In Sachin Tendulkar's All-Stars Series, the Lankans are the Fittest of Them All

England may have been the first country to develop the game of cricket, but it's India that without a doubt, are mastering the art of promoting the game. Ever since Indian Premier League became a blockbuster hit amongst the fans, many non-cricket playing countries are now considering welcoming the game to their territories. (Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne to Play T20 Matches in US)

The latest destination being the United States, a place where cricket is as alien, as baseball to India. And what better way to kick off things with two of the biggest names in world of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne promoting the game themselves in a mouth-watering, Sachin's Blasters vs Warne's Warriors clash in the Cricket All-Stars Series.

The tournament, which comprises retired cricketers, will boast of some of the biggest names to have played the game -- Wasim Akram, Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath and Curtly Ambrose.

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). (Sachin Tendulkar Says T20 Tournament in U.S. Will Help Globalise Cricket)

An excited Tendulkar said that the idea behind such a series is not only to promote the game in uncharted territories, but also provide an opportunity to the American audience an opportunity to witness a live cricket match, rather than catching up on the highlights.

"I'm exicted about it (All-Star Series) because this is something that we had been planning for a long time. In last July when we played at Lord's it was Shane Warne's XI vs my XI and had a great time there.

"We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and it was a sold out and that when we started thinking why not start something for retired cricketers and travel around the world and globalise the game and get more and more people excited about cricket," Tendulkar said in an exclusive interview to NDTV.

"We want to start with America because there are so many Asians, who follow cricket and love cricket, but have no access to watching live cricket in the stadium. But all they can follow cricket is on internet or watch highlights here and there," Tendulkar said, clearly indicating there was business design behind starting such a series.

"But to be able to witness a live match in a stadium, they haven't had the privilege to do it. So we want to go to America and engage more with our fans and get more and more spectators involved," Tendulkar added.

Recently Retired Players in Fray

A glance through the players and it's easy to say that Sri Lankan players look the fittest of them all. Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene -- all are recently retired and ideally suited for Twenty20 competetion.

Sangakkara have played more than 50 T20s and has a healthy average of 31.40 with the highest score being 78. Jayawardene, again a veteran with more than 50 matches experience, has 31.76 average with a century to his name.

Murali, may not have been as successful in the shortest form the game, but still is a potent force in the game.

Pakistan and West Indies may boast of some of the big names, but they have been out of action for a long time and it would be tough for them to give any real competition even in an exhibition game.

India, meanwhile have a batting heavy team with Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and all-rounder Ajit Agarkar, and all of them, have played either in IPL or at top level in Twenty20Is.

According to reports, nine other players are also tentatively included to take part: Anil Kumble, Andy Flower, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shahid Afridi, Waqar Younis, Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey.

However, Younis will be coaching Pakistan against England in the UAE throughout November while Jayawardene, one of the players included in the main list of 26, is also in the UAE in a consultant role with England but is understood to be leaving after the first Test ends on October 17.

List of participating players

India: Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Ajit Agarkar

Australia: Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath, Brad Haddin

South Africa: Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener, Jonty Rhodes, Allan Donald

Pakistan: Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Moin Khan

England: Graeme Swann, Michael Vaughan

West Indies: Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene