Cricket West Indies unveils new tournament called 'The 6ixty'

St. Johns: Cricket West Indies' (CWI) decision to unveil a new tournament called 'The 6ixty' in August has split the cricket world with purists questioning the need for the new format.

West Indies legend Chris Gayle is a brand ambassador of the tournament. On Thursday (IST), CWI announced the new tournament on social media with a video of Gayle promoting the event. "New tournament, new rules. Here is The Universe Boss @henrygayle to take you through how THE 6IXTY takes the excitement to another level and you even closer to the action. #The6ixty #CricketsPowerGame #6ixtyCricket #CPL22," tweeted CWI.

The tournament will jointly be hosted by CWI and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). It will be in a T10 format and take place ahead of the new CPL season.

While the tournament is reportedly a version of T10 cricket, it will have several innovations, including the introduction of a 'mystery free hit', a report in mirror.co.uk said.

"Given the name, the tournament has drawn inevitable comparisons to The Hundred," said the report.

In the short video posted on social media, Gayle has described 'The 6ixty' as "my type of cricket", and termed it "a brand new format that brings cricket fans closer to the action".

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