country. It is a matter for an independent honours committee," Brown said.

"But I'm sure the people recognise that just like Sir Don Bradman and others who were awarded honours as honorary knighthood for the work they did for cricket, there is of course a strong case for reward."

The 34-year-old Tendulkar, currently in Australia for a Test series, has so far scored 11,616 runs in 145 Tests with a world-record 38 centuries since making his debut in 1989. He is also the world's leading batsman in one-day internationals, with 15,962 runs in 407 matches with a record 41 hundreds.

Brown also congratulated the Indian team on their victory in the third Test at Perth on Saturday, which ended Australia's record-equalling 16-match winning streak. "I applauded the Indian cricket team for their great success against Australia. I think Australia had won 16 matches in a row before the Indian victory in the past few days," he said.

Anil Kumble's squad are currently trailing 2-1 in the four-Test series, with the final match starting in Adelaide on Thursday. India will then play a triangular one-day series, also featuring World Cup runners-up Sri Lanka.

NEW DELHI, Tuesday, AFP