Re: Sachin Tendulkar
'Match-winner' is the key word. The reason why Miandad, Inzimam, Imran, Wasim and others were great. Every team needs one and they want their best player to be just that - a match winner. Doesn't matter if his career stats are diddly squat, as long as he can win the game for his team, everything is good. The reason Sachin Tendulkar gets so much criticsized is because he is not a 'match-winner' like Inzi. Sachin had great ODI and Test matches, the problem is India never won those games, the best they drew thus negating his efforts.
If Sachin had played 10 great Test knocks in the past, India managed to win only two of them and one of those wins would be against a medicore team. You can't deny his talent, efforts and what he has done for his team. Tendulkar can't make all of the runs, just like Inzimam can't win all games for Pakistan. Pakistan is lucky because whenever Inzi plays well, we win. Lately he has lost his touch in the ODI's because of back and his own laziness but in Test, he is the best.
I think, in the end, Ricky Pointing will surpass both Inzi and Sachin. Rarely injured, Pointing won two World Cups including one where he lead his side as a captain and played a brillant inngs in the final. Great player in ODI and Test, even better captain and a match winner.