With 15 players available in each team, both Sachin's Blasters and Warne's Warriors are expected to make a few changes to their squad for the 2nd T20 of the Cricket All Stars.
The first match of the Cricket All Stars went swimmingly well in New York, with the second one in Houston expected to be met with great interest as well.
Warne's Warriors did the job with the ball and bat in the first match, easing past Sachin's Blasters, after Tendulkar's team could not put enough runs on the board.
The middle order seems to be the problem for Sachin's Blasters, with the squad made of too many non-T20-like players. With Sourav Ganguly flying in for the final two matches – he missed the first one – Sachin's Blasters will have a bit more limited-overs pedigree in their lineup.
Along with Ganguly, Graeme Swann, Glenn McGrath and Lance Klusener -- if he is part of the squad, as the South African wasn't seen in the first match in New York -- also sat out the first T20, and all four players could feature in this second T20 match at the Minute Maid Park.
While McGrath is expected to come in for Curtly Ambrose, Swann will also hope to get a look-in. Ganguly might come in for either Laxman or Carl Hooper, with Tendulkar, no doubt, hoping his former India teammate can provide Sachin's Blasters that impetus that was sorely lacking in the last game, once the great man himself and Virender Sehwag got out.
If Klusener, who is the coach of the Dolphins side, currently playing in the Ram Slam T20, is available, he will be a perfect addition to Sachin's Blasters.
While there are plenty of changes afoot in the Sachin's Blasters camp, Warne's Warriors will be in pretty confident mood heading into the second T20.
Warne and Daniel Vettori were the stars with the ball, while Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara ensured the team got home safely. With Matthew Hayden and Jacques Kallis at the top, the batting does look pretty good for Shane Warne's team.
However, this tournament is as much about ensuring all the players in the squad get an opportunity to put on a show for the fans as it is about winning, and, therefore, Michael Vaughan, Saqlain Mushtaq and Ajit Agarkar could also feature.
Vaughan might hope to come in for either Jonty Rhodes, who hit the winning runs in the first T20, or Andrew Symonds, while Ajit Agarkar could replace Courtney Walsh. Saqlain will find it difficult to dislodge the two spinners, though, considering one is the captain himself, while the other is Vettori, who bowled brilliantly in New York.
Expected lineups: Sachin's Blasters: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar (C), Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene, Moin Khan, Shaun Pollock, Graeme Swann, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shoaib Akhtar, Glenn McGrath.
Warne's Warriors: Matthew Hayden, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Jonty Rhodes, Michael Vaughan, Daniel Vettori, Wasim Akram, Ajit Agarkar, Shane Warne (C), Allan Donald.
Prediction: With Sachin's Blasters needing a win, expect Tendulkar's team to come through in a nail-biter. Much will depend on the toss, though, as it does look like it is easier to chase with the un-cricket-like dimensions on these baseball grounds.
