Warne's Warriors win Cricket All-Stars Series 3-0 with Dodger Stadium victory
Thursday 19 November 2015 08:03, UK
Shane Warne sealed victory for his Warriors side as they claimed an sweep in the Cricket All-Stars Series against Sachin Tendulkar's Blasters.
Warne hit a six off the penultimate ball of the game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles after a superb stand between Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis had put them in position to claim a 3-0 series win.
They had been set a testing 220 for victory, with Tendulkar producing one of the best innings of the series to get the Blasters off to a flying start.
He and Virender Sehwag put on 55 for the first wicket in only 23 balls before Sehwag fell for 27, caught by Kallis off the bowling of Courtney Walsh.
Tendulkar continued to hit to all corners of the famed baseball stadium and by the time he fell for 56, his 27-ball knock had helped his side to 129 before the halfway stage of the innings. The India great hit two fours and six sixes in his exciting stay at the crease.
Mahela Jayawardene fell soon after for 41, which came off only 18 balls, but the pace of the Blasters innings slowed somewhat over the last eight overs, even though they had plenty of wickets remaining.
Sourav Ganguly made it to 50 and Carl Hooper provided 33 runs of 22 balls, ending unbeaten as the Blasters posted 219-5.
Warne's Warriors started their reply in sorry fashion with Michael Vaughan, who had earlier dropped a dolly of a catch, was bowled first ball off an inside edge by Curtly Ambrose.
Matthew Hayden made only 12 and when he fell straight after Andrew Symonds was dismissed for 30, they were in serious trouble on 52-3.
Kumar Sangakkara dominated a 58-run stand with Jonty Rhodes, making 42 off 21 balls, but when he fell and Rhodes was dismissed by Hooper for 17, the Warriors needed 91 from the last 40 balls.
But Kallis' arrival at the crease proved to be the spark they needed, the South African all-rounder smashing four fours and four sixes in a sublime innings of 47 off 23 balls.
At the other end, Ponting scored almost as quickly, and he was still unbeaten when Warne came to the crease after Kallis was caught and bowled by Sehwag.
They needed three runs from three balls when Kallis was dismissed, and Ponting scampered a single before Warne ended the series in scintillating fashion by racing down the track and smashing Sehwag over deep midwicket for six.
Warne said: "I think we have had 100,000 fans across all three stadiums. The camaraderie has been brilliant.
"We have mixed in with fans and it has been a fantastic week and there is a lot more to come. The Cricket All Stars, they have enjoyed it, and we have tried our part to globalise the game."
