Caribbean all-rounder Andre Russell is one of the hottest property in the shorter formats of the game with his ability to change a game with both bat and ball. The West Indies man will be in action in the 2019 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League and he believes that the 10-over format could help cricket become part of the Olympics.
“It would be brilliant for cricket to become an Olympic sport and I know all players would love the opportunity of representing their country at an Olympic event,” said the 31-year-old.
Russell has been picked in the Northern Warriors squad in the third season of the Abu Dhabi T10 which will take place in the UAE capital between November 14 and 24.
He observed that the challenge in the T10 format is that a batsman has no time to get his eye in and needs to have a plan against every bowler in the opposition ranks.
“The T10 format is obviously shorter than T20 and batsmen have very less time to get themselves in. You have to really attack and go after the bowling from ball one, ” the Jamaican said.
“As a bowler and a fielding team, you have to really be on your game and plan well as you know the batsmen are looking to take you down every delivery.”
The World T20 winner also expects the Abu Dhabi T10 to gain prominence in the coming years.
“I am sure it will be a box office event. Abu Dhabi is a brilliant place to host the T10. It is a great place to tour as a player with a lot to do away from cricket culturally and the Zayed Sports City Stadium is an excellent stadium with brilliant facilities,” he said.
“Abu Dhabi seems to be attracting a lot of high profile cricket events and I am looking forward to getting over there.”
The eight team T10 League is the first ever internationally approved ten-over league. Kerala Kings are the current defending champions.
