Will this be the last ODI World Cup?

[Bewal Express]

An interesting article from Mike Atherton in the Times suggested that ODI cricket has pretty much reached the end of the line with no interest in the game from players, administrators or fans. If that is the case, will we have another WC?

 

[ahmadharis1]

No

The back to back T20 world cups pushed to the focus to that format for the past 4 years and teams didn't play as many ODIs. Things should get back to usual now that we're mostly clear from the COVID backlog

 

[jnaveen1980]

This is the only format we can have a meaningful world cup. Someone suggested have ODI just for world cups. But that is not possible. You need practice. T20 can be restricted to leagues and play only world T20. No need of bilateral T20s.

 

[mominsaigol]

I think the issue was too many t20 tournaments being organised.

With champions trophy I'm 2025 and world cup in 2027, I think we are fine.

2024 will be t20 heavy yes until the cup but after that, I believe interest will return to odi.

Covid 19 prevented odi's because sides didn't want to play long formats. Now it's back to normal.

Also I don't think the interest is dying. Their is alot of hype for this cup, India is just being a poor host. Host this cup in SENA and the hype will be real.

Bright times will come after these dark times so no need to worry. Journalists will be journalists, aka spreading doubt.

Players don't play 2nd string sides because they've lost interest lol, they do so to cultivate and properly groom youngsters in preparation for the next cup.

T20 is overrated, this faze of t20 obessesion will die out.

 

[Statpadder Inc]

No chance, the odi world cup is the biggest trophy in the sport and that's where legacies are cemented.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

No! World Cup won't be the last one but yeah that ODI cricket will likely become restricted to World Cup events only in the future.

 

[mominsaigol]

No! World Cup won't be the last one but yeah that ODI cricket will likely become restricted to World Cup events only in the future.

It won't, t20 acceleration happened due to covid causing sides to not play odi in that period and 2021 and 2022 t20 world cups literally being held a year apart.

With 2025 CT and 2027 wc, it'll be back to normal. T20 will be more popular due to franchise but we will see a rise in odi tours and odi games.

 

[Stewie]

I hope it is. 50 over cricket is a dying format and its dragging the world of cricket down. The world of cricket would benefit a lot more from a more refined test championship and a proper international calendar for T20 cricket (whether internationals or franchise leagues)

Having so many international championships dilute the imoportance and value of it all. They should do T20 world cup every three years or so. Nobody cares much for over cricket anymore.

 

[MMHS]

ODI WC will remain at least till 2035, however ODI is loosing its character because ICC has made it just an extended version of T20.

Even if takes 8-9 hours to finish, I believe ODI still will be the most popular format of cricket if it’s unique character is allowed to return.

I don’t think many watches ODI cricket just to see the bang, bang slogged boundaries on small grounds; rather an ODI is exciting when there is a balance between bat & ball - there is some opportunities for bowlers as well which should make ODI batting stats meaningful. These days 45/90 is probably bare minimum for a decent batsman, ideally it should come down to like 35/73 (250 par score).

I enjoyed ODIs of 1990s as much as Test cricket, if not more because I could watch every facets of the game in an ODI - proper innings building, quality shots with timing & placement, exciting fast bowling, proper flighted spin, edged catching (catches behind batsman), cunning running between wickets, wicket keeping (instead of 1st baseman’s job) and come backs against odds - either by a penetrative spell or a grand partnership.

Make ODIs exciting with a balance between bat & ball - I believe actually it’ll kill T20s.

 

[Stewie]

I hope it is. 50 over cricket is a dying format and its dragging the world of cricket down. The world of cricket would benefit a lot more from a more refined test championship and a proper international calendar for T20 cricket (whether internationals or franchise leagues)

Having so many international championships dilute the imoportance and value of it all. They should do T20 world cup every three years or so. Nobody cares much for "50" over cricket anymore.

corrected

 

[Stewie]

ODI WC will remain at least till 2035, however ODI is loosing its character because ICC has made it just an extended version of T20.

Even if takes 8-9 hours to finish, I believe ODI still will be the most popular format of cricket if it’s unique character is allowed to return.

I don’t think many watches ODI cricket just to see the bang, bang slogged boundaries on small grounds; rather an ODI is exciting when there is a balance between bat & ball - there is some opportunities for bowlers as well which should make ODI batting stats meaningful. These days 45/90 is probably bare minimum for a decent batsman, ideally it should come down to like 35/73 (250 par score).

I enjoyed ODIs of 1990s as much as Test cricket, if not more because I could watch every facets of the game in an ODI - proper innings building, quality shots with timing & placement, exciting fast bowling, proper flighted spin, edged catching (catches behind batsman), cunning running between wickets, wicket keeping (instead of 1st baseman’s job) and come backs against odds - either by a penetrative spell or a grand partnership.

Make ODIs exciting with a balance between bat & ball - I believe actually it’ll kill T20s.

that is absolutely correct. They are just trying to make 50 over cricket an extension of T20 cricket and thats how its treated by teams as well. Which is why I think its needless. Why would you want to spend an entire day to watch, what is simply an extended version of a 3 hour game?

ODIs need a lot of innovation to regain their niche status and popularity but I think it will never happen due to the fact the cricketing world is moving more and more towards the instantaneous forms such as the 100 and T10.

