Cricket's coolest avatar - St. Moritz Ice Cricket set to make a debut

It will be an innovative experience for some former international stars as they brace up to play on ice in Switzerland on February 8 and 9. Swashbuckling Indian batsmen Virender Sehwag and former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi have been named the captains for St. Moritz Ice Cricket 2018. The unique tournament is being dubbed as “Best battle of cricket on top of the world.”

Sehwag will be captaining the Diamonds, a team which also has five other Indians. Afridi will be leading the Royals which also boasts of some former greats. Sony ESPN and Sony SIX will be the official broadcasters of the two-day Cricket Carnival. Former Sri Lankan batting maestro Mahela  Jayawardene took to Twitter to express his delight.

He was quoted as saying: “Excited to be a part of a new innovation in Cricket. For the first time ever, I am going to join some of the legends of the game and battle it out by playing Cricket on Ice in St.Moritz, Switzerland. Don’t miss the action an Feb 8th and 9th because#Ab Jamegi Kulfi’’.

Excited to be a part of a new innovation in Cricket. For the first fime ever, I am going to join some of the legends of the game and battle it out by playing Cricket on Ice in St. Moritz ,Switzerland . Don’t miss the action on Feb 8th and 9th because #AbJamegiKulfi pic.twitter.com/TeEAispjvl

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) February 2, 2018

Former Indian spinner Ramesh Powar too couldn’t mask his euphoria, “Excitement toh bahut hai but with the weather #Ab Jamegi Kulfi. Excited to be a part of Cricket on Ice in Switzerland where I am going to join some of the legends of the game on Feb 8 and 9TH. You can catch it live on Sony ESPN 330 pm onwards.’’ he tweeted.

Excitement toh bahut hai but with the weather #AbJamegiKulfi . Excited to be a part of Cricket on Ice in Switzerland where I am going to join some of the legends of the game on Feb 8th and 9th. You can catch it live on Sony espn 330 pm onwards pic.twitter.com/0yPpLMPU0q

— ramesh powar (@imrameshpowar) February 2, 2018

The tournament’s official statement read: “Attend a one –of –a –kind cricketing experience, on the frozen Lake St.Moritz, in the shadow of the Alps.Between February 8-9, 2018, some of the world’s greatest cricket players will play a game of Twenty20 cricket. Attendees will view this amazing event from the world’s most exclusive cricket village, which is fully catered, including a bar and live music.’’

With the ICC looking to globalise the game, ‘Ice Cricket’ could open up new and unprecedented avenues for the game. The preparations are going on at a rapid pace and the cricket fans can expect to witness something special.

Here’s the full squad of both the teams:

Team Diamonds

Virender Sehwag (India)- Captain, Zaheer Khan (India), Mohammad Kaif (India), Ajit Agarkar (India), Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka), Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka), Michael Hussey (Australia), Andrew Symonds (Australia), Joginder Sharma (India), Ramesh Powar (India), Rohan Jain (Switzerland)

Team Royals

Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)- Captain, Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan), Abdul Razzaq  (Pakistan), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Graeme Smith  (South Africa), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Nathan McCullum (New Zealand), Grant Elliott (New Zealand), Monty Panesar (England), Owais Shah (England), Matt Prior (England), Aidan Andrews (Switzerland)