Warne, Tendulkar back new 'greats' T20 league

SYDNEY: Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne are backing a new Twenty20 league for former cricketing greats that will be played in cities around the world from later this year, the Australian newspaper reported on Friday.

Indian batsman Tendulkar and Australian spin bowler Warne, now both retired, are widely regarded as two of the greatest cricketers in the history of the game.

The report said Australians Brett Lee, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath, Englishmen Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff as well as South African Jacques Kallis had all been approached with offers of $25,000 a match.

Tendulkar and Warne planned to recruit 28 players to play 15 matches in the Cricket All Stars League over the next 3 1/2 years, starting with matches in three cities in the United States in September, the report added.

Several of the players targeted have, like Warne, extended their careers with lucrative stints in Twenty20 leagues after retiring from international cricket.

While senior tours in tennis and golf have proven successful in providing an income for older players and regular doses of nostalgia for fans, it has never before been attempted in cricket.