 

[Rajdeep]

ODIs need to go back to its original format.

1 new ball, field restriction only in 1st 15 overs where 2 fielder's allowed outside and if possible play it in red balls.

It just feels like an extended T20s now.

 

[Major]

T20 international needs to finish and be made only league format. World T20, Olympics etc can exist.

But ODI should be played international

 

[mominsaigol]

I agree, besides t20 cups, t20 otherwise should be framchise only.

Focus only on odi, bring back the old rules for odi as well.

No more halwa 40 averages for medicore players.

 

[Stewie]

T20 international needs to finish and be made only league format. World T20, Olympics etc can exist.

But ODI should be played international

Will never happen, thats the cash cow. less time, more attraction, more sponsors, more money. The powers that be will never let it happen.

But they could try new things in the ODIs to make them more meaningful. there are a number of things that can be done, split innings, reduced overs (maybe consider going down to 30 or 35 overs) field restrictions, one ball, etc, etc.

 

[mominsaigol]

Honestly bringing back the old rules for odi is enough, just have proper tours, 2 t20 + 5 odi + 3 tests.

No more of this 5 t20 match series drama

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Athers pushing another disingenuous argument just like all the "experts" . One set of standards for Test cricket. Quite another for white ball cricket.

 

[Bewal Express]

I think the WC may have a future but the ODI game has no reason to exist. But this is just the start, it won't be long before test cricket outside the Ashes and a couple of marquee series will cease to have any meaning. South Africa have pretty much given up on test cricket and with the ODI game dying, and bilateral T20s having no value, what will become of the International game

 

[sweep_shot]

No. I don't think so.

ICC has already scheduled 2027 World Cup (South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia) and 2031 World Cup (India and Bangladesh).

 

[Stewie]

I think the WC may have a future but the ODI game has no reason to exist. But this is just the start, it won't be long before test cricket outside the Ashes and a couple of marquee series will cease to have any meaning. South Africa have pretty much given up on test cricket and with the ODI game dying, and bilateral T20s having no value, what will become of the International game

Test cricket has alarmingly lost a lot of popularity in Pakistan as well. Just look at stadium attendance. Even our board does not prioritize test cricket much.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

No but its not long until it happens imo

I mean do top players even play domestic list A cricket anymore?

Here in England the List A series is at the same time as 100. It's so irrelevant that a county even gave a contract to Anwar Ali to play it.

It won't be long until this effect is felt in international cricket. The players from the bigger nations that can support Test Cricket - India, Aus and England will focus on these two formats.

There is also a strong test culture in South Africa ( amonst the purists and whites) but that too will fade soon ( it kind of has already).

Basically I think in the next couple of cricket cycles we will see the weaker boards like PCB, BCB, WICB and SLCB prioritise one day and t20.

Conversely the stronger boards will prioritise Test and T20.

We will therefore have a couple of more world cups but they will be non events compared to the world cups of the past.

 

[Bewal Express]

Athers pushing another disingenuous argument just like all the "experts" . One set of standards for Test cricket. Quite another for white ball cricket.

Test cricket has alarmingly lost a lot of popularity in Pakistan as well. Just look at stadium attendance. Even our board does not prioritize test cricket much.

I think cricket at the international level is in big trouble. The ODi game is almost done, T20 Bilateral has no value, and Test cricket is of little value to spectators in Stadiums. So outside WCs what is of value

 

[Bewal Express]

No but its not long until it happens imo

I mean do top players even play domestic list A cricket anymore?

Here in England the List A series is at the same time as 100. It's so irrelevant that a county even gave a contract to Anwar Ali to play it.

It won't be long until this effect is felt in international cricket. The players from the bigger nations that can support Test Cricket - India, Aus and England will focus on these two formats.

There is also a strong test culture in South Africa ( amonst the purists and whites) but that too will fade soon ( it kind of has already).

Basically I think in the next couple of cricket cycles we will see the weaker boards like PCB, BCB, WICB and SLCB prioritise one day and t20.

Conversely the stronger boards will prioritise Test and T20.

We will therefore have a couple of more world cups but they will be non events compared to the world cups of the past.

But T20 bilaterals have no value. The memory of these fade quicker than franchise cricket. They are seen as a developmental thing, but for what end goal. Only WCs?

 

[Stewie]

I think cricket at the international level is in big trouble. The ODi game is almost done, T20 Bilateral has no value, and Test cricket is of little value to spectators in Stadiums. So outside WCs what is of value

No I think there are certain markets where test cricket is still thriving. England, Australia, NZ, India etc still draw crowds. Even WI pull in crowds for test cricket but we dont. one would think after cricket came back to pakistan, people would show up in throngs but they did not. I just dont think our people have the taste for test cricket anymore.

Test cricket still will live and thrive in the few countries that enjoy it. Internationally speaking T20 is also a pretty big draw even for bilateral ones. Its the ODIs that are becoming listless. Of course a packed calendar does not help either. too much saturation drives the fans away.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I think cricket at the international level is in big trouble. The ODi game is almost done, T20 Bilateral has no value, and Test cricket is of little value to spectators in Stadiums. So outside WCs what is of value

The problem is the double standard. There is absolutely no interest in Test cricket outside of the Big 3 playing each other whereas ODI cricket can still draw crowds when given context. Heck, even without context, we saw good numbers for ODI's in India, relative to Tests and even just before IPL.

