On this week's Stumped with Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta, we speak to the self-proclaimed Universe Boss…Chris Gayle! The West Indies legend is the ambassador for a quirky new tournament called The 6ixty, which takes place in the Caribbean next week. We find out why we should be excited about a competition with some very peculiar new rules, including a mid-game fan vote on a free hit.  We also get the 42-year-old's views on the future of cricket, plus we'll find out how long he wants to continue playing for. IMAGE: Chris Gayle of West Indies looks on ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between West Indies and Sri Lanka at Sheikh Zayed stadium on November 04, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Gareth Copley-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

Chris Gayle: Introducing The 6ixty

The weekly cricket show from BBC Sport in association with ABC and  Akashvani.

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Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma are joined by not one, but two, former international cricket captains. England’s Sir Alastair Cook gives us his thoughts on Jimmy Anderson’s decision to retire and reflects on his career. He also shares if he was surprised by the timing of the decision. Plus with a new portrait of Cook being unveiled at the Lord's, he tells us what he really thinks of it. And we hear from former Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof who has announced her retirement from the game. She tells us why she has decided not to take part in the T20 World Cup later this year and also on her experience of balancing motherhood and cricket. Photo: Sir Alastair Cook and James Anderson pose with the Ashes urn as England celebrate winning the ashes after day four of the 5th Test match between England and Australia at The Kia Oval on August 23, 2015 in London, United Kingdom. (Credit: Getty Images)

Sir Alastair Cook on Jimmy Anderson's future after retirement

Alison Mitchell, Clint Wheeldon and Charu Sharma debate whose responsibility is player welfare? Is it the players themselves, coaches, individual clubs or their countries? This comes after former England captain Joe Root has called the domestic cricket schedule “not fit for purpose”. The Professional Cricketers’ Association has found 81% of players have expressed concerns about the physical toll of the fixture list.  Plus we are joined by Australian born Italian international Ben Manenti. He tells us how he was selected for the team, his dreams to play at a World Cup and the love of playing the sport alongside his brother. And we hear from France cricketer Poppy McGowan on allegations of “ghost matches” and players being banned by the national team for speaking out. She’s calling for the ICC to make their investigation public. France Cricket strongly deny the claims. Photo: Ben Manenti of the Redbacks appeals for lbw not given during the Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales at Karen Rolton Oval, on March 14, 2023, in Adelaide, Australia. (Credit: Getty Images)

Meet the Italian International who has never set foot in the country

With all 20 teams heading to the men’s T20 World Cup announcing their provisional squads, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma debate the surprise selections and noticeable omissions.  We are joined by the Chief Executive of Vanuatu Cricket, Tim Cutler who is currently in Dubai where the women’s team are playing in the ICC T20 Qualifiers. They made history by beating Zimbabwe who are ranked 18 places above them in the ICC rankings. Tim tells us how the women's team are Vanuatu's highest ranked sporting team... even better than their men's national football team! Plus we head to the theatre. We hear from Diane Page who has directed a play called Testmatch which centres around cricket, colonialism and corruption.  Photo: Vanuatu women's team bat against Uganda in a friendly match in Abu Dhabi. (Credit: Vanuatu Cricket Association)

The biggest sporting result in Vanuatu's history

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma debate who should be India's wicketkeeper for the Men's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and America. India have potentially seven options who could take the gloves. Rishabh Pant is the frontrunner after having a stellar season so far in the Indian Premier League for the Delhi Capitals, but he has not played for India since being involved in a car accident in December 2022, where he injured his knee. Other names to consider are KL Rahul, Sanju Samson and Dinesh Karthik. 
 
Plus, we speak to Adelaide Oval Head Curator Damian Hough who has been tasked with creating the pitches that will be used in America at the World Cup including the highly anticipated match between India and Pakistan. He shares his experiences of starting the process in Adelaide and details the plans transporting the pitches 2,000 kilometres from Florida to New York. And after Freddie Flintoff's sons are hitting the headlines in England for their cricketing skills, we look at cricketing families around the world and look at the pressure that brings.  Photo: Adelaide Oval Head Curator Damian Hough (Credit: Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions via Phil Martin)

From Australia to New York: The World Cup pitches travelling 17,000 kilometres

With less than fifty days to go until the Men's T20 World Cup, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma look at how some of the twenty teams are shaping up and ask what is the best way for players to prepare for a major international tournament? Is it game time in a league like the Indian Premier League? Is it a competitive series with your international team? Or should players have a break to make sure that they are fresh? We look at how some players are planning for the tournament.  Plus the 161st Wisden Almanack has been released and we speak to the editor Lawrence Booth. The five Cricketers of the Year are chosen by the Wisden editor, a tradition that dates back to 1889. Performances in the English summer are the major factor and no player can win the award more than once. He tells us about his selections and the reasoning behind them.  And we debate if the use of the Kookaburra ball in the English County Championship has been a success and discuss how the different balls compare around the world. Photo: Pandya celebrates after taking the wicket of Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai during the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between India and Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on October 11, 2023. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)

Chris Gayle: Introducing The 6ixty

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