Hayden believes the honour should only be bestowed upon Australians. -Photo by AP

Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden is not pleased that India's batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar is going to receive an Order of Australia Medal.

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that Tendulkar deserved the “special honour” because he was a “very special cricketer”.

“Cricket is of course a great bond between Australia and India. We are both cricket-mad nations,” she said.

“I am very pleased that we are going to confer on Sachin Tendulkar the membership of the Order of Australia.

“This is a very special honour very rarely awarded to someone who is not an Australian citizen or an Australian national.”

However, Hayden believes the honour should only be bestowed upon Australians.

"The reality of it is he's living in India. I can kind of get their point, but for me I think it should be exclusive to Australians," Hayden told Triple M's Rush Hour show.

The former cricketer also blasted England's James Anderson, saying that he was a "B-grade" bowler.

"In reality James Anderson was a B-grade bowler that got his arse whipped by Australia that many times it's not even funny," Hayden said.

His remarks were in response to an incident described in Anderson's autobiography in which the fast bowler said he had hit Michael Clarke with a batsman's pad, encouraged by Damien Martyn.

Opinion

Editorial

Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...
Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...