Press Trust of India
New York, Nov 6: Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar stated here Thursday that he hopes to see cricket become a global sport by making an impact on the youngsters and women in America through the inaugural three-match All Stars series starting here Saturday.
“The idea is to globalise cricket…We are here to encourage youngsters as well as women cricketers who will be joining us in our practise sessions,” Tendulkar told reporters here ahead of the first match in the ‘Cricket All Stars’ series to be played Saturday in the famed ‘Citi Field’ the home venue for the legendary baseball team ‘New York Mets’.
Tendulkar, joined by Australian spin legend Shane Warne and 28 other players, said about 1000 young aspiring cricketers would be in the stands to watch the game and get a chance to witness and learn from their idols. The cricketers will also be interacting with youngsters to teach them the finer nuances of the game.
“We are here to guide you and encourage you. You need two hands to clap. Our hand is up and all the players are standing with us. It is for you all to step forward and make it happen,” stated the former Indian batsman.
But above all lies the fact that the effort is to popularise the game in the United States as the lure of the lucre is more than anything else. Cricket, is yet to catch the fancy of the Americans, which the ICC has been trying to do for the last decade. Now the aim is to catch the tremendous expatriate Asian population here which will definitely be a huge boost to the game. That is the main reason why ICC permitted the former two greats to hold the event, the moment they came up with the idea.