Winner all the way

Sir, — Cycling legend and sportsman par-excellence, Lance Armstrong, signed off his career in style by winning his seventh straight Tour de France title. His exploits in the event, which arguably is the toughest and the most gruelling in sport, put him right up there in the league of sporting icons such as Don Bradman, Muhammad Ali and Pele.

The fact that only a couple of years before winning the first of the seven Tour de France titles he was diagnosed with life-threatening cancer makes his achievements even more commendable. He is a hero in the eyes of millions of people not only for overcoming his opponents with utmost ease but also the way he persistently fought against his physical limitations.

He is a winner in the truest sense. His fighting abilities and never-say-die attitude should serve as an inspiration to all.

Soyuz Chanda, Sivasagar, AssamGreat Tests need more details

Sir, — I am a regular reader of The Sportstar. The series, of ten great tennis matches, published in the magazine this year was very interesting. From July 23 you have started a series on cricket's Great Test Matches, which is also very enjoyable.

However, I have a suggestion to make. Of the space allotted for this feature, half a page is consumed by photographs and another half by the scorecard, leaving very little for description of the Test match.

For the success of this feature, it is absolutely necessary that major events in a Test match be dealt with in detail so that the reader can know and enjoy the interesting episodes of the match.

Therefore, I request you to add an extra page for the feature. This would enable you to narrate important events of the Test in detail.

Awdhesh Kumar Bansal, Saharanpur, UPMagical spell

Sir, — It was a magical spell by Muttiah Muralitharan who claimed eight wickets in the second innings to demolish the West Indies and steer Sri Lanka to victory. The off-spinner has silenced his critics with his determination and hard work. The fact that Murali has returned to his famed wicket-taking ways after a year's layoff due to a shoulder injury speaks of his calibre.

Australia's victory over England in the first Ashes Test was remarkable. All credit should go to Ricky Ponting, who marshalled his resources well and came up with right field placements. Glenn McGrath, who claimed four wickets for three runs in 23 balls, and Shane Warne were instrumental in the Aussie victory.

D. Giridhar, Chennai