Alarm Bells Should Be Ringing - David Lloyd Worried About IPL's Reign Over International Cricket
Former England coach David Lloyd asserted that the international scene is being disrupted by the Indian Premier League (IPL). His statements came after a few South African Test players opted to choose the IPL over playing for their country.
South Africa is slated to play a 2-match Test series against Bangladesh at home. The schedule clashes with that of the IPL, leading Cricket South Africa (CSA) to let the players choose their preferred place to be.
Last week, the players who have IPL contracts, unanimously agreed to head over to Mumbai for the league instead of wearing the whites. Speaking about the same, Lloyd said the international schedule has been disrupted by the IPL.
“The alarm bells should be ringing. Already, South Africa’s full attack is not available for upcoming Tests against Bangladesh; and New Zealand have 12 men ruled out of selection versus Afghanistan. Make no mistake, the IPL is disrupting the traditional international programme,” he wrote in his column for The Daily Mail.
“Joe Root is turning into one of the modern greats” – David Lloyd
Lloyd went on to praise England Test captain Joe Root, who has been in the form of his life since 2021. Root continued to score hundreds, this time against the West Indies in the 3-match Test series.
“Root is turning into one of the modern greats. What makes him so good? He plays it late. Every top player I have known played the ball very close to their body and that is what Root does. He almost has a signature shot — he lets the ball come right in and glides it down to the third man, where most teams don’t have a fielder,” Lloyd wrote.
The 2nd Test between England and West Indies is all set to end up in another draw as the pitch at the Kensington Oval came under scrutiny.
