Cricket 365 live stream 2021: T20 Strike League postponed due to NT lockdown
The Northern Territory’s snap Covid lockdown has hit the T20 Strike league for six, postponing the tournament for 72 hours. The competition is streamed live on News Corp websites.
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The Northern Territory’s snap Covid lockdown has hit the T20 Strike league for six, postponing the tournament until at least Thursday.
Darwin, Palmerston and Katherine were placed in 72-hour lockdown on Monday after a positive case was detected in the Territory.
The order has brought a temporary halt to the Strike League, which started its T20 competition on Sunday night and was scheduled to run 13 matches in 13 days, all streamed live on News Corp websites.
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The news is a massive blow for the country’s rising stars, many of whom have spent the southern winter in the top end honing their game to ready themselves for domestic tournaments over the summer.
The Cricket 365 program has already held a successful one-day tournament and Top End series between a Cricket Australia XI and Territory representative side.
But the T20 Strike League was to be a feature given the participation of so many players on the cusp of higher honours.
T20 STRIKE: WATCH THE REPLAY OF CYCLONES AND BLAZE IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
Covid has already had an effect on the tournament, with Melbourne’s current lockdown preventing Big Bash League teams the Stars and Renegades from travelling to Darwin.
Strike League officials had remained hopeful the Stars and Renegades could still head to the top end to take part in the second week of matches if Melbourne’s restrictions had been lifted at midnight on Thursday.
But Monday’s announcement that Melbourne’s lockdown would be extended for another two weeks scuttled those hopes, while the Territory’s own lockdown means the Strike League schedule for the Desert Blaze, City Cyclones, Northern Tide and Southern Storm will have to be rejigged - if the competition is able to go ahead at all.
A four-wicket haul from captain Tom Andrews and classy half-century from Gold Coast recruit Hugo Burdon helped the Blaze to a win in the opening match of the tournament on Sunday night.
The Tide and Storm had been scheduled to play on Monday night but with Darwin going into lockdown at noon, that game did not proceed.
Rising Tasmanian star Mac Wright has even the most experienced pundits convinced he has what it takes to make it at the elite level.
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Already a fixture in Tasmania’s shield team and the Hobart Hurricanes’ Big Bash side, Wright has knuckled down in the Northern Territory over the winter, working on his game with the pay-off coming in the form of domination of the Strike League one-day batting standings.
Playing for the Southern Storm, Wright scored 369 runs from six innings in the limited overs competition at an average of 73.8 with a high score of 116.
On Monday night, the all-rounder will lead the Storm into their opening T20 Strike League match against the Northern Tide, a game that will be live streamed on News Corp websites.
Cyclones coach Tony Judd, a former Scotland cricket mentor, said Wright was now making sure his work ethic matched his natural ability and backed him to succeed on the highest stage.
“He’s got a future, there’s no question about it,” Judd said.
“I’ve seen enough players in my time to know when you get somebody who has special ability.
“He probably hasn’t taken that chance as fully as he would have liked so far in his career but he’s certainly at that stage now where he’s really doing all the right things to press for consistent opportunities at a higher level.
“He’s a player that’s come up here to really (do the work to ensure he has) a regular berth in the Tasmania set-up and all the reports going back to Tasmania about him will be very, very good.”
Wright is also the Storm captain and Judd said the 23-year-old’s presence on the field was a boon for his young teammates.
“He’s a sensational leader. Calm, collected, great knowledge and from a coach’s point of view, you just let him go,” Judd said.
The presence of Wright, along with the likes of former Sydney Thunder spinner Arjun Nair, local keeper Michael Kudra and Gold Coast all-rounder Josh Kann, whose efforts in the top end this winter have helped him earn a Hurricanes contract for Big Bash 11, make the Storm favourites over the Northern Tide in their opening T20 Strike League clash on Monday night.
But the Tide have plenty of weapons of their own, including NSW gun Jason Sangha, opener Isaac Conway and Queensland young gun Noah McFadyen and cannot be counted out.
“The Tide have been a bit of an enigma, they’ve got a quality list of players, like Jason Sangha, and really haven’t shown that so far in the one-day series but they’ll be dangerous,” Judd said.
“T20 cricket, one bad over or one really good over can flip the game and win the game.”
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