Sir Viv bats for T20s
Mumbai: West Indies bating great, Sir Viv Richards had once feared that Test cricket will die down a slow death due to low turnout of fans but the advent of Twenty20 format has instilled a fresh lease of life into the game. "At one point, I felt that Test cricket was dying a death all around the world and especially in India. India was one of the front-runners where attendance at Test matches was the most you could find in the world. And that started to go down at a real pace," said Richards. "Ever since T20 cricket, it may be a shorter version of the game, but the name doesn't spell differently, it is still cricket. It has given cricket such a new lease of life. There are folks who like Test matches and there are folks, the new clientele, who obviously like T20 cricket, which I think is a great advantage for the game with the kind of followers," the legendary Antiguan said at an event here to felicitate the coaches from Mumbai. "All the administrators and governing bodies now realise that there should be a common understanding for an avenue for which they need the greatest format of the game if you need to understand the game itself, which is Test match cricket. You can't change that. Test match cricket, that is the universe in my opinion. The youngsters should understand the game at its fullest in terms of Test matches. When they are successful at that, then there is an avenue also where everyone can represent at IPl, the Big Bashes around the world and I guess you would have a magnificent combination," said the 61-year-old
Viru’s traffic sense
New Delhi: Virender Sehwag was to educate Delhiites on obeying traffic rules but it ended as a flop show as the ace cricketer was mobbed by newsmen following which he left the venue within minutes of his arrival. As soon as Sehwag and other cricketers Ashish Nehra and Naman Ojha reached India Gate, they were mobbed by newsmen who refused to budge even after repeated requests from police personnel and the players themselves. Nehra and Ojha boarded their cars and left the spot first and Sehwag followed suit after briefly speaking to reporters about the importance of observing traffic rules. "Whenever you see a person crossing the road through Zebra crossing, you should stop and respect the rule. Accidents can be reduced if we give importance to Zebra crossings. Traffic rules should be followed and one should not drive at high speed," said Sehwag.
PNS/Agencies