What Beckham did for football in the United States, Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar are looking to do the same for cricket in the country.
Warne and Tendulkar's teams will play against each other in a one-of-a-kind All-Star T20 Series starting 7 November, and there will be a total of three T20 matches -- in New York, Houston, and Los Angeles.
Ahead of the start of the spectacular series of matches that are expected to attract at least a billion cricket lovers around the world, Warne and Tendulkar voiced their dreams of cricket becoming as popular in the baseball-loving nation as football is slowly becoming.
Referring to England and Manchester United legend Beckham, who became the first English footballer to play in the MLS (Major League Soccer) by joining LA Galaxy in 2007, Warne said that he and Tendulkar are also looking to contribute to the development of cricket in the US.
Beckham also announced early last year that he will be co-owning a MLS franchise from Miami.
"Soccer wasn't big. David Beckham came over here and suddenly the sport is starting to grow," Warne was quoted by AFP as saying ahead of their first game on Saturday.
"We don't think it's a gamble, we think Americans are ready," the Australian spin legend added.
'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar also seconded Warne and said that he would love to see the US participating in the cricket World Cup some day. Not only that, Tendulkar also hoped that in the near future, they would love to see "an American kid with a cricket bat".
"We're here to establish cricket in America" the 2011 ICC World Cup winner said. "The next time we come here it would be nice to find an American kid with a cricket bat in his hand alongside a baseball bat."
Both Warne and Tendulkar may seem to enjoy camaraderie off-the-field, but once they take to the field for the matches, the legendary rivalry is renewed once more. While Tendulkar is the captain of the 'Sachin's Blasters', Warne is the skipper of 'Warne's Blasters'.
Sourav Ganguly, Wasim Akram, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Courtney Walsh, and other cricket legends are participating in the ICC-sanctioned matches, which will be played at the MLB (Major League Baseball) stadiums in the US.
A part of the proceeds from the game will go to the ICC for the greater development of the sport in the nation.
For the full list of players and the team details, Click HERE.
For the entire schedule of All-Star T20 Series, Click HERE.
