5 Reasons why All Stars T20 is a big success

5 Reasons why All Stars T20 is a big success: And finally the 3-match T20 cricket carnival involving the players which made our childhood better comes to an end. Despite the whitewash, the Warne’s Warriors inflicted on Sachin’s Blasters, Ravi Shastri’s clichéd statement about Cricket being the real winner aptly summarizes the purpose of the series.

The initiative started by Sachin-Warne duo to globalize the game, the responses received across the three matches were incredible. While the Houston and Los Angeles matches were played at about 50% capacity, the crowd which had gathered for the first of the series was unbeatable. Even the players themselves were astonished at the responses received. The USA is perhaps the next-largest market available for cricket, and this was exactly the sort of response the initiative needed in it’s inaugural edition. But the T20 series was more than just the globalization of the game. But nevertheless it was a huge success.

Here are the 5 Reasons why All Stars T20 is a big success:

1. Invocation of nostalgia:

It has rarely happened that Indian fans have stayed awake till late night to watch a cricket match. Or woken up early to watch a match; not even the matches in Australia. But majority of the cricket fans, especially in the Indian sub-continent, did exactly the same to revive their childhood memories. What more motivation does an Indian fan need other than seeing Sachin and Sehwag bat together? Or a Pakistani fan to see Wasim’s swinging deliveries or Saqlain Mushtaq’s excellent off-spinners? The very fact of seeing the yesteryear players again in the ground was enough to make every hardcore cricket fans of the 90s and 2000s to watch the series.

2. Revival of old rivalries:

We expected the old rivalries to resume, and resume it did. Sachin and Lara facing off against Warne, Wasim Akram opening the bowling attack against Sachin and Sehwag, Kallis facing off against the likes of Muralitharan, and many many more rivalries were relived in these three matches. And it did match upto the hype. Short boundaries ensured that the batsmen were heavily favored, still the bowlers got the number of their batsmen in quite a few occasions; the highlight of this being Sachin’s dismissals to Warne and Mustaq. Old rivalries, which defined an entire generation of cricket, was reforged, and hence relived.

Also Read – Cricket All-Stars: Warne’s Warriors Player Ratings

3. Formation of new bonds:

When was the last time we have seen Sehwag and Akthar clicking selfies? Or Warne and Muralitharan discussing the mechanics behind spin deliveries? Unimaginable friendships were formed, all thanks to the All Stars T20 initiative. It was enlightening to see our favorite players sharing personal moments together, involving in light banters, and more importantly, having fun- which was barely witnessed during their playing days. This enlightened every fan’s heart, and left them wanting for more of these special moments.

4. Individual brilliance re-seen:

Sehwag’s explosive start, Warne’s incredible spell in the first T20, Mushtaq’s “teesra” to dismiss Sachin in the 2^nd, Sachin’s classy fifty in the third, Ambrose’ epic celebration in the third, Sangakkara’s consistency, and phew! We got to witnessed and relive every player’s attribute, even though it was years since any of these players had played international cricket. We got to see what we wanted from these players, and that enough alone would have satisfied the hearts of the fans who would have anticipated such events. We got what we wanted, and even more, thus leaving us hooked for these three matches in spite of oddities in their timings.

5. Crowd support

Imagine the same matches played at empty stadiums with no one to appreciate these legends. It would have left them quite disappointed. But the incredible crowd support the players received, especially in New York, was another attribute to the tournament’s success. Yes, most of them were migrants from the sub-continent and Australia. But it was a stepping stone for the globalization of sport, especially in highly valuable US market. And this tournament is just the start, and it’s success paves the way for good times ahead for international expansion of cricket.

Also Read – Cricket All-Stars: Sachin’s Blasters Player Ratings