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When stars collide...

If there is one thing to be said to be said for the masala matches involving World XIs and such, it is that you get to see wonderful cricket from top players, without the competitive, nationalistic tension that more often than not detracts from performance.

It is not that there is no competitive edge to these games -- when you have 22 top class sportsmen on a field, there is a degree of oneupmanship happening, each wants to hog the limelight, outdo the other, and that brings its own competition with it.

This Saturday provides one such instance, when a Rest of the World XI led by Sachin Tendulkar takes on an MCC XI led by England's former skipper Michael Atherton, to raise funds for the Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Trust.

Actually, Indians have hogged centrestage in such scratch games even earlier -- most notably Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who was vice-captain of a Rest of the World XI in the mid-sixties, and Sunny Gavaskar who, after his outstanding performance in the debut Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean in the early seventies, was pitted against pace ace Dennis Lillee in a much hyped game Down Under.

Sunny, in fact, went on to record his only century at the game's Mecca, Lord's, in another such game. His superb 188 in fact turned out to be his last first-class game in an illustrious career.

Follows, short pen sketches of similar scratch contests in the past:

In 1965, at Lord's, an England XI was shot out for 175, with Sir Garfield Sobers turning the trick with the ball to record figures of 5-22, in the first such exhibition game. In response, the Rest of the World side, led by Sobers with Tiger Pataudi as his deputy, coasted to 178-1, with Conrad Hunte top scoring on 88, in a 70-overs-a-side game.

1966, Lord's again, and this time, an England XI made 201 for 7 in 50 overs, before dismissing the Rest of World XI for a mere 119.

Same year, same venue, saw a West Indies XI make 254/7 in 50 overs, with Hunte making 57 and Seymour Nurse contributing 88, to beat a Rest of the World XI that made 236 for eight in the allotted overs, Hanif Mohammad making 63, Pollock making 65, and Wesley Hall taking 4 for 55. This game, incidentally, was played as part of the Windies tour of England that year.

In 1967, at Lord's, an England XI made 144 in its allotted overs, Parks making 32 and Sobers again in prime form with three for 13, going down tamely to the Rest of World XI, which made 146-2, Eddie Barlow making an unbeaten 74.

In 1967, against at Lord's, the Rest of the World XI made 223 for 6 in 50 overs batting first, with Kanhai making 88, Sobers contributing an unbeaten 72 to convincingly defeat Pakistan XI, 179 for nine with Butt scoring 47, Majid Khan making 46 and Eddie Barlow taking 4/23.

In 1970, a Rest of the World XI played, and won, a five-Test series against England XI by a 4-1 margin. This particular series was played as replacement for the cancelled South African tour that year.

In 1971-'72, a Rest of the World XI won another five-Test series, this time against Australia and again, the tour was played as replacement for the cancelled South African tour. Both cancellations owed to the ban on South Africa, over the latter's apartheid policy.

In 1987, at Lord's, an MCC XI (455 for five declared and 318 for six declared) drew a Test with the Rest of the World XI. For MCC XI, Greenidge made 122, Gooch 117 and Gatting 179 while for the Rest of World XI, Gavaskar made his only century at Lord's, scoring 188 in the first innings and leaving the ground to sustained applause. In the second innings, his last first class outing as it turned out, he emulated Don Bradman by being bowled for a duck -- his wicket going to Malcolm Marshall.

This game, incidentally, was played to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the MCC.