After multiple cricket players and experts have discussed their points of view on gradually dying ODI cricket, the International Cricket Council has come to its defence. The ICC feels the idea that One-Day International Cricket will soon be discarded is wrong as nations are playing ‘healthy’ amount of 50-over cricket within 12 months.
The world’s cash-rich T20 tournament, the Indian Premier League, is to get a two-and-half-month window each year in ICC Future Tour Program 2023-27. Considering the point, Chief Executive Officer Geoff Allardice has confirmed that One-Day Internationals will not be affected despite franchise-based cricket occupying a major chunk of FTP.
Cricketers including Shahid Afridi, Usman Khawaja, and Wasim Akram have talked about how ODI Cricket is diminishing. Akram feels it should be scrapped as it is mentally and physically tiring for a player to stand all day.
Many have also discussed that since franchise-based cricket seems to be the future of modern cricket, fewer players and audience is attracted to the 50-over format. Afridi opined that the number of overs per innings should be reduced to 40, and former Indian coach Ravi Shastri backed his opinion.
We have seen India’s Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma taking a rest from the ODI series against West Indies. Also, Ben Stokes’ retirement from the format was the biggest shock to the country. Allardice, neglecting all views, assured that the fans would not see a significant reduction in the number of One-Day matches in the FTP.
His statements read,
“I think at this stage, there is some discussion, not specifically about ODIs, but about the mix of formats within the calendar. Countries have been, in their FTPs, are still scheduling a healthy number of ODIs as well. So in the FTP, I don’t think you’ll see any significant change to the number of ODIs or the proportion of ODIs as being planned,”
“Each of them has to manage that balance between domestic competitions, their international schedule, and the management of their players. Each of those boards is in a slightly different situation. So there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to that balancing issue,”
