A photograph of Sachin Tendulkar in his final Test appearance in Mumbai, taken by Mid-Day Media photographer Atul Kamble, has been named the 2013 Wisden – MCC Cricket Photograph of the Year.
The winning photograph, taken by Atul Kamble.
The photograph shows Tendulkar about to walk out for his last innings in the second Test match against West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in November facing adoring fans. It’s worth noting how many of these fans are taking pictures with camera-phones, confirming a shift towards these devices as the primary choice for take-everywhere snapshooting.
The judging panel, made up of Chris Smith, Patrick Eagar, Nigel Davies, Eileen Langsley and Hugh Routledge chose Kamble’s image from a shortlist of 11 after choosing from nearly 500 entries submitted by both professional and amateur photographers from around the world. The panel also named two runners up. South African Shaun Roy, a professional photographer, captured the moment Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli was hit in the face as he dropped a catch in the Indian Premier League match against Kings XI Punjab. Md. Khalid Rayhan Shawon, an amateur photographer from Bangladesh, was the second runner-up after impressing the judges with his image of children playing cricket under the Shahjalal International Airport flight path in Dhaka.
The winner and two runners up are featured in the 2014 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, and the eleven shortlisted photos will be displayed at Lord’s this season.
First prize is £1,000, both runners up are awarded £750 each and the other eight shortlisted entrants £150. A gallery of all eleven shortlisted photos can be viewed at www.lords.org/photooftheyear.