 

[saqib.rai]

No. I don't think so.

ICC has already scheduled 2027 World Cup (South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia) and 2031 World Cup (India and Bangladesh).

2027 ODI WC will definitely take place as there are bilateral ODI series scheduled till 2027.

But the incoming MCC President had advised the ICC and member boards to not schedule bilateral ODI series after 2027 ODI WC. Which means in 2031 ODI WC there will be players playing on test/t20 performance. And would have not played ODIs for 4 years.

So yeah, I don't see ODI WC happening after 2031.

 

[heddie19]

This is the only format we can have a meaningful world cup. Someone suggested have ODI just for world cups. But that is not possible. You need practice. T20 can be restricted to leagues and play only world T20. No need of bilateral T20s.

Absolutely agreed. ODI=TEST >> T20s for me.

 

[ChTab]

It's not going to be last ODI WC but I expect teams to play even less ODI's before next WC.

 

[Bewal Express]

The problem is the double standard. There is absolutely no interest in Test cricket outside of the Big 3 playing each other whereas ODI cricket can still draw crowds when given context. Heck, even without context, we saw good numbers for ODI's in India, relative to Tests and even just before IPL.

As I said International cricket itself is in big trouble. Football has strong domestic leagues that have long histories, cricket has franchises that have no grounds and very short histories and the playing staff changes every year. With that context, no one will find anything to get loyal to. Fans support players more than teams.

 

[Bewal Express]

No I think there are certain markets where test cricket is still thriving. England, Australia, NZ, India etc still draw crowds. Even WI pull in crowds for test cricket but we dont. one would think after cricket came back to pakistan, people would show up in throngs but they did not. I just dont think our people have the taste for test cricket anymore.

Test cricket still will live and thrive in the few countries that enjoy it. Internationally speaking T20 is also a pretty big draw even for bilateral ones. Its the ODIs that are becoming listless. Of course a packed calendar does not help either. too much saturation drives the fans away.

Test cricket is strong in England but as you know cricket amongst the masses is dying, so how long before the tap becomes dry. SA has decided to voluntarily euthanise than the game, PK has few supporters in grounds and NZ has even less. Ind has support but most people prefer the shorter franchise games.

 

[FreakCricket]

Get rid of 50 overs introduce T40, two innings perside with no breaks in b/w

 

[Bewal Express]

Get rid of 50 overs introduce T40, two innings perside with no breaks in b/w

Not the worse idea.

 

[Markhor]

The cricket writer Jarrod Kimber has done a video with the very same title on this. Look people have written obituaries for ODIs ever since the inception of T20.

The reality is the boards will stop playing ODIs, not because of scheduling pressures or for any cricketing reasons, but once it no longer becomes an attractive product to the broadcasters who bankroll the game. Kerry Packer once said he preferred ODIs to T20s because they could run more ads.

If the 50 over World Cup continues to generate income, why would any of the Boards dependent on ICC inflows agree to disband ODI cricket ? It's like turkeys voting for Christmas. Unless they have a "T20 Champions Trophy" or something to replace it.

Test cricket is a different story because outside a select group of nations, it's a loss maker hence why we see the likes of SA, NZ, SL, PAK and WI playing fewer and fewer Tests.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

As I said International cricket itself is in big trouble. Football has strong domestic leagues that have long histories, cricket has franchises that have no grounds and very short histories and the playing staff changes every year. With that context, no one will find anything to get loyal to. Fans support players more than teams.

This may be true but CSA 20 had very good audiences in the recent season.

So much so that CSA don't want to play international tours during that time.

When the West Indies toured for Tests in SA they were playing in empty stadiums.

On the other hand , when Australia toured for ODIs recently, the matches on weekends and particularly the series decider had a large, vocal crowd .

This situation where Test cricket may be more popular than ODI cricket is true in England. But it has always been true in England. It's not a new phenomenon.


I'm pretty sure a bilateral ODI series would have more attention in most other places than a Test tour

Look at the audience for the 1st ODI for NZ tour of Pakistan. This was after PSL and NZ were without their stars who were playing IPL.

It was still at least 4-5 times the crowd the NZ Test matches brought.

What Athers and Mark Nicholas and others are pushing is a very Anglo-centric view.

If they apply the same standards for all formats , it's bilateral Test series and WTC that should be binned.

All talk about bilateral ODIs and ODI World Cups can happen after that.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

But T20 bilaterals have no value. The memory of these fade quicker than franchise cricket. They are seen as a developmental thing, but for what end goal. Only WCs?

Value for you and I is different to value in the eyes of corporates, markets and advertisers.

 

[Bewal Express]

Value for you and I is different to value in the eyes of corporates, markets and advertisers.

Maybe, but you can feel with the sidelining of ODIs to end of season or even changing the Ashes to accommodate a pointless 100 ball

 

[Technics 1210]

Watch “Death of a Gentlemen”

https://watch.amazon.co.uk/detail?g...e04be&territory=GB&ref_=share_ios_movie&r=web

The death of Test and ODIs is firmly blamed on BCCI. The documentary also exposes the corruption of BCCI.

