Former Australian player Tom Moody is a very popular figure when it comes to franchise cricket. The all-rounder, currently in Dubai, is the director of cricket for the Desert Vipers, who finished runners-up in the opening edition of the DP World ILT20 here.
Ahead of the second season of the league, the veteran Aussie feels the team is well prepared this year to go the distance. “We feel our recruitment process has been robust and we are going into the tournament with a lot of confidence and with a feeling that we will play till the last game and hopefully win,” said Moody, during an interaction at the ICC Academy here.
Though franchise cricket leagues are coming up all around the world, there is still a big gap among them.
Talking about the same, Moody said, “This league is still very much in its infant stage. But the standard here is very good. Obviously, the IPL is the premium franchise league and it is very hard to match the quality and the standard that is displayed there.”
With more and more players opting for T20 cricket , questions have been raised over the future of other forms of the game like Tests and ODIs, but Moody believes the red-ball variety will stay.
“We have seen so many wonderful Test matches and series in recent months. It’s there to stay, although many playing nations will find it difficult to sustain a full calendar for Test cricket purely because of the number of franchise events that is going around the world. But at the end of the day if you ask any young player breaking through international setup, their prized achievement will be to play Test cricket,” felt the Aussie.
With cricket now being played round the year, workload balance has become the most crucial aspect. Asked how he would have managed his career had he been an active player now, Moody stated, “I have never played T20s, but it would have suited the way I played. I think my priority would always be representing the country and having success at the highest level. But to have the option at some stage in your career to play franchise cricket is a very privileged position to be in.”