"How much will you change the game" - Aakash Chopra on the new 6ixty format in the West Indies

Aakash Chopra has questioned the introduction of 6ixty, a new T10 format of the game to be played in the West Indies.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced that the new T10 league will be contested by six men's and three women's teams. The tournament will be staged in St. Kitts and Nevis from August 24 to 28, ahead of this year's Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was slightly critical of the tournament, saying:

"Test matches used to be timeless, it was drawn once because a team would have missed their ship. Then came ODI cricket - that also went from 60 to 50 overs, then T20 came and now T10 has come. I mean how much will you change the game, the 6ixty is going to come. It is T10 with a twist."

The cricketer-turned-commentator had the following to say about a team getting all out if they lose six wickets:

"Cricket's fundamentals are that a team has 11 players and you need to get 10 players out to get the team all out. They said 10 players are too many for 10 overs, so we will make it shorter, get only six players out and the team is all out. 11 fielders will still be there on the ground, that's what I understand."

T10 games are generally heavily loaded in favor of the batters. However, the 6ixty rule of a batting team having only six wickets does even out the contest slightly.

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"This is very interesting" - Aakash Chopra on the 6ixty rule of a third powerplay over

Big hits are the norm in a T10 game

Chopra termed the additional powerplay over rule 'interesting', elaborating:

"This is very interesting that if any team hits two sixes in the first 12 balls, then you can unlock a third powerplay, you don't need to take that together but anytime till the ninth over. So you have an incentive to go big in the first 12 balls."

The 44-year-old feels teams bowling five overs at a stretch from one end is a sensible call. Chopra observed:

"Five consecutive bowlers to be bowled from one side, that means five overs from one end and then five from the other, which does make sense, that you are trying to save time. The over is still of six deliveries, not like The Hundred."

Chopra had slightly contrasting views on the slow overrate and 'mystery free hit' rules in the 6ixty. He explained:

"This is very good that in 45 minutes if you don't bowl your 10 overs, you will have to field with one less player in the last over. One more interesting thing is that you can create a 'mystery free hit', the spectators can decide that through a website or app. It will suddenly come on the big screen, the bowler will say what is his mistake."

The 6ixty has been introduced to further spread the game of cricket in the Caribbean. However, it could prove counterproductive if the tried-and-tested cricket rules are compromised and the game is made more complicated.