6 things that we could expect from the All-Star game at Houston

The Cricket All-Stars action moves to Houston as the second match gets underway later tonight We haven’t yet moved on from the nostalgia provided by the first game and the second match is already knocking the door as the All-Stars take the field later tonight. Another scintillating encounter is on the cards as the players from the golden era attempt to roll back the years.And just like the first game, another insane turnout is expected at Houston, the venue for the second match as the United States of America is set to prove once again that cricket indeed has a presence in the country. It isn’t every day that the legends of the game will go against each other. In fact, perhaps, this might be the very last time we see some of them play.So, as we approach the game, here is a rundown of the 6 things we could expect from the 2nd match.

#1 Virender Sehwag fury....yet again

Sehwag was mesmerising in the opening match at Citi Field

My mother always tells me one thing when she enters my room and sees the mess around: “No matter how many years a dog keeps his tail under pressure, it will still be curved once it is out of it.”

While the analogy might sound insulting, I am clearly not being impertinent to Virender Sehwag. The man knows only one way to play; that is to attack and attack. In the last game, he showed us that he is never going to change as he rocketed his way to 55 in just 22 balls.

Tonight, it won’t be any different as he will once again come, see and smack his way to whatever runs he ends up scoring. One can only hope that he lasts long enough to entertain the crowd as much as they hope for.

#2 Sachin smashing Warne

Though Warne won the battle in the 1^st match, Tendulkar will be looking to get the better of the former at Houston

In the last game, Shane Warne got the better of the Little Master as the latter fell prey to the former, thanks to a great catch from Jacques Kallis. A huge and collective sigh of despair was heard when the man walked to the pavilion.

Today, however, he would be determined to put Warne is his place and relight the nightmares that once disturbed the sleep of the Australian – something many cricket enthusiasts will be hoping when they find themselves glued in front of the television.

While Sachin might not be as sharp as he once was, his footwork will never leave him and that is what will help him overcome the legendary leg-spinner. Expect him to go down the ground and towards the pitch of the ball and smack the ball across the boundary.

#3 More Akhtar bouncers

Expect Shoaib Akhtar to be at his terrorising best yet again later tonight

The long run-up of Shoaib Akhtar alone attracts viewers. Who wouldn’t like the view of his silky hair travelling backwards with the wind as he rushes towards the crease to deliver the ball with all his might? I, for one, certainly would.

Like it is with Virender Sehwag and smacking the ball, Shoaib just loves to go in with full aggression and target the ball on the body of the batsmen. In the last game, Kumar Sangakkara, Matthew Hayden and, especially, Jacques Kallis witnessed his wrath first-hand and will wear more protection to avoid bone-breaking injuries.

Tonight, we are sure to witness another spell of bowling that awakens a blazing inferno of venom onto the batsmen to which, given their elderly age, they won’t probably have an answer to.

#4 Off-side delight by Sourav Ganguly

Ganguly would be itching to showcase his skills

Rahul Dravid once famously said: “On the off-side, there is God and then there is Sourav Ganguly.” And no-one could have summed it better.

In an illustrious career, the off-side was Ganguly’s best friend and any ball that was outside, regardless of its length, was dispatched to the boundary. It seemed as though he had an eternity while playing strokes on the off-side and the grace with which he did it was beyond the realm of beauty.

It was for this reason that bowlers were compelled to find a way to get rid of him before he could do damage, and it was then when the curse of short-balls plagued the career of this tiger from Bengal.

Without going further towards the darkness, you can be almost 100% sure that his bat will produce some glorious off-side shots should he play today.

#5 Wasim Akram swinging the semi-old ball

Akram showed that he has not lost his ability to swing the ball

Wasim Akram was once dubbed as the Sultan of Swing for his ability to swing the ball and wreck the opposition batting line-up. He might be 49 years old now, and his pace might have gone down even further, but his ability to swing the ball still lives.

In the last game, the new ball didn’t do him many favours as he found it quite hard to wave it. However, as the ball got a few overs older, he got the ball to swing with the assistance of the air and by clever pitching on the seam.

It might not be as devastating as before, but it is still a delight to watch and the perfect lesson for aspiring fast bowlers as to how to grip and hold the ball in order to swing the ball with utmost grace.

#6 Sangakkara master-class

Sangakkara is continuing from where he left off

Just before he retired, he scored 4 centuries in 4 ODIs to establish himself as a worthy rival to Sachin Tendulkar’s tag of the greatest ODI batsman of the modern era. In fact, if one claims that ‘Sanga’ was the better player, she/he can’t be ridiculed—and the stats are there for us to see.

Anyhow, among all the legends, Sanga is the fittest and most match-fresh. As a matter of fact, he retired at optimum form—at a time when his batting was at a pinnacle, almost superhuman, form.

And he gave a clear testament about his superiority in the last game as he played a majestic innings of 41 runs in 29 balls, steering Warne Warriors to a 6-wicket win. Expect no less in today’s game as well—he alone could win the game for his team.