WE salute Tanni Grey-Thompson. Finishing third in the BBC TV Sports Personality of the Year awards was a fantastic achievement.

For the wheelchair-bound athlete to finish ahead of super-rich superstars Lennox Lewis and David Beckham highlights how her remarkable gold medal haul in the Sydney Paralympics captured the attention of the nation.

It was a great pity that an oversight by the BBC denied her the chance to share centre stage with great Olympians Steve Redgrave and Denise Lewis.

But we must not rush to condemn the BBC. Like Tanni we acknowledge the BBC's leading role in raising the profile of disabled athletes. She owes much of her fame and public recognition to the BBC's commitment to coverage of the Paralympics and similar events.

By devoting a special section in Sunday's Sport Review of the Year to the Paralymics, the BBC clearly demonstrated the great progress made in celebrating the achievements of disabled sportsmen and women.

But failing to provide the facilities to allow Tanni to accept her trophy on the podium showed there is still more progress to be made.

ENGLAND'S nail-biting win in the gathering gloom of Karachi showed what a wonderful game cricket can be.

It showed how quickly fortunes can change in sport. At mid-afternoon yesterday no one would bet against a draw. But by dusk, England had pulled off an historic victory, their first in Pakistan since 1961.

At this time last year England's reputation as a cricketing nation was at its lowest. But yesterday reputations were restored.

This year England have won six out of 12 Test matches, winning three successive series on the way.

But the true test of England's recovery will come next summer when we take on Australia, the finest cricket nation in the world.

We dare not hope for Ashes glory. But we dare hope for some success in a keenly-fought series.

Above all else we hope that the image of cricket is restored, and that England's return to winning ways will rekindle interest in the great game among a new generation of youngsters.