Armed with a group of grizzled veterans and retired greats reminiscent of an Eagles tour, Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar have turned into cricket evangelists, playing a series of exhibition matches in the baseball-loving United States of America.
Following a media blitz and a social media campaign channeling the 80s classic ‘Coming to America’, I was left to wonder if Sachin is playing Eddie Murphy, and whether that makes Warney Arsenio Hall? If so, can we expect our Shane to soon be hosting a mediocre talk show before fading to obscurity in coming years? One can only hope.
Back to the ‘All Stars’ tour, I have a few thoughts after watching the first game. While it is clearly evident that Glenn McGrath was ‘rested’ from the opening fixture after eating his bodyweight in bagels, is this whole experience particularly flattering for the players or the game itself?
A photo posted by Shane Warne (@shanewarne23) on
My terrifying memories of Courtenay Walsh and Curtly Ambrose were immediately sullied by the combination of Courtney’s post-retirement girth and Curtly’s post-retirement hairstyle.
While Warney seems determined to appear slightly less lifelike than his Madame Tassaud’s replica, most other players have let themselves go with gusto.
It is difficult to know what to make of the whole circus. While a lot of the crowd appeared to have family ties to the subcontinent, one wonders how much of an impression the three matches will make on the broader population.
There is no harm in the whole spectacle, although such games usually feature ‘Johnny Walker’ in their title somewhere when played in Australia.
Perhaps the whole thing is a precursor to exhibition games featuring current players in coming years. After all, apparently the US has the same number of cricketers as New Zealand, which means we can expect them to face Australia in a series of one-sided matches some time in the next twenty years.
One final thought on the first game. I am quietly hoping Alan Wilkins is actually a cyborg, sent from the future to rescue cricket in the United States. Either that, or he is a tremendous ambassador for the progress of cryogenics in recent years. I am quietly hoping the boffins at Channel Nine bring him on board to replace Mark Nicholas next summer.
Wilkins’ leadership of the commentary team was exemplary, and it was a welcome relief to watch several hours of cricket without a single player being referred to as a unit. Well played, team. Well played.
A photo posted by Shane Warne (@shanewarne23) on
A photo posted by Shane Warne (@shanewarne23) on
Kebabistani
Guest
Why doesn't USA and Canada join up the West Indies? It will allow the Windies access to larger audiences and more stable finances as well as given USA and Canada players a pathway to top level cricket. There are already 10 or more nations as a part of the West Indies cricket federation so it is not exactly a national team in the first place.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
It's certainly an untapped market. Could be a cash cow if it's well managed.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Must be millions of Indians, Paks and Bangers in the USA. 20/20 could easily take off. Or at least be a viable market.
Perry Bridge
Guest
It was all a bit of fun - hard to say whether many 'Americans' got dragged along by their cricketing world ex-pat friends.
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Security also appeared to be focused on keeping him away from the boundary reporter...
Jason Hosken
Roar Guru
Few Indian fans had the laser pointed his way...
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
I didn't see any sign of a speed gun, but it's tough to gauge whether the pace was all that impressive, or the ageing reflexes of opposition batsmen played a role!
Red Kev
Roar Guru
Did anyone have a speed gun on Ahktar?
Daniel Gray
Roar Guru
Took awhile to register with me that they were actually talking about the game, rather than their careers or pizza preferences. Having Warne on the ground instead of the commentary box always helps on that front. The fans certainly loved the Sehwag/Tendulkar opening combination. Next two games are in Houston on 11/11, and LA on 14/11. I hope at least one of the venues resembles a cricket field, but I guess they want seating capacity over appropriate playing conditions!
Red Kev
Roar Guru
You know I hadn’t even noticed the commentary difference at the time (possibly due to the hour) but you’re right, it was refreshingly interesting, far closer to an ABC Grandstand call than a Channel Nine call (I wish someone would defenestrate James Brayshaw). Sure it was an exhibition match and the quicks were all clearly not up to match standard – except the Rawalpindi Express, how good was Shoaib Ahktar – but it was still fun to watch and it was good for fans in the US too. So many Indian fans were clearly over the moon to see Sehwag and Tendulkar opening. When’s the next one?