T20 World cup to exapand to 16 team as Shahid Afridi backs day night tests
With the summer cricket season starting and the time being parallel to the FIFA World Cup 2010, International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat insisted that the sport had “never been stronger”. But one thing will surely be interesting to note down and that is whether fans prefer to give their time to football or cricket?
Haroon Logart who also belongs to South Africa has announced plans to give more countries a shot at qualifying for the next edition of the World T20.
If we take a look at previous tournaments, the qualification tournament has only involved six or eight teams and thus saw the likes of Afghanistan and Ireland compete alongside the elite Test nations at this year’s World T20 in the West Indies, which was won by England last month.
However Logart says that the ICC feels that the tournament should be expanded into a 16-team competition and this move will be implemented in early 2012 just ahead of that year’s next edition of the World T20 in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the ICC’s development committee, meeting in Jakarta has also pledged two million dollars towards the development of cricket facilities in leading junior cricket nations as well as in priority target countries such as China and the United States which have long been regarded by officials as strategically important and these countries have been involved in cricketing activities for the past many years but not to the extent that the countries have gotten good exposure to play competitive cricket alongside the best teams in the world.
At the same time as the ICC chief talks about expanding the horizon of the game, Pakistans captain Shahid Afridi says that he backs the idea of having day-night Test matches, saying it was necessary for the survival of the longer format of the game.
Afridi the newly appointed captain of the unpredictable Pakistani National Squad said that he will definitely support the idea to have Test matches under lights because in this changing world it is necessary to make changes according to times.
He pointed out that T20 cricket was already giving Test cricket a stiff competition and the five-day game needs to evolve as well, when you can have T20 cricket and 50-overs cricket under lights, why not Test matches?
Players and ICC both think that it will increase the crowd participation and increase revenues and viewer-ship for Test matches if the format is converted to day night.
Afridi, has remained in a self-imposed exile from Test cricket for more then four years and will be making his return this summer in England to the five-day format.
Test cricket, which is regarded to be real test for cricketers needs to also look at one other factor now as well. Gone are the days when people used to sit for five days and watch a game of cricket and that also which on occasions used to end up in a draw.
In today’s fast paced world with increasing competition and the onset of the latest economic crisis not a lot of people have time to go to the grounds for five days and watch a match. Thus it only makes sense for ICC to rethink their strategy towards getting support and betterment of the game when it comes to test cricket.
Pakistan now goes of to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup and then to England where captain Afridi will play his first test in almost 4 years. Shahid Afridi has also said that he saw a role for maverick fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in the ODI and T20 Internationals.
Afridi said that Akhtar had assured him he only wanted to focus on his cricket after a long lay-off from international cricket however it is still not certain whether Akhtar would be considered for the six Tests in England or not since he has not played for Pakistan since May last year due to disciplinary and fitness problems and also underwent a knee surgery in England last year.
In terms of Shoaib Maliks inclusion into the team Afridi says that he has no issues with Malik and wanted to see the team selected on merit and to play their best when they go out into the field.
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