Ashes `overkill` threat dismissed!

London: English cricket chiefs were forced to defend themselves from accusations of Ashes overkill yesterday after plans were announced for England and Australia to play 15 Tests against each other in 24 months.

England would be the hosts in 2013 before heading down under in winter 2013-14 to avoid a clash with Australias staging of the 2015 World Cup.

The 2017 Ashes in England would then be brought forward to the summer of 2015 to prevent a lengthy gap between meetings.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) marketing boss Steve Elworthy told the reporters: We want to break the cycle of the World Cup and Ashes arriving at once, get enough distance between the events, make sure the players have enough catch-up time and we want to protect the Ashes brand.

Its important to maintain momentum. Theres a huge resurgence for Test cricket right now, a massive wave of interest. With the home-and-away nature of the Ashes, fans will really have something to look forward to. Everyone wants to see the arch-rivals meet.

Cricket Australia and the ECB would both have to agree the proposals before they could be included in the forthcoming International Cricket Council future tours programme.

Bureau Report

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hayden names Bhajji ahead of Kumble in All Stars XI

NEW DELHI: Statistics indicate that Anil Kumble is the greatest spinner India has produced. But in his autobiography, Standing My Ground, former Australia opening batsman Mathew Hayden prefers Harbhajan Singh in his All Stars playing XI. "I have gone for the man who caused me the most trouble at the crease. He was an into-the-wicket spinner, using the sharp revolutions he put on the ball to get bite off the wicket and cause problems. His doosra was a priceless weapon," writes Hayden, explaining why he selects Harbhajan as the second spinner of his team alongside Muthiah Muralitharan, and ahead of Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori and Saqlain Mushtaq. "Harbhajan brought an intensity and controversy to the contest that put bums on seats. There was a real 'game on' feel to anything he was involved with. He could be impetuous at times and he could make you feel impetuous. But I'd still pick Harbhajan for his super skills." Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and...
Keep reading

England fast bowlers Shahzad and Tremlett to fly home

LONDON: England fast bowlers Ajmal Shahzad and Chris Tremlett are flying back from Australia after being injured in the one-day series. Shahzad needs treatment on a hamstring problem and Tremlett has a side strain, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on its website (www.ecb.co.uk) on Wednesday. The 25-year-old Shahzad has been picked in the squad for the World Cup starting this month while Tremlett, 29, is viewed as cover for the 50-over tournament. Spinner Graeme Swann (back injury) and all-rounder Tim Bresnan (calf problem) flew back from Australia last week. Shahzad and Tremlett were sidelined on Wednesday when Australia went 5-1 up in the seven-match one-day series, reaching a target of 334 to beat England by two wickets in Sydney.
Keep reading

'World Cup is not about Sachin alone'

MUMBAI: There's this thing about Kapil Dev. Just when you start thinking he's clueless about the conversation going around him, he comes up with a comment so forthright that he leaves you thinking about what he just said. On Wednesday afternoon, when six former World Cup-winning captains gathered at a promotional event in south Mumbai to speak about the upcoming quadrennial event, a similar thing happened. "Why Sachin?" he thundered, when asked how important this World Cup was for Sachin Tendulkar. "It's an insult to everybody else if you keep asking about Sachin all the time. Winning the World Cup is as important to the rest of the team as it is to Sachin, to you and me and the billions who want India to do well. It's not about Sachin alone." Until then, it had seemed like Kapil was busy soaking in what his contemporaries - Clive Lloyd, Allan Border, Imran Khan, Arjuna Ranatunga and Steve Waugh - had just said. At that moment though, he...
Keep reading