Published: Nov 08, 2015, 03:35 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 08, 2015, 03:35 PM (IST)
The opening match of the historic Cricket All Stars at the Citi Field, New York, witnessed an abundance of special moments as former cricketers put their skills to the test. The spectacle was energised by the big crowd that graced the event and lent their voice in support to the initiative. The players themselves complimented the occasion with moments of pure magic replete with nostalgia; the cricket on display was far from the best, but it was thrilling nonetheless. Rishad D’Souza brings you the highlights of the epic encounter between Sachin’s Blasters and Warne’s Warriors. Cricket Updates: Sachin’s Blasters vs Warne’s Warriors, Cricket All-Stars 2015, 1st T20
Virender Sehwag’s blazing fifty: Sehwag was sublime in his knock of 55 in his usually brutish way. He smashed everything that was loose right from the first ball, and after he got set he smacked even the relatively better deliveries. The aging bowlers Allan Donald and Courtney Walsh were clueless as to how to curb the dangerous Sehwag. He was given ample assistance by Sachin Tendulkar at the other end, who was more classic in his approach. His fifty came off the 20th ball he faced in the innings. READ: VVS Laxman: Virender Sehwag respected a lot of bowlers, but he never spared them
Warriors’ spinners reign in control: The Tendulkar-Sehwag partnership was supreme, and threatened to take the game away from the Warriors even before they had a clue; but the spinners had other plans. Shane Warne came out on top in his much-anticipated contest with Tendulkar, getting him to mis-time a shot, and was brilliantly caught be Jacques Kallis at mid-off. Tendulkar’s dismissal was followed by the more important wicket of Sehwag in the next over, with Daniel Vettori bowling him through the gate. Suddenly things had turned on their head. Warne was not done yet.
Warne’s magic spell: The wicket of Tendulkar, though huge, was not adequate for Warne. If anything, it only inspired him to bowl better and he picked the wickets of Brian Lara and VVS Laxman in his following overs and the game was firmly reversed in his team’s favour now. His act was well supported by Vettori who did not pick further wickets but did not allow the batsmen any room for run-scoring. READ: Virender Sehwag: Of simplicity, songs, and savage serenity
Andrew Symonds cleans things up: There were still a few quality batsmen in the Sachin’s Blasters line up after the completion of the spells by Warne and Vettori. Someone had to take on the task of going through the rest of the middle order and it was Symonds who put his hand up. He got the wickets of a well-settled Mahela Jayawardene for 18 before dismissing Carl Hooper and Moin Khan cheaply. These wickets consolidated Warne’s Warriors, and the Blasters were restricted to a mere 140 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of eight wickets.
Shoaib Akhtar proves he still has it: Akhtar was in his hey days reputed for his penchant to make batsmen hop with unreal pace and scary bounce. The scenes he produced were not a lot different in the first Cricket All Stars match. He generated copious bounce and had a batsman of the calibre of Kumar Sangakkara hoping. He was responsible for the early dismissal of Matthew Hayden with a short ball aimed at the ribs, which Hayden nicked off his glove to the keeper. In his later spell he accounted for Sangakkara’s wicket too. He also gave Jonty Rhodes a fright with a snorter. The only thing that changed for him was that he did all this with a constant smile on his face.
Ricky Ponting drops anchor: In their chase of 141, the Warriors received a setback with the dismissal of openers Hayden and Jacques Kallis early in the match. Ricky Ponting was a bit rusty early on but he fought through that period to play some signature shot including a hook off Akhtar for six. He was involved in a big partnership with Sangakkara and held fort after the latter’s dismissal. He was left unbeaten on 48 as Jonty Rhodes ht the winning runs at the other end. He may have missed a milestone by two runs but was instrumental in sealing victory for his team. READ: Sachin’s Blasters vs Warne’s Warriors, Cricket All-Stars 2015: The fantasy cricket league we all dreamt about
(Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RDcric on Twitter)