 

[shah9425]

No
This is real format of cricket and there will be more odi WC for sure
Need to restrict t20 cricket instead

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Naaa... ODI cricket is getting a bit boring now, 7 hours a day sitting front of ur TV is way too much these days! atleast for me.

 

[mominsaigol]

Naaa... ODI cricket is getting a bit boring now, 7 hours a day sitting front of ur TV is way too much these days! atleast for me.

That's how it's always been. Also 2019 final is probably the best final that has been played for a world cup lol, and that's the latest world cup before the current one commences.

People are overreacting due to the thoughts of a journalist. I've seen these types of comments Day in and day out.

T20 is a slog fest with not much innovation. Yes stronger sides usually win, but theirs more skill in odi. Odi is still my favourite format and always will be.

After covid 19, sides didn't want to risk a full odi or test due to covid obviously and many tournaments got delayed and pushed back.

Covid had us play 2 t20 cups 2021 and 2022 in a row. So many sides obviously didn't bother playing odi cause t20 was on the line.

We have 2025 champions trophy and 2027 world cup on the line. Odi cricket is going to fine.

Problem with odi isn't the lack of it, it will return and interest isn't dying down, trust me I live in a country that is obsessed with cricket, fans go wild for the Ashes or any odi or t20 that Australia plays.

Odi ain't going anywhere.

The issue is the rules, the bazzball 400+ onslaught need to stop. Due to this new powerplay nonsense and 2 new balls, idiots like imam are averaging 50.

Go back to the old and make it hard to score, and you'll get a good game of cricket.

Aussies love the test format more then anything, believe me ik, as well as odi cups. They enjoy odi cups no matter how many times they win lol, even though winning for aus shouldn't be as big a deal anymore as it should be for other teams considering they rarely win even if 3 decades go by lol.

 

[mominsaigol]

2027 ODI WC will definitely take place as there are bilateral ODI series scheduled till 2027.

But the incoming MCC President had advised the ICC and member boards to not schedule bilateral ODI series after 2027 ODI WC. Which means in 2031 ODI WC there will be players playing on test/t20 performance. And would have not played ODIs for 4 years.

So yeah, I don't see ODI WC happening after 2031.

Wasim khan looked at what the MCC president said and said nothing is being removed.

The opposite is happening, post 2027, he's looking for solutions to balance odi with the abundant amount of t20 cricket.

He's seeking to find balance, not end it for t20 lol.

 

[Ab Fan]

T20 international needs to finish and be made only league format. World T20, Olympics etc can exist.

But ODI should be played international

Lol, that's what I said a year back. T20 internationals should be shelved but most on this forum disliked the view because of their obsession with every suggestion being IPL influenced.

 

[deltexas]

Test cricket is sustainable only in Aus Eng India. All other nations should stop playing as its just not viable financially. Even in Pak test cricket is dead as also in SL. And ODI's are dying too and this coming from a guy who used to watch full 5 days test cricket in the 90s 9 the ( the India vs Aus 2001 test series was a classic as was the 99 test series vs Pak). The masses prefer T20s. The cricket forums represent less than 1% of the general masses . WC ODI will survive I guess a for a little while due to the context and it being a WC. But yeah whetehr we like or not - T20 is the future and the only way to spread the game

 

[saqib.rai]

Wasim khan looked at what the MCC president said and said nothing is being removed.

The opposite is happening, post 2027, he's looking for solutions to balance odi with the abundant amount of t20 cricket.

He's seeking to find balance, not end it for t20 lol.

Eventually bilateral series cannot be influenced by ICC, MCC, Wasim Khan or anyone EXCEPT the respective boards.

There isn't viewership for ODI bilateral cricket anymore. Broadcasters don't pay good money to televise it. Crowds are mostly non existent.

So obviously different boards would stop scheduling bilateral ODI cricket eventually now that they have MCC backing as well. They can't do that to test cricket as they compete in the WTC. So many boards like PCB take the easy route and schedule only 2 match series.

 

[mominsaigol]

Eventually bilateral series cannot be influenced by ICC, MCC, Wasim Khan or anyone EXCEPT the respective boards.

There isn't viewership for ODI bilateral cricket anymore. Broadcasters don't pay good money to televise it. Crowds are mostly non existent.

So obviously different boards would stop scheduling bilateral ODI cricket eventually now that they have MCC backing as well. They can't do that to test cricket as they compete in the WTC. So many boards like PCB take the easy route and schedule only 2 match series.

We'll have to see and wait on what they do after 2031, it's still a while away

 

[saqib.rai]

Watch “Death of a Gentlemen”

https://watch.amazon.co.uk/detail?g...e04be&territory=GB&ref_=share_ios_movie&r=web

The death of Test and ODIs is firmly blamed on BCCI. The documentary also exposes the corruption of BCCI.

I am a Pakistani cricket fan but have to say, have not watched such a biased and one-sided documentary in my whole life.

When cricket fans want to watch more of t20 cricket, who are there 2 jobless sports journalists to say that test cricket should be given more priority? Let the people decide what they like/dislike.

