Darren Sammy, Shahid Afridi join Jos Buttler to criticise down-time heavy Natwest T20 Blast

New Delhi: Celebrated international Twenty20 players Darren Sammy and Shahid Afridi have criticised Natwest T20 Blast for tournament's once-a-week format.

Sammy, who led the West Indies team to World Twenty20 victory in India early this year, said "I want my six-pack again. I am probably going to have a set schedule to do some gym. Most of the time the first team is away during the week, so I'll get some training in with the second team. I'll probably visit London with my family, and get some net practice in."

His Hampshire team-mate Afridi -- another T20 star -- also echoed the same frustration. The former Pakistan captain said "England is my second home, I always enjoy my cricket here. But I've already talked to a few officials, that we should organise it and finish it in a month. It's not easy playing one game then a four-day game then another T20, but as a professional cricketer you can adjust yourself."

Earlier, explosive England wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler asked the organisers of the tournament to follow the Indian Premier League and Big Bash League.

"It's frustrating for the players and the fans that we don't have a competition like the IPL. It feels as if our domestic players are missing out. After all, we did create Twenty20, but we've not taken it on," the Mumbai Indian player said.

"Our teams don't have to have different names, but we should have fewer teams, and go with a Big Bash-style tournament. And if you hold it as a block, you're going to attract the best players," he added.

Hampshire played a double-header over the recent weekend, at home against Kent and then away against Glamorgan, but their next outing will be a trip to Canterbury on Wednesday, leaving a lot of down-time for the players to fill.

(With Agency inputs)