Cricket will get a unique twist when legends of the game will face each other once again but this time it will be at the world famous and glamorous St. Moritz in Switzerland.
On February 8 and 9, the world will witness the first Ice Cricket Challenge where stars, such as Virender Sehwag, Shahid Afridi, Lasith Malinga, Michael Hussey and many others will adapt their styles and launch the cricket balls in the Swiss Alps when they play two T20 matches.
For those who are wondering how a cricket game is possible on the lake?
The water body freezes into a thick layer of ice which is also covered by the soft falling snow, which enables the lake to sustain more than 200 tons of weight. Not only can players play their game but a pavilion and grandstands can also be constructed on it.
Interestingly, the cricket pitch consists of an artificial turf carpet laid out on the snowfield. Players will use the traditional cricketing gear including the red-ball but will wear sports shoes instead of spikes. During the day, the weather is expected to be bright and sunny but the temperatures can dip to as low as – 20 degree Celsius at night.
Here is the complete list of players for Ice Cricket
Diamonds Team
- Virender Sehwag (India) – Captain
- Zaheer Khan (India)
- Mohammed Kaif (India)
- Ajit Agarkar (India)
- Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
- Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
- Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka)
- Michael Hussey (Australia)
- Andrew Symonds (Australia)
- Joginder Sharma (India)
- Ramesh Powar (India)
- Rohan Jain (Switzerland)
Royals Team
- Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) – Captain
- Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan)
- Abdul Razzaq (Pakistan)
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
- Graeme Smith (South Africa)
- Daniel Vettori (New Zealand)
- Nathan McCullum (New Zealand)
- Grant Elliott (New Zealand)
- Monty Panesar (England)
- Owais Shah (England)
- Matt Prior (England)
- Aidan Andrews (Switzerland)
The matches will begin at 3.30 PM IST and Sony ESPN will broadcast live coverage in India.
Popular sports anchor Karishma Kotak will be the host of the tournament.
