LOS ANGELES — They are two of the most famous athletes in the world, and both are legends of their sport. In his home country, Sachin Tendulkar is referred to as a god. Shane Warne, an Australian, is widely regarded as one of the best bowlers in the history of the game.
The hope of the two is to cure the anonymity of the sport in the states—now retired from the game, Warne called Tendulkar almost a year ago with the idea to bring cricket to America. It was then that the Cricket All-Star series was born, with the marriage of bringing the game’s best players to an untapped market, with matches to be played in some of America’s most iconic baseball stadiums. Matches were played in New York, Houston, and Los Angeles.
“We really want to globalize this,” Warne said. “We’re bringing together 28 of the biggest stars that have ever played the game to America to hopefully have that sort of impact.”
They both know it won’t be easy, but the two hope their passion for both the game, and the United States, can pay dividend for the potential growth of the sport. Strange words to read when you consider the fact that over one billion people worldwide tuned into watch a matchup of India and Pakistan during this past year’s Cricket World Cup – almost 10 times the number of viewers drawn by last season’s Super Bowl.
The sport is played by over 120 million people worldwide.
“We are both very passionate about the game,” Warne said. “And we both love America.” Tendulkar added, “it’s a sport-loving nation, but this will be a challenge.”
In theory, cricket is quite similar to a sport American’s are already crazy for: baseball—however, there are also distinct differences between the two sports. Pitches known as googlies and yorkers bounce before reaching the batsman. The bat is broad and can hit in a range of directions around an oval-shaped field.
But one thing American’s appreciate most about baseball, is the longball, commonly referred to as the homerun, and stellar defensive plays. Warne described cricket as an amplified edition of those very traits.
“It’s the rock-and-roll version,” he said. “Huge hits and lots of fielding.”
The exhibition was simply that, but was held with the purpose of planting a seed. Ticket sales weren’t what they had expected, and the play less than all-star caliber, but for now, Tendulkar and Warne hope it left a lasting enough impression for a rather ambitious goal: fielding an American cricket team in the 2020 World Cup, something Warne said he believes is completely doable.
