Sky launches International Sixes League

After running a successful Sixes League for the county circuit, Sky Sports is now set to introduce an International Sixes League which will feature the top ten six-hitters in Test matches, one-day internationals and Twenty20 games in each calendar year.

Adam Gilchrist, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shahid Afridi, Andrew Flintoff, and Kevin Pietersen, all of them with a compulsive preference for the aerial route, are likely to feature in the maiden list to be unveiled this weekend on Cricket AM, Sky Sports' new programme. The league's first standings will take into account the number of sixes hit since January 1, 2006.

"Everyone loves to see big hitting and with more aggressive cricket being played at all levels, it seems only right to keep track who's hitting the most sixes in international cricket," said Barney Francis, executive producer for Sky Sports' cricket. "I'm sure cricket fans across the world will be fascinated to find out who really is the biggest hitter of the year."

Taking over from the highly popular Soccer AM's slot from 9 to 10.30am for 12 weeks during the summer, starting on May 20, Cricket AM will seek to entice new fans while trying to keep the already committed ones sufficiently enthused. A host of celebrities will demystify the game and add to its entertainment value. Flintoff himself is scheduled to appear every week on the programme where he will try out a new sport each time, from golf to darts.

Having signed a four-year deal with the ECB, Sky Sports has exclusive coverage of English cricket, which includes not only coverage of 60 live county matches but also international cricket played in England during the period. The ECB signed the deal with Sky in October 2005 amid protests that the board was interested primarily in the money aspect and that the deal would be "hugely damaging for cricket".