Also, India is bringing 80% to 85% of the total revenue of ICC events through broadcasters and sponsorship. So its natural for them to ask for atleast 35% to 40%.

 

[deltexas]

Eventually bilateral series cannot be influenced by ICC, MCC, Wasim Khan or anyone EXCEPT the respective boards.

There isn't viewership for ODI bilateral cricket anymore. Broadcasters don't pay good money to televise it. Crowds are mostly non existent.

So obviously different boards would stop scheduling bilateral ODI cricket eventually now that they have MCC backing as well. They can't do that to test cricket as they compete in the WTC. So many boards like PCB take the easy route and schedule only 2 match series.

Its all about financial viability. SA was a test cricket champion till financial reality hit and they now drastically cut the number of tests they play. ODI's will eventually atleast bilaterals will die out for T20s. Maybe it ill be a 2 or game T20 series and a solitaary ODI game

 

[Technics 1210]

I am a Pakistani cricket fan but have to say, have not watched such a biased and one-sided documentary in my whole life.

When cricket fans want to watch more of t20 cricket, who are there 2 jobless sports journalists to say that test cricket should be given more priority? Let the people decide what they like/dislike.

Also, India is bringing 80% to 85% of the total revenue of ICC events through broadcasters and sponsorship. So its natural for them to ask for atleast 35% to 40%.

Did you listen to the interviews in the doc?

The issue is not about fans wanting to watch T20 over Tests/ODIs, the issue is about BCCI influence.

It was BCCI that pushed the ICC to end the Champions Trophy after 2017 because T20 was gaining popularity and the aim was to have a T20 tournament each year, sounded fair at the time, but after losing the CT17, it was the same BCCI that forced the ICC to reintroduce the CT in 2025.

BCCI can bring in all the money it wants, but it does not command which tournaments should end, start, or survive.

 

[Nasty Naz]

The death of ODI WC might be a bit too premature because they still make tons of money but hard to see ODI bi-laterals continuing. They just don't generate much interest or make money. Maybe we'll see ODI bi-laterals the year WC is happening but not outside of it which would help out with the scheduling issues teams & players are facing.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

If cricket needs to grow, it needs T20.

Once China, USA and Japan become good at it in T20, the growth would be exponential.

 

[Justcrazy]

No this will not be last WC. This format will not finish so soon. If Test Cricket remains , OD will also remain.

 

[happydavy]

No chance, the odi world cup is the biggest trophy in the sport and that's where legacies are cemented.

Do the new gen players care about legacy? In the new world legacy is defined by how much money you have earned, which comes by playing T20 league cricket. Look around yourself in any industry, do you find many youngsters for whom the benchmark for success is anything other than money? The war is already lost, cricket boards are just taking extra time to realise it. The only thing that's stopping league cricket to completely take over is that as of now leagues need NOC from the home boards. It's a matter of time before one of the rich leagues will decide it is ready to accomodate players without NOCs and the floodgates will open.

 

[saqib.rai]

Did you listen to the interviews in the doc?

The issue is not about fans wanting to watch T20 over Tests/ODIs, the issue is about BCCI influence.

It was BCCI that pushed the ICC to end the Champions Trophy after 2017 because T20 was gaining popularity and the aim was to have a T20 tournament each year, sounded fair at the time, but after losing the CT17, it was the same BCCI that forced the ICC to reintroduce the CT in 2025.

BCCI can bring in all the money it wants, but it does not command which tournaments should end, start, or survive.

This was NEVER mentioned in the documentary. BCCI is not as powerful as you think- it cannot dictate whether or not to scrap a tournament.

BCCI didn't want the t20 World Cup to take place in 2007 but were outvoted. BCCI wrote to the ICC to ban any team harbouring terrorism in the 2019 WC but again the ICC refused.

ICC does have a lot of BCCI influence but it is subtle- BCCI cannot decide solely of what tournament/s will be scrapped or not.

 

[saqib.rai]

If cricket needs to grow, it needs T20.

Once China, USA and Japan become good at it in T20, the growth would be exponential.

The ICC needs to have a rule preventing expatriates to play. The Hong Kong, USA, Canada, UAE teams are a joke. Bunch of flop South Asian cricketers flocked together

 

[JattMaula]

This will probably be the last meaningful one.

Top teams already play JAODIs as an afterthought. Minnows will follow.

ODI WC survives because it's competition, the T20 WC isn't respected yet and last 2 were marred by COVID delays.

 

[Stewie]

This was NEVER mentioned in the documentary. BCCI is not as powerful as you think- it cannot dictate whether or not to scrap a tournament.

BCCI didn't want the t20 World Cup to take place in 2007 but were outvoted. BCCI wrote to the ICC to ban any team harbouring terrorism in the 2019 WC but again the ICC refused.

ICC does have a lot of BCCI influence but it is subtle- BCCI cannot decide solely of what tournament/s will be scrapped or not.

BCCI wanted themselves banned?

How stupid!

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Reduce ODI World Cup to 8 teams. Top 6 + 2(from qualifiers) . Make it shorter and more competitive . Basically, ODI's should become the new Tests. Most boards will be happy with that.

