England’s T20 Blast format too long, says Sammy with Afridi

London, June 8 (IANS) The West Indies T20 skipper Darren Sammy has echoed concerns by players and officials about the elongated format of England’s NatWest T20 Blast.

Sammy has lamented the duration of the tournament, which runs for nearly three months, saying the wait between matches can be "frustrating," reports CMC.

His comments reflect the sentiments of his Hampshire teammate Shahid Afridi and come on the heels of similar criticisms from England cricketer Jos Buttler and remarks of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chairman Colin Graves, who denounced the NatWest T20 Blast as "mediocre".

"It’s a difficult tournament, at least three months, it’s long,” Sammy told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday.

"It can be frustrating playing one or two games every weekend. It’s Twenty20, you’ve got to be playing it fast."

Sammy and Afridi both played in Hampshire’s double-header over the recent weekend, at home against Kent and then away against Glamorgan.

However, the players have a lot of time on their hands since their next fixture will be in Canterbury on Wednesday.

“I’ve already talked to a few officials, that we should organise it and finish it in a month,” said Afridi.

“It’s not easy playing one game, then a four-day game, then another T20, but as a professional cricketer you can adjust yourself.”

Sammy, an all-rounder from St. Lucia, captained the West Indies to victory in the 2012 and the 2016 World T20.

“I am probably going to have a set schedule to do some gym,” said Sammy.

“Most of the time the first team is away during the week, so I’ll get some training in with the second team. I’ll probably visit London with my family, and get some net practice in.”