The Cricket All-Stars series kicked off with a bang at Citi Field in USA. The tournament is being played with intent to promote gentlemen’s game of cricket in countries which are lesser-known to it. Warne’s Warriors registered a thumping victory in the inaugural game of the three-match series and take a lead of 1-0. The fans who turned up at Citi Field got the value for their money as they experienced a thrilling encounter which featured the greats of the game. Pick of the tweets: Sachin’s Blasters vs Warne’s Warriors, 1st T20 at New YorkSome players like Shane Warne, Shoaib Akhtar, Virender Sehwag, Wasim Akram, Daniel Vettori, Jonty Rhodes, Kumar Sangakkara and Andrew Symonds once again proved their weight in gold. Warriors won the toss and elected to field first. The old striking pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag walked out to open of Blaster’s and once again entertainment was on the cards. Tendulkar and Sehwag started of on a promising note and runs were coming at a brisk pace. Sehwag showed why he deserved a farewell match and those punch and drives were just coming neatly from his willow. After posting 85 for the first wicket, Tendulkar floundered to his his old rival Warne as he was safely caught by Jacques Kallis at mid-off on 26. On the very next delivery, Daniel Vettori got the better of Sehwag with his guile.The wickets of Tendulkar and Sehwag in two consecutive deliveries triggered the Blaster’s downfall as the team just managed a total of 140 in 20 overs which once looked set for a score of 180 plus. Warne gave a testament to his class by chipping two more wickets of VVS Laxman and Brian Lara. Vettori once again proved why he is one of the best left-arm spinners with his alluring spell. Meanwhile, Symonds too stepped up and got three wickets which also included the prize wicket of Mahela Jayawardena. Blasters somehow managed to put a respectable total on the board.Matthew Hayden and Jacques Kallis started the proceedings for Warriors and were all set to take on the Rawalpindi express Shoaib Akhtar. He steamed in and rekindled memories of his hey days. He almost got rid of Kallis in the first over but it wasn’t to be as the edge went flying between wicket-keeper and first slip for a boundary. Akhtar drew the first blood when he curtailed Matthew Hayden innings for a score of 4. Kallis didn’t manage to make the most of his reprieve as he fell short of his grounds when Muttiah Muralitharan threw one from deep point into the hands of Moin Khan.In came Sangakkara and along with Ponting weathered the early storm. The duo played the pumped bowling attack with unmatched confidence and kept the scoreboard ticking at a brisk pace. Both the batsmen kept hitting loose deliveries for a boundary and respected the good one. The total was never enough to restrict Warriors as they had enough batting to chase down the set target. After a few hiccups in the later part of their innings, Jonty Rhodes sealed the game for his side with a reverse hit which went all the way for a six. With two-matches to go one can expect the level of excitement only to climb up.Turning point: The partnership between Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara sealed the game for Warne’s Warriors. The duo accounted for 80 runs in 58 deliveries before Sangakkara was dismissed by Akhtar for 41. Warriors were in trouble at 22 for the loss of two wickets inside three overs. They needed a partnership which was rightfully provided by two geniuses with the bat. Brief scores:Warne’s Warriors141 for 4 in 17.2 overs [Ricky Ponting 48*, Sangakkara 41; Shoaib Akhtar (4-0-26-2)]beatSachin’s Blasters140 for 8 in 20 overs [Virender Sehwag 55, Sachin Tendulkar 26; Shane Warne (4-0-20-3), Andrew Symonds (2-0-15-3)] by six wickets.