There is a lot of cricket happening currently all around the globe such as India vs South Africa, England vs Pakistan and Sri Lanka vs West Indies. But, the former cricketers are the ones grabbing the attention of the fans.
A number of retired cricketers like Brian Lara, Curtly Ambrose Wasim Akram and Sourav Ganguly are preparing for a three-match T20 series with the first one set to be played on Saturday at Citi Field in New York.
Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar, whose brainchild is the series, have been busy in the US ever since they landed in New York. The two teams captained respectively by Tendulkar and Warne -- Sachin's Blasters and Warne's Warriors -- were also picked on Thursday.
Though the teams were randomly picked, Sachin's Blasters gives an Asian feel with players like Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shoaib Akhtar. While Warne's Warriors provides a foreign touch with players such as Mathew Hayden, Michael Vaughan, Ricky Ponting, Jonty Rhodes, Jacques Kallis and Andrew Symonds.
It remains to be seen who will open for Tendulkar's side. With Ganguly already having thrown the hat in the ring for the opener's slot, will Ganguly and Sachin open or Sehwag and Sachin? But, one will not be surprised if Sachin does not take centre stage and allow Sehwag to open alongside Ganguly.
It is not going to be easy in New York for these former India batsmen with bowlers such as Courtney Walsh, Akram, Donald alongside Warne, who will try to weave their spin magic through. Warne's Warriors also have a powerful batting line-up, which includes Jacques Kallis, Andrew Symonds, Kumar Sangakkara and Matthew Hayden.
Irrespective of the batting positions and the players to be picked for key roles, Tendulkar has made it clear that the series is not going to be taken lightly by any of the players on the field, which makes matters more interesting.
Imagine Tendulkar having a go at Warne. It will remind fans of the past, where the duo was involved in a number of close encounters in their prime. It is such memories, which has made the series extra special.
However, it will be unfair for us to expect too much from these cricketers with some cricketers having retired from the sport a long time ago. They might not entertain the fans as they used to during their prime, but expect them to give it their all as most of these players wer only used to winning.
With such a positive mindset, some of these players were involved in some good practice ahead of the series to make sure that the crowd in the US gets their penny worth in the stadium. All the three T20 matches are going to be played in baseball stadiums in the US where drop-in pitches are going to be used.
Teams: Sachin's Blasters: Sachin Tendulkar (C), Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Brian Lara , Sourav Ganguly, Mahela Jayawardene, Carl Hooper, Moin Khan (wk), Muttiah Muralitharan, Graeme Swann, Shaun Pollock, Curtly Ambrose, Glenn McGrath, Lance Klusener, Shoaib Akhtar.
Warne's Warriors: Shane Warne (C), Mathew Hayden, Michael Vaughan, Ricky Ponting, Jonty Rhodes, Jacques Kallis, Andrew Symonds, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Saqlain Mushtaq, Daniel Vettori, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram, Allan Donald, Ajit Agarkar.
Sachin's Blasters vs Warne's Warriors 1st T20 schedule
Get the Live Stream and Full TV information HERE
Date – 7 November
Time – 1pm ET (11:30pm IST, 7pm BST, 4am AEST)
Venue- Citi Field in New York
TV listings - ESPN 3 (USA), Star Sports (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan), Sky Sports (UK), Nine Network/Gem (Australia) and SuperSport (South Africa)
