When you get to see a certain Sachin Tendulkar leaning forward and executing a cover drive, a Shane Warne using his wrist to make the ball talk and a Shoaib Akhtar banging it short while making the batsmen dance to his tune, you might think that that’s all, cricket can’t get any better. But these legends are not yet done, come Thursday a few other extraordinary players will take the field when Sachin’s Blasters face Warne’s Warriors for the second T20 at the Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Let’s take a look at some of the ‘good ol’ days’ moments which the Citi Field crowd missed out but Houston will definitely lap it up.
A Sachin-Sourav opening combo
Undoubtedly and unarguably the best opening pair of the world, who have each and every possible record as innings starters, to their name, will grace the baseball-turned-cricket pitch on Thursday. Sourav Ganguly, who couldn’t attend the first match due to his prior commitments and had jokingly said that he would take the next flight home if not allowed to open, will be raring to go but his captain has a condition for him. “I hope the off drives are coming,” was Sachin’s reply to Dada’s demand.
Well, time will tell whether the ‘god of offside’ will be able to once again pierce the point, cover, extra-cover and mid-off region, like his glorious days or not, but Indian cricket fans will be more than happy to take a sip of the morning tea and witness these two crossing the boundary ropes together while wind-milling their willows.
Also don’t count out Sourav ‘stepping down the track and hitting the spinners for huge sixes’ trait.
McGrath’s immaculate pace bowling
Glenn McGrath sat out the first match to give a chance to Curtly Ambrose, which didn’t prove a right decision for Sachin’s Blasters as the West Indian was quite expensive. Sachin will now surely go back to the bowler with whom his battles are a part of cricket folklore.
McGrath still looks fit and agile and has been involved with a number of cricket academies. For the first time the world will also witness an Akhtar-McGrath bowling combination, the very thought of which gives us goosebumps. The best part of McGrath being in Sachin’s team is that the likes of Haydens and Pontings will have to find out ways of survival against their former teammate. All in all a super exciting morning is on the cards.
The spin twins
Leg-spinners have always been the ones held in high esteem for making slow bowling look beautiful, but one man who added class to off spin was Saqlain Mushtaq. The best tweaker produced in the land of pacers was also the first one to introduce the ‘doosra’ to the world.
What a contest it will be when Saqlain and Warne would take on Sachin and Lara. A leg-spinner against a right-hander and an offie against a south paw. What more can be asked?
Something more can still be yearned for when there is a player like Graeme Swann is in the mix. Talented spinners outside Asia have been very few and this Englishman is one of them. The offie was one of England’s most vital players who played a crucial role in 2012 away Test series in India, which they won 2-1. Before his retirement in 2013, Swann was still amongst the top five bowlers of the world and he has kept himself in very good shape to churn out exciting overs of off-breaks.
Match starts at 07.30 am IST on November 12.
