Global cricket legends to play on American soil for first time

Global cricket superstars Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne headline a star-studded lineup of renowned players from around the world in the inaugural "Cricket All-Star Series" Saturday, November 7 at 1:00 p.m at Citi Field. (Gates open at 11:30 a.m.) The New York event is part of a three-city tour marking the first time these icons have played in the United States. It also renews the famous rivalry between "Master Blaster" Tendulkar and "King of Spin" Warne. 

Tickets go on sale to the general public this Thursday, October 8 at Mets.com/Cricket. The "Cricket All-Star Series" will include a special opening ceremony prior to the match as well as other functions and galas. For more information on Cricket All-Stars, visit: CricketAllStarsLeague.com.

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." 

"We've signed all the top players you'd ever want to see," said Shane Warne. "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. I'm really looking forward to the matches in November, and helping to grow the sport of cricket in America."

Two other matches will be played in the states on November 11 at Minute Maid Park in Houston with the final match in the series on November 14 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

"Cricket All-Stars" is being produced by NYC-based Leverage Agency, a full-service sports and entertainment marketing company. Leverage will also handle the marketing and promotion for the event.

"It's been a dream of mine to bring the best of cricket to America," said Ben Sturner, CEO of Leverage Agency. "Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world and we couldn't ask for better partners than Sachin and Shane on this new venture."