T20 Blast 2015: 'Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum to boost crowds'
Glamorgan skipper Rudolph says players love summer slog-fest
Thursday 14 May 2015 12:06, UK
Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum can take the T20 Blast to new heights in 2015.
That's the view of Glamorgan skipper Jacques Rudolph, who insists Gayle and McCullum - who will turn out for Somerset and Birmingham Bears respectively this term - can get punters flocking through the gates.
A lot of counties have made some big signings who will attract a lot more people to the ground so things are moving in the right direction.
Gayle, who plundered the maiden World Cup double hundred when West Indies played Zimbabwe earlier this year, has committed to a potential six-game stint at Taunton, while hard-hitting New Zealand skipper McCullum will figure in Birmingham’s final seven group-stage encounters.
"A lot of counties have made some big signings, with players like Gayle and McCullum coming to the circuit," said Rudolph, whose side made the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast last term.
"They will attract a lot more people to the ground so things are moving in the right direction and hopefully we can keep that momentum."
Franchise-style T20 tournaments have been hugely successful in other parts of the world, with India's IPL and Australia’s Big Bash League seeing the planet’s best players pit their wits against each other.
Rudolph reckons a similar model could be adopted in England in the future but says the T20 Blast is still pretty effective as it is and something cricketers relish performing in.
"I think down the line you have to potentially move to a Big Bash, IPL kind of tournament to get the crowd involved, but T20 cricket in England is always great," said Rudolph, who has also played county cricket for Surrey and Yorkshire.
"It's really exciting and most of the players really enjoy it - especially the bowlers, who can come and bowl just four overs! It’s a great format."
Rudolph plundered six fifties for Glamorgan in the T20 Blast last term, including 67 in the one-run quarter-final defeat to Lancashire at Old Trafford, while seamers Michael Hogan and Graham Wagg impressed with the ball, collecting 21 and 13 wickets respectively.
And even though the Welsh county have lost the services of James Allenby - the all-rounder has moved on to Somerset - Rudolph is adamant that the arrival of his countryman, Colin Ingram, can help them contend again.
"He has a lot of international experience, so we’re really looking forward to [what he can bring]," Rudolph added of Ingram, a man with three ODI hundreds to his name as well as nine T20 fifties.
Sky Sports' T20 Blast coverage begins on Friday with the clash between Nottinghamshire and defending champions Birmingham at Trent Bridge. The game is live from 6pm on Sky Sports 2 (channel 403).
