The first match of the Cricket All Stars was everything and more we expected it to be, and there is plenty more excitement in store when Sachin's Blasters targets that bounce-back against Warne's Warriors in the 2nd T20 in Houston on Wednesday.
Warne himself was the main man in the first match in New York, picking up three wickets, including the one of his Cricket All Stars partner Sachin Tendulkar. Had it not been for Warne and Daniel Vettori, Sachin's Blasters, batting first, would have posted a big score, which might have eventually proved to be a target too tall to chase.
However, Warne showed he has lost very little of that leg-spin prowess which made him the lethal bowler that he was, while Vettori did what he does best – keep the runs down and pick up crucial wickets.
In Houston, the onus will be on Sachin's Blasters to make the running. They must win this match at the Minute Maid Park in Texas to keep the Cricket All Stars Series, going into the final game in LA, alive.
There were positive signs for Sachin's Blasters in the first T20, with Virender Sehwag smashing sixes at will, while Shoaib Akhtar showed he has plenty of venom still left in that bowling arm of his. The inclusion of Glenn McGrath and Sourav Ganguly, who will fly in for the final two matches, should help, while Graeme Swann and Lance Klusener will fancy a crack as well.
While Warne's Warriors will not want to change their team around too much, this is after all not about just winning, so expect the rested players from the first T20 to get an opportunity this time around.
The key players, though, will be Warne, Vettori, Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara, with the latter two putting on a vital partnership which saw the team eventually ease to the 141-run target.
It was obvious the moment the players stepped onto that field, those competitive juices came pumping in again, and while that does help in making this All Stars Series an even better spectacle, the key aspect remains entertainment – ensuring the new crowds in the US get to watch some of the greatest players to have ever played this sport.
So, roll on the second T20, Houston is ready for lift-off.
Cricket All Stars 2nd T20 schedule: Sachin's Blasters vs Warne's Warriors.
Get the Team News and Lineups for the second T20 match HERE
Get the story on Sachin and Lara HERE
Date: Wednesday, 11 November.
Time: 8 pm local time (9 pm ET, 2 am GMT, 7.30 am IST, 1 pm AEDT). Note: The final three timings are on Thursday, owing to the time difference.
Venue: Minute Maid Park in Houston.
TV listings: India: Stars Sports 2 and Star Sports HD2. USA: ESPN 3. Canada: TSN. UK: Sky Sports 2. Rest of Europe: ESPN. Australia: Channel 9. New Zealand: Sky Sport. Middle East and North Africa: OSN Cricket. South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: SuperSport.
