Warne, Tendulkar headline T20 All Stars

Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar have confirmed they will headline a Twenty20 all-stars series in the United States next month, featuring a star-studded line-up of former international players.

The one-off event will include three matches in New York, Houston and Los Angeles and will feature greats of the game including Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Wasim Akram, Jonty Rhodes and Michael Vaughan.

Tendulkar and Warne will each captain a team for the ‘Cricket All-Stars’ tournament, which will kick off on November 7 in New York.

The games are set to be played on drop-in pitches at three baseball stadiums – Citi Field (New York), Minute Maid Park (Houston) and Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles).

"Americans are so passionate about sports, and I think there’s a huge potential for cricket to take off," Tendulkar said. 

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. 

"It would be great someday to see cricket bats right alongside the baseball bats, basketballs and soccer balls in America."

Warne said the Twenty20 format would appeal to a new audience of future cricket fans.

"We've signed all the top players you'd ever want to see,” Warne said. 

"I’m excited for cricket fans in the United States to be able to see these amazing players for the first time."

Last month, the International Cricket Council gave the thumbs up to the all-stars league.

A portion of the earnings from the three T20 matches will go to the ICC to help grow the game in the country.

"Myself and Sachin had an idea – why not take cricket to America and be the Harlem Globetrotters, go around and do free exhibitions at schools … help grow the game of cricket (in a country where there are already) 45 teams in LA," Warne told News Ltd in June.

The United States is seen as a lucrative but untapped market for cricket due to the large number of subcontinental expats living there.