8 teams from World Cup should play ODI Super League Divison One in bilateral/trilateral series and next 6/8 should form Division 2 . Bottom 2 from division 1( at halfway mark) should play qualifiers with division 2 at the end of the Super League and Top 2 from that qualifies for the next World Cup and will form part of next CWC cycle's Division 1.

A team can easily play 6 away( 2 series of 3 matches each) and 6 home ODI's in a year. There's enough space in the calendar for that.


This would give meaning to bilateral ODI's and there will always be something at stake.

Disband WTC (and Test nation status) and let boards determine when and where they want to play Test cricket, if at all.


Make T20 World Cup once every 4 years and expand teams in that format

Only way all 3 formats might survive.

 

[RexRex]

Athers pushing another disingenuous argument just like all the "experts" . One set of standards for Test cricket. Quite another for white ball cricket.

The blatant dishonesty is hilarious. ODIs are the most heavily attended format in the subcontinent & most other places whereas Test Cricket is dying everywhere and yet Atherton pretends it is ODIs that are dying.

Another dishonest clown like Nasser Hussain.

 

[Executioner]

We are having this discussion because of so-called pundits who find it so much easier to praise test cricket and T20 cricket, the former to appeal to the elitist and the latter because they want to be a part of the T20 cash cow.

The reality is that ODIs still are pretty popular throughout, at least here in the subcontinent. You can check the numbers. The 2019 WC were all pretty much sellouts.

Now let me tell you where some of the major issues lie:
1) No moderation in the number of bilateral T20Is. There should be a limit to the number of bilateral series of T20Is, it is just unnecessary and should be like played occasionally (maybe 3 series a year per team) and to Olympics, commonwealth games, Asia cup and ofcourse WT20 which should be arranged in 4 year cycles not every other year. I mean, we had a WT20 in 2021, in 2022, and we have one in 7 months from now - like come on.
2) Many of you mentioned here that ODIs has become an extension of T20Is. It is tbh. I quite enjoyed the matches in SL where 250-260 seemed like competitive scores. 300 should be a winning score pretty much but we are seeing 350 being chased down often. The pitches need to be more balanced as we generally see in tests. ODIs should not be an extension of T20, it should require you to anchor, to build innings, play out tough phases and accelerate at the end. Sure these things do happen but its like bang bang throughout the innings. Also the rules should change. You have 10 overs of PP where you have only 2 fielders outside - make it 3. And between 11th to 40th over, 5 fielders should be allowed outside. Field restrictions and pitches are key factors. Few mention the two new ball aspect - which I do agree but two new balls are problematic when the above two elements are not looked.
3) World Cup should have more teams. Zimbabwe WI Scotland are some teams that should be making it into the WC. Now pundits might say "hey WI wasted their chance". Why should WI be put in such a position where a bit of poor cricket will keep them out of participating in a WC itself? 10 team WC is not a WC, rather a glorified CT that lasts far longer than it ever should

People have been talking about removing ODIs for a while but not enough people really care. Cricket is a professional sport which is possible only for casual viewers. ODI WC is the pinnacle of World Cricket.

Test cricket is hardly watched. Outside the big 3 no one cares about test cricket. It is not sustainable. ODI cricket needs to be preserved.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

The blatant dishonesty is hilarious. ODIs are the most heavily attended format in the subcontinent & most other places whereas Test Cricket is dying everywhere and yet Atherton pretends it is ODIs that are dying.

Another dishonest clown like Nasser Hussain.

On weekends, ODI's have good attendances even in most SENA countries. Tests are given the best slots in the summer - Boxing Day, New Year's and then pitted against ODI's held at random times and against random opponents and then they are compared. And then you have "experts" saying things like ODI's are dying because nobody cares. All that sophistry to find evidence for an argument for which they already determined an answer.

ODI's are dying because boards are hell bent on killing it. Using ICC revenue(from white ball cricket) to start a Test match fund is Ather's idea of doing the right thing.

 

[Cric1234]

T20 World Cup needs to be changed to T20 champions trophy there was 2 in 2 years that’s not a World Cup ODI should remain the same World Cup every 4 years and will make money when it’s played which means it’s here for some time yet.

 

[Stewie]

The blatant dishonesty is hilarious. ODIs are the most heavily attended format in the subcontinent & most other places whereas Test Cricket is dying everywhere and yet Atherton pretends it is ODIs that are dying.

Another dishonest clown like Nasser Hussain.

Actually you are wrong and he is right. ODIs are dying. And test cricket is still producing meaningful contests and is alive and kicking in the countries where most of the revenue is generated. ODIs are not as heavily attended as T20s

 

[saqib.rai]

We are having this discussion because of so-called pundits who find it so much easier to praise test cricket and T20 cricket, the former to appeal to the elitist and the latter because they want to be a part of the T20 cash cow.

The reality is that ODIs still are pretty popular throughout, at least here in the subcontinent. You can check the numbers. The 2019 WC were all pretty much sellouts.

