Sachin Tendulkar vs Shane Warne – the retired version – is all set to take-off as Sachin's Blasters faces the Warne's Warriors in the first T20 of the three-match Cricket All Stars series on Saturday.
The first game at the Citi Field in New York has been met with great anticipation as the legends of the game (and Ajit Agarkar) take the field to try and make the sport of cricket popular in the US.
The buildup has been on for a while, with both Tendulkar and Warne calling each other out, and if these three matches provide anything like the entertainment the two gave all of us when they were at their peak, boy are we in for some fun.
This is not just about fun, though, with every single player taking this tournament pretty seriously, and there is little doubt that once the umpires call play, the competitive juices will return and it will be "all we want to do is to win" time.
The beauty about this All Stars Cricket tournament is that the bowling looks just as exciting as the batting. Yes, T20 cricket is all about the batsmen, but imagine Glenn McGrath, Curtly Ambrose, Shoaib Akhtar and Muttiah Muralitharan in one camp, with Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram, Allan Donald and, of course, Shane Warne in the other.
No matter how good the batting is – and it is good – they are going to be tested by these bowlers, and that is without even mentioning the likes of Graeme Swann, Shaun Pollock, Daniel Vettori and Saqlain Mushtaq, that magical off-spinner, who, for a while, was near unplayable.
That batting is pretty good, though, with Tendulkar leading the way for his team Sachin's Blasters, but ably aided by the equally-good Brian Lara, Virender Sehwag (imagine him batting with little to no pressure – it's going to be a boundary attempt every ball), Mahela Jayawardene, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.
Warne's Warriors will have the two legendary Aussies in Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, with that incomparable all-rounder Jacques Kallis also joining them along with that magic man Kumar Sangakkara, Jonty Rhodes and Andrew Symonds.
However you look at it, even if all these players only play up to 30-50% of their capabilities, there is going to be entertainment, and then some.
Teams: Sachin's Blasters: Sachin Tendulkar (C), Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara , Mahela Jayawardene, VVS Laxman, Carl Hooper, Moin Khan (wk), Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener, Muttiah Muralitharan, Graeme Swann, Curtly Ambrose, Glenn McGrath, Shoaib Akhtar.
Warne's Warriors: Shane Warne (C), Mathew Hayden, Michael Vaughan, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Jonty Rhodes, Andrew Symonds, Daniel Vettori, Saqlain Mushtaq, Wasim Akram, Courtney Walsh, Allan Donald, Ajit Agarkar.
Where to Watch Live
Watch the match highlights HERE
Get the report and score HERE
Sachin's Blasters vs Warne's Warriors 1st T20 is scheduled for an 11 pm IST (12.30 pm local time, 5.30 pm GMT) start. Live coverage of the Cricket All Stars match in India will be on Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports HD3. If that TV ain't working or you are at a Saturday night party, do not fret, because the match will also be shown online via live streaming on Hotstar and Starsports online.
ESPN 3 will show this match in New York between Warne's Warriors and Sachin's Blasters live in the US, while the live stream option is on Watch ESPN. TSN is the place to be to watch all the Cricket All Stars action in Canada, with the live streaming option on TSN TV.
Sky Sports 3 will broadcast the match live in the UK, while the All Stars Cricket 1st T20 can be live streamed on Sky Go. Viewers in Europe can watch Warne's Warriors vs Sachin's Blasters live on ESPN Europe, while the match can also be live streamed on ESPN Player.
Channel 9 will show the match live in Australia, while viewers in South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa can watch all the action live on SuperSport and SuperSport live. Audience in New Zealand can watch the action live on Sky Sport and live online on Sky Go NZ.
OSN Cricket will show the match live in the Middle East and North Africa, while the live stream option is on OSN Play.
