IN PICS| Cricket All Stars: Warne’s Warriors win match, ‘Sachin for President’ read banners

facebook_posts6

New York: Amid a sea of Indian shirts, fluttering Pakistan flags and deafening roars, New York cricket fans turned out in their thousands to watch greats of the game face off against each other on Saturday -- in a baseball stadium.

facebook_posts1

Australian spin king Shane Warne and Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar captained two star-studded teams in a Twenty20 match designed to introduce Americans to what organisers billed as the world's second most popular sport.

But it was the Indian star whom most of the overwhelming South Asian expatriate crowd had come to see. "Sachin, Sachin, Sachin," screamed the stadium in unison, hundreds wearing blue Indian shirts, many with the record-breaking batsman's name emblazoned on the back.

facebook_posts2

"Sachin for President," read one banner.

facebook_posts3

Snacking on hot dogs and nachos, chewing on pretzels and quaffing beer, for many it was the first time in years they had watched live cricket in America, long starved of the sport.

In the first of the three-match series, Warne’s Warriors ran away with a six-wicket win over Sachin’s Blasters at the Citi Filed stadium.

facebook_posts4

Skipper of the Warriors, Warne won the toss and opted to bowl. Leading from the front the veteran Aussie picked up three vital wickets to restrict Tendulkar’s team to 140 for 8 in the stipulated 20 overs.

facebook_posts5

The Blasters got off to a blazing start courtesy Tendulkar (22) and his former Indian teammate Virender Sehwag (55), before Warne earned his bragging rights first dismissing Tendulkar and then subsequently West Indies legend Brian Lara and Indian VVS Laxman, all in a span of four overs. (Photo: Facebook)

After Warne got rid of Tendulkar, former Kiwi tweaker Daniel Vettori proudly added the wicket of Viru to his name.

The scoring rate for the Blasters dipped post the departure of Tendulkar and Sehwag. And the situation dipped further, with the loss of wickets at regular intervals. However, the Blasters managed to pose a credible total of 140 for 8. For the Warriors, Warne and fellow Aussie Andrew Symonds claimed three wickets each.

Coming out to chase, the Warriors lost their opener Matthew Hayden for four runs after the Australian left-hander was caught behind off Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling. (Photo: Facebook) 

The very next ball, South African Jacques Kallis (13) fell short of his crease after a brilliant throw by Muttiah Muralitharan from the deep.

But Kumar Sangakkara and Ricky Ponting managed to salvage the situation and steadied things to put up a decent third wicket partnership of 80 runs.

facebook_posts7

Sangakkara, who was looking good fell on 41, when the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ bounced him out caught in the deep. Muralitharan then sent Symonds, trapped lbw for 1.

South African veteran Jonty Rhodes joined his teammate Ponting at the crease and the situation started to brighten up for the Warriors. The 17^th over from West Indies pacer Curtly Ambrose saw the final nail in the coffin for the Blasters after he conceded 15 runs. (Photo: Facebook)

Rhodes then finished off the game in style by reverse sweeping Tendulkar for a six to register the first win of the All-Stars match.

The three-hour match will be followed by games in Houston on Wednesday and Los Angeles on Saturday.

Warne told reporters 36,000 people had packed into the Citi Field -- home of the New York Mets baseball team -- for the game. "I thought it was fantastic, the atmosphere was amazing," he said.

At the end, the players lapped the pitch, waving and applauding the crowd, which Tendulkar compared to the home crowd at the Mets' World Series.

"The whole idea of Cricket All Stars is that, to try to get as many nations together to celebrate this. It was electrifying,” Tendulkar said.

"The music, crowd, atmosphere -- it was nothing not to like. How could you not enjoy that experience today? It was fantastic," said Warne.

Fans from all backgrounds helped create a party atmosphere.  There were couples with babies, fathers with sons, and youths waving flags of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

There were glamorous women dressed in chic Pakistani shirts and skinny jeans, more sedate married women in dupattas.

All were fixated by the action. Tendulkar's opening stint at the crease saw the concession stands deserted, few willing to waste a second of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Sachin has been my hero growing up so I had to come," said Akriti, who was born in Delhi but has spent more than half her life in America.

She believes Americans could easily embrace cricket, and brought along her enthusiastic American husband Scott as proof. "The fact that we in America don't watch it is kind of sad. Plus there's a lot of time for commercial breaks so everyone can capitalise on it, you know. I think it's great,” she joked.

(Photos: AP)

Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.