Now let me tell you where some of the major issues lie:
1) No moderation in the number of bilateral T20Is. There should be a limit to the number of bilateral series of T20Is, it is just unnecessary and should be like played occasionally (maybe 3 series a year per team) and to Olympics, commonwealth games, Asia cup and ofcourse WT20 which should be arranged in 4 year cycles not every other year. I mean, we had a WT20 in 2021, in 2022, and we have one in 7 months from now - like come on.
2) Many of you mentioned here that ODIs has become an extension of T20Is. It is tbh. I quite enjoyed the matches in SL where 250-260 seemed like competitive scores. 300 should be a winning score pretty much but we are seeing 350 being chased down often. The pitches need to be more balanced as we generally see in tests. ODIs should not be an extension of T20, it should require you to anchor, to build innings, play out tough phases and accelerate at the end. Sure these things do happen but its like bang bang throughout the innings. Also the rules should change. You have 10 overs of PP where you have only 2 fielders outside - make it 3. And between 11th to 40th over, 5 fielders should be allowed outside. Field restrictions and pitches are key factors. Few mention the two new ball aspect - which I do agree but two new balls are problematic when the above two elements are not looked.
3) World Cup should have more teams. Zimbabwe WI Scotland are some teams that should be making it into the WC. Now pundits might say "hey WI wasted their chance". Why should WI be put in such a position where a bit of poor cricket will keep them out of participating in a WC itself? 10 team WC is not a WC, rather a glorified CT that lasts far longer than it ever should

People have been talking about removing ODIs for a while but not enough people really care. Cricket is a professional sport which is possible only for casual viewers. ODI WC is the pinnacle of World Cricket.

Test cricket is hardly watched. Outside the big 3 no one cares about test cricket. It is not sustainable. ODI cricket needs to be preserved.

ODIs are not popular anymore. Stop kidding yourself
Did you see the crowd turnout when England played Australia in November 2022 for a 3 match ODI series.

More people in a test match in Karachi then there were in MCG

 

[160KPH]

It’s hard to say for certain what will happen after the World Cup, but my fear is that we go towards a period where the only thing that will matter is

1) T20 leagues because of how well they pay players.

2) Some very specific test series like The Ashes and India vs Australia as it satisfies the purists and it seems that test cricket has maintained its popularity to a much greater degree in England/Australia.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

ODIs are not popular anymore. Stop kidding yourself
Did you see the crowd turnout when England played Australia in November 2022 for a 3 match ODI series.

More people in a test match in Karachi then there were in MCG

That was played immediately after World T20

 

[saqib.rai]

It's simple guys

After 2027, there won't be any bilateral ODI series. The MCC has vouched for this and so now the different boards can go along with this proposal without carrying the tag that they finished ODI cricket.

See we don't live in a vacuum. We live in a world where individuals/countries operate by self-interest. So try being practical for a second, which many people in this forum never are.

2031 ODI World Cup will be the last time ODI cricket is played. And it's fine. Boards earn more money by arranging t20 series instead and with the calendar heavily packed by different leagues, scrapping ODI cricket makes sense.

This would increase the value of the t20 world cup. Plus cricket will be made part of the Olympics so that there are 3 world competitions in 4 years.

Tests matches will survive as The Ashes is significant for Australia and England. Other boards barring India would only schedule 2 match test series to play test cricket and take part in WTC. And the gap in test cricket between the top 3 and others would increase even more.

 

[Executioner]

ODIs are not popular anymore. Stop kidding yourself
Did you see the crowd turnout when England played Australia in November 2022 for a 3 match ODI series.

More people in a test match in Karachi then there were in MCG

You are cherry-picking a few instances which might very well be exceptional.

The turnout for test cricket is low. Sure in Australia people don't watch a lot of ODIs. In England, the stands are filled irrespective of the format. But India, Pak, BD is where 97% of the cricket crazy public reside, use that as the benchmark for ODI vs Test popularity

 

[saqib.rai]

That was played immediately after World T20

Would there have been more people attending if it was a t20 series? Be honest

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Actually you are wrong and he is right. ODIs are dying. And test cricket is still producing meaningful contests and is alive and kicking in the countries where most of the revenue is generated. ODIs are not as heavily attended as T20s

Actually, you have nothing to back that up.

Test matches cost upwards of $ 500,000 per match just for HawkEye alone. Let us look at Sri Lankan board's broadcast rights in the 2020-2023 period. Sony Pictures offered them around $ 22 million. But $11 million or so was contingent on 6 white ball matches when India toured (3 ODI's and 3 T20I's).

So, basically, if that tour didn't go ahead , their entire 3 year cycle would have been worth only $ 11 million. SLC don't make any money from hosting 6-7 Test matches a year. These are clear losses. 21 Test matches in 3 years would cost them their entire broadcast rights deal( sans India white ball tour)

So, it makes more sense for them to play ODI's and T20's to maximise profits and re-invest in their cricket not hold useless Test matches like Pakistan Tests which are 100 % loss-making.

A 2 Test tour by Pakistan will cost them at least a million dollars for Hawk-Eye alone and won't make them any money. A 3 match ODI series, may not only make more money than Tests but at the very least cut their costs by 70 %.

This is the exact scenario for West Indies, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan with the possible exception when India or England tour these nations because enough people in India/England will be bothered to watch their Test sides tour even these nations.

Only the Big 3 are able to profit from Test matches but that also only from each other mostly and that's why they play big 4/5 Test series against each other.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Would there have been more people attending if it was a t20 series? Be honest

Australia is a Big 3 nation. They barely got crowds for the World T20 even if you watched that. Apart from India games and home team games, did you see any crowds there? Because I didn't. So why would they watch random T20 series? Test matches get the prime slots in the summer (holiday season) when its almost a ritual for Aussies to go and watch the games because cricket is a summer sport.

