IAN CHAPPELL
Asian silver-medallist If money speaks all languages, Sumit Sangwan (91kg) and then in recent times it’s become former junior world champion fluent in cricket chat. The lure of Nikhat Zareen (51kg) were lucre is influencing most deciamong eight Indian boxers to sions on the game; the adminismake the finals, while five others trators are infatuated by the botsettled for bronze in the 56th Beltom line and many of the players grade International Tournament — underpaid by their country — in Serbia. Sumit defeated seek the ample riches of the T20 Greece’s Vagkan Nanitzanian, circuit. while Nikhat out-punched SerThe IPL set the pattern with bia’s Nina Radovanovic for a lucrative contracts for not only unanimous 3-0 win. star players but also some of varying standards and skill sets. This set off an explosion in T20 leagues and they’re now popping up like daisies in the sunshine, as boards look to capitalise on the latest cricketing fad.
While it’s understood that large amounts are required to run the game in professional era, there also needs to be a balance between player satisfaction and entertainment value. The advent of an inaugural T10 league in the UAE and the English Cricket Board’s plan to launch a T100 tournament in 2020 should trigger player concerns regarding that balance. The English plan to have a 100 ball-a-side league, appears to have been done without much consultation with the players. The question then arises — just as it did during the limbo craze — How low can you go?”
At what point will it be decided the number of deliveries that constitute an innings isn’t enough to satisfy the desires of all eleven players? Where does natural evolution end and plain greed and overkill take over?
For around a century, the balance was probably too much in favour of player satisfaction. The Test match fulfilled the needs of
HOCKEY TEAMS WIN
BANGKOK: The junior Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams continued their fine run at the Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers as they advanced to the finals of their respective categories here on Saturday. The junior men’s team defeated Bangladesh 9-2, while their women counterparts beat Malaysia 4-2 in their lastfour stage match.
TEJASWIN SETS RECORD
NEW DELHI: India’s rising high jump star Tejaswin Shankar has set a national record, scaling 2.29m to better his previous mark of 2.28m achieved while winning the title at the Federation Cup athletics meet held at Patiala in March.
The Delhi jumper, who trains in the US, achieved the new standard while representing Kansas University in the Texas Tech Corky/crofoot Shootout competition in Lubbock on Friday. Tejaswin Shankar cleared 2.29m in his first attempt, finishing way ahead of the competition. Landon Bartel of Nebraska was second at 2.11m with Trey Culver of Texas Tech University third.