6IXTY – A New Format In Cricket?
Cricket always changes its playing formats. A new format after T20 is T10 which is called 6IXTY. A challenging format recently introduced and will be played on International matches soon.
August will have another cricket format. The West Indies cricket team (CWI) and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Wednesday June 22, 2022 unveiled a new 60-ball tournament. ‘THE 6IXTY’ in which Each team will have 60 balls and six wickets instead of 10 wickets. Each batting team will have two PowerPlay overs and they can unlock a third PowerPlay by hitting two sixes in the first 12 balls. Fans will vote for the timing of a ‘Mystery Free Hit’.
The 6IXTY was unveiled in a video message by West Indies opener Chris Gayle on Wednesday, June 22.
He stated “BRING IT ON! The 6IXTY—a brand new format that brings cricket fans even closer to the action,” an excited Gayle said in a promotional video. “It’s powerful, it’s fast, it’s my type of cricket.” “This revolutionary format will see brand new innovations that will change T10 cricket and make the game even faster-paced and action-packed,” the Caribbean Premier League said in a release.
Here are some of the rules of the new format according to reports
1) Every batting team has six wickets in place of ten in the other formats.
2) Batting teams can unlock a floating third powerplay over by hitting two sixes in the initial two-over powerplay.
3) Teams will bowl five consecutive overs without changing ends. There will be no switching of ends after each over.
4) If teams fail to bowl their 10 overs within 45 minutes, a fielder will be removed for the final six balls.
5) Fans will be able to vote for a mystery-free hit where fans can vote for a particular ball to be deemed a no-risk, dismissal-free delivery.
“It’s just about trying to generate excitement and interest. It’s like what’s going on with golf right now—you have to look at things through a different lens sometimes. This is about a totally new audience. We’re very much going after the younger generation,” CPL CEO Pete Russell told
The first edition of THE 6IXTY will take place from 24 to 28 August in St Kitts & Nevis at one of world cricket’s fastest scoring grounds – Warner Park. Future expansion plans of the 6IXTY include the potential of multiple events at different locations around the Caribbean and beyond.
This is a joint venture between Cricket West Indies and the Caribbean Premier League with the two organizations working closely together to create another world-class event.
Ricky Skerritt, President of Cricket West Indies, said:
“THE 6IXTY has come about because of a close collaboration between CPL and CWI which is the way forward. I am really excited about the innovation, excitement and entertainment that it is going to bring to the fans.”
Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO, said:
“This is a hugely exciting moment for both CPL and Cricket West Indies as we create a tournament that will see cricket fans brought closer to the game. There will be world-class men’s and women’s cricketers taking part in a fantastic event for the Caribbean and this combined with cutting-edge innovations, signals a great moment for all fans of West Indian cricket.”
The tournament saw the six men’s CPL teams and three women’s teams take part in the inaugural edition of the 6ixty, to be played in St Kitts from August 24 to August 28. The tournament was launched in association with Cricket West Indies, which became the first full-member board to create its T10 league. Although T10 leagues are not a new phenomenon, the 6ixty will be different than any other league as several new rules have been introduced for the inaugural edition of the competition.
The teams will be allotted just six wickets instead of ten; a floating third power play will be unlocked if the batting team manages to hit two sixes in the first two-over powerplay. The bowling team will be allowed to deliver five consecutive overs from the same end instead of changing ends after every over. Failure to complete the ten overs during the allotted time of 45 minutes will result in the removal of a fielder for the final six balls of the innings. The fans will also be involved in the games as they will be able to vote for a ‘mystery-free hit’.
“You’re going to get some people saying ‘this isn’t cricket’ but my view is that cricket is the most important element of it. It’s just about trying to generate excitement and interest. It’s like what’s going on with golf right now – you have to look at things through a different lens sometimes. This is about a new audience. We’re very much going after the younger generation,” CPL CEO Pete Russell told ESPNcricinfo.
We plan to do four a year, that’s the starting point: CPL CEO, Chris Gayle will be the ambassador for the 6ixty, and there will be international players available for the tournament. But the CPL CEO believes that the players will also like to play in foreign conditions, and they hope to stage the tournament in different countries in the future.
It is not the first T10 league — one was sanctioned by the International Cricket Council in the United Arab Emirates in 2017 and the European Cricket Network offers a vast number of competitions for European club and national sides — but it is the first by a full member of the ICC. Cricket West Indies and their partners in the Caribbean Premier League say it will “see brand new innovations that will change T10 cricket and make the game even faster paced and action packed”.The innovations include allowing each batting team just six wickets at which point they are all out, rather than the traditional 10.
Each batting team has two powerplay overs but they can “unlock” a third by hitting two sixes in the first 12 balls. The first 30 balls of an innings will be bowled from one end as five separate overs before the action switches to the other end for the final 30 balls. #hydsports #hydnews
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