Did you know Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world (behind soccer) and fastest growing sport in the U.S. with more than 15 million fans along with an estimated 200,000 players?
Westsiders will have to the chance to see some of the world’s greatest cricket players on Nov. 14 at Dodger Stadium.
Global cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne will headline a star-studded lineup of renowned cricket players from around the world in the inaugural “Cricket All-Stars,” a three-game series in New York City, Houston, and Los Angeles.
The historic tour marks the first time these legends have played in the U.S., and also renews the famous rivalry between “Master Blaster” Tendulkar and “King of Spin” Warne.
The “Cricket All-Stars” kicks off on Nov. 7 at Citi Field in New York City with a special opening ceremony prior to the match as well as other functions and galas. The second match will be on Nov. 11 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The final match in the series will be on Nov. 14 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, followed by a special trophy presentation to the winning team.
The format will be T20, a much shorter and boisterous form of cricket with the games taking around three hours instead of multiple days.
Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Australian spinner Shane Warne will each captain a hand-picked team.
“Sachin’s Blasters” and “Warne’s Warriors” will feature some of the best players to ever play cricket hailing from eight different countries including Ricky Ponting (Australia), Brian Lara (West Indies), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), Wasim Akram (Pakistan), Jonty Rhodes (South Africa) and Michael Vaughan (England), among others.
“Americans are so passionate about sports, and I think there’s a huge potential for cricket to take off,” said Sachin Tendulkar. “This is also the first time that international cricket will be played in these beautiful baseball stadiums in New York City, Houston and Los Angeles, which will be a lot of fun. We’re also planning some other events and festivities in each city so we can reach as many fans as possible. It would be great someday to see cricket bats right alongside the baseball bats, basketballs and soccer balls in America.”
Warne said they had signed all the top players “you’d ever want to see.”
“I’m excited for cricket fans in the United States to be able to see these amazing players for the first time, and I also think that the T20 format will appeal to new audiences who have never seen or played cricket before,” Warne said. “I’m really looking forward to the matches in November, and helping to grow the sport of cricket in America.”
For tickets or more information, visit Dodgers.com/cricket.