MUMBAI: Two Indian cricketers, yesterday's star Javagal Srinath & and today's hero Yuvraj Singh, will be participating in the "The Brits" versus the "Rest of the World" first ever "indoor" cricket international to be played in England.
There will be more entertainment provided to the viewing public with Wales's Pop Idol star Jessica Gar-lick and West End singer Steve Balsamo joining top Asian band Stereo Nation as the off-field entertainment.
With no possibility of rain disrupting the proceedings, this latest "innovation" to be brought to the game, allows captains to make football style substitutions with match length being under five hours.
This format has each match consisting of four innings - two per side with each innings consisting of 15 overs - and captains have the luxury of making player substitutions to their 11-strong teams. For the first five overs of each innings only six fielders are permitted to be outside the field restriction area at the time of delivery. Batsmen will be offered 10-run incentives for any shots that land in the upper tier, eight for reaching the middle tier with a normal six for the lower tier.
The Brits, led by Nasser Hussain, will take on a Rest of The World Eleven led by New Zealand's Stephen Fleming. Players have drawn from virtually every test playing nation - India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand.
The complete telecast schedule is as follows:
Friday 4 October - Match 01 (Live) - 9:30 pm - 3:00 am
Saturday 5 October - Match 01 (Repeat) - 4 pm - 9:30 pm
Saturday 5 October - Match 02 (Live) - 9:30 pm - 3:00 am
Sunday 6 October - Match 02 (Repeat) - 4 pm - 9:30 pm
Peter Hutton, vice-president programming and events was quoted as saying in an official release: "This is a unique event and we wanted to be the first to bring this exciting concept to India. Cricket is something that is best enjoyed with little or no interruptions and with the indoor venue there will be no rain delays. In addition the tight packaging of each match into 4-5 hours of dynamite action will keep the interest alive with the youngsters and bring in even the casual observer in to the viewership net."
