5 things you need to know about the upcoming Sachin-Warne series

Cricket is heading back to America and this time the sport is bringing out the big guns. Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne are going stateside this November for three Twenty20 exhibition matches this November along with a whole host of former stars. Its the latest in a long line of attempts to hook one of the worlds biggest markets on a sport they have so far shunned.Part of that is down to shoddy organisation. Twenty20 Internationals were played in Lauderhill, Florida a few years ago, but poor pitches generally resulted in low-scorers even the most fervent of cricket fans would have struggled to get through.The roadshow has been dubbed the Sachin-Warne Series although its official name is the Cricket All-Star Series. Some have praised the idea to take cricket back to the US a country which has a huge sub-continent expat community however, others, including Ian Chappell have criticised the concept as an Oldies Parade.The first match in New York is scheduled for November 7, the second game will be played in Houston on November 11, and the series will conclude in Los Angeles on November 14.Here are five things you need to know about the upcoming Sachin-Warne series.

#1 Move over baseball, cricket is in town

Fans interact with players during a baseball match

The series will start shortly after the conclusion of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season, and the three matches will be played in Major League ballparks with drop-in pitches. The first match is set to take place at Citi Field, home to the New York Mets, Minute Maid Park in Houston will stage the second game before the series concludes at the world-famous Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Mets, the Houston Astros and the LA Dodgers have all reached this year’s MLB postseason.

Many Americans live off an almost daily diet of baseball during the summer months, so to take cricket directly to them is a proactive step to arouse interest in the other bat-and-ball sport. While not like-for-like, T20s have much in common with baseball. Games typically last for around three hours and a party atmosphere is guaranteed.

In taking the Sachin-Warne series to baseball territory, the organisers are not just showing their intent to cater to a niche interest, but to showcase cricket to new fans they could potentially woo.

#2 It could get very, very cold

Cricket has hardly ever been played in, or even interrupted by snowfall

One wonders whether the idea has been fully thought through. November in America has a tendency to be very, very cold. The proposal of playing a match at the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field has been scrapped (which is a shame, as the ivy-clad, historic ground is one of the most iconic in the country). However, considering the average Chicago temperature in November is below 10 Celsius, it was an unfeasible idea, no matter how many woolly jumpers were provided.

But New York City doesn’t promise to be much warmer. The Big Apple regularly sees single-digit temperatures when the series have been scheduled. Thankfully, conditions in Houston and Los Angeles promise to be much warmer.

It’s a Catch-22 situation: a star-studded cricket match not being played in New York would make no promotional sense, but icy weather could see it spiral into farce. However, American sports fans are hardened for all weathers, so whether it’s sunny, rainy, cloudy, windy or snowy, you can count on them turning up.

#3 The legends are coming to play

Some famous duels of yore like the Mcgrath-Tendulkar one will be played out

Fans can rest assured that this is no half-hearted project and a plethora of players who have helped to shape the modern game will be present at this cricketing carnival. Unsurprisingly, Tendulkar and Warne top the bill and “Sachin’s Blasters” will go up against “Warne’s Warriors” in this marquee series.

In addition to Tendulkar, two other of India’s Fab Four – Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – are set to play, along with former fast-bowler Ajit Agarkar. South Africa has representation in the recently-retired Jacques Kallis and the not-so-recently-retired Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock, Allan Donald and Jonty Rhodes. Legendary Sri Lankan batsmen Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are also involved, along with spin king Muttiah Muralitharan.

Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Curtly Ambrose, Glenn McGrath – the list goes on. The past two cricketing generations have some of their finest assets turning out for them, however, it’s clear that this is not going to result in cricket at its highest level. Make no mistake, this is an exhibition and shouldn’t be treated as anything else. It will likely be fun and a chance to reminisce, but it won’t be anything more than that.

#4 Some of the proceeds will go to improving the game in the USA

Cricket has had a frustrating history in the USA

The USA Cricket Association has been mired with incompetence for many years and they were suspended by the ICC in June. Cricket has had a frustrating history with the United States but the attempts to grow the game there have never been in doubt. In 2004, America was invited to participate in the Champions Trophy in England. That they arrived, only to be hammered in all three matches is indicative of the country’s cricketing story – one that sees glimpses of hope which are swiftly, and unceremoniously, taken away.

Therefore, it is good news to see that some of the proceeds which this series brings will be invested into the growth of the game. It’s as close to home-grown growth as the US is going to get, and a good starting point. There is potential in capitalising on a country’s expat community, as the UAE’s small, but incremental improvements have shown. By pumping money in and invigorating America’s fairly substantial cricket base, boosting the game’s profile is possible. However, as past efforts have proven, that’s easier said than done.

#5 Bowlers can bowl five overs

Veterans like Shaun Pollock may run out of steam before completing their quota of 5 overs

Warne and Tendulkar have banged their heads together and have come up with an idea that makes a good deal of sense: bowlers being allowed to bowl five overs. Their thinking behind the rule is that the fifth bowler tends to be at the mercy of the batsman, so by letting the other four bowl an extra over, the contest between bat and ball is evened up. In this era of frenzied hitting, that’s not a bad thing.

It’s an idea that may eventually make its way into the official game if it works well. Instead of tinkering with the powerplays and boundary sizes, by tweaking with the bowler’s allocation, you find a simple solution. The Sachin-Warne series could well fade without a trace, but hopefully it does produce this much-needed rule change. However, with all the old-timers involved in this jamboree, whether any will have the stamina to get through five overs remains to be seen.