But apart from England and Australia, there is absolutely no evidence that Test matches are thriving anywhere else. They are much worse off than ODI's.

An ODI series/tri-series has not been played even in Australia where it is the main event of the summer. When that happens, then we can compare.

Mind you, even back in the day , ODI tri series had more people watching than random Test tours in Australia. Watch the audiences for India/PAK tours of Australia 1999 and then watch C&U final in Sydney.

Only the Ashes used to get bigger crowds than the tri series

 

[saqib.rai]

Australia is a Big 3 nation. They barely got crowds for the World T20 even if you watched that. Apart from India games and home team games, did you see any crowds there? Because I didn't. So why would they watch random T20 series? Test matches get the prime slots in the summer (holiday season) when its almost a ritual for Aussies to go and watch the games because cricket is a summer sport.

But apart from England and Australia, there is absolutely no evidence that Test matches are thriving anywhere else. They are much worse off than ODI's.

An ODI series/tri-series has not been played even in Australia where it is the main event of the summer. When that happens, then we can compare.

Mind you, even back in the day , ODI tri series had more people watching than random Test tours in Australia. Watch the audiences for India/PAK tours of Australia 1999 and then watch C&U final in Sydney.

Only the Ashes used to get bigger crowds than the tri series

What's your point man? The data that the broadcasters have shows very few people are watching ODI cricket. That is why now broadcasters are demanding ICC and MCC to not schedule ODI bilaterals after 2027. These experts like Atherton are on the broadcasters pay-cheque so now are writing articles to build public perception.

Whatever you have written is your observation but data shows otherwise.

I agree with you, but at the end of the day, public support/money/sponsors/broadcasters win. And that is pointing towards no more ODI Cricket bilaterals after 2027 and no more ODI WC after 2031.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

What's your point man? The data that the broadcasters have shows very few people are watching ODI cricket. That is why now broadcasters are demanding ICC and MCC to not schedule ODI bilaterals after 2027. These experts like Atherton are on the broadcasters pay-cheque so now are writing articles to build public perception.

Whatever you have written is your observation but data shows otherwise.

I agree with you, but at the end of the day, public support/money/sponsors/broadcasters win. And that is pointing towards no more ODI Cricket bilaterals after 2027 and no more ODI WC after 2031.

Who said the data said that? Any source? And does the same data show that Tests have more numbers than ODI's in all countries? Atherton is an English broadcaster who works for Sky Sports. I already said this may be true for England. But don't extrapolate that to other countries where this is not true at all.

 

[SalimBhai]

I miss the old school 50-50. One ball, bigger boundaries, juicier wickets. More people outside the circle

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Alright, Alright Interesting discussion.

First of all, if anyone decides to read on, please, please understand that you need to remove any of your favourite formats, opinions, nostalgic opinions on what formats are best and what formats are "real cricket" and what formats you think are "fake circus cricket". Instead we need to work with the Reality. Forget about comparing the 1990s populatriy of cricket formats to now, even things have hugely changed since 2016 vs now.

Heres what I have to say. At the moment, ODI Cricket is based on a 4-year cycle, where at the end of the cycle, ODI WC is played (lets work around this). Rest of the time, ODI Bilaterals are played. Basically at the moment, ODI cricket has no meaning, no purpose, no valuable context except for the ODI WC which is approx. one month long and a Champions Trophy, half a month long approx. So for a 4-year cycle, ODI cricket has no value except for a month and half out of 4 years. Is that sustainable? No, Not at all. Any sport or competition etc. that has that low value would be, should be removed. Bilaterals, Asia Cup are useless, please I dont want to debate on that.

In Addition, because of the rules, short boundaries, huge bats, no ball, two balls at each end and all the other problems faced in LOI cricket, this causes for ODI to be an extended version of T20, with all the bashing, scores of 400, 350 made by bread and butter.

So at the moment, 1. The balance and 2. The value of ODI cricket has significantly declined/ been lost. So if ODI cricket continues this way, then yes, I do think there is a good chance that 2023, or 2027 will be the last ODI WC. Or maybe 2031 since that is offically part of the ICC schedule program. But to be honest I don't really care about that, what I care about is reviving ODI cricket, yes even after all the things I said.

Its quite simple. The current cycle where only 1month and half out of a total of 4 years of ODI cricket is meaningful is not sustainable so what do we do? Literally just reverse those numbers. Make almost every single month out of the 4 years of ODI cricket meaningful (that is when ODI cricket can be played).

And the solution to that is simple:

- Remove the ODI WC after 2023 (so 2023 is the last ever ODI WC), make T20 World Cup the World Cup of Cricket. In shock, you may be asking but why? Because T20 cricket is the most valuable format of cricket whether you think its real or fake cricket. Again, we need to remove our biases for formats. T20 Cricket is the only format that has potential to expand to new global teams, and other reasons I wont go into detail. Except for the fact that people need to realise that T20 Bilaterals, although they have no value and purpose also, they have popularity. So T20 can survive as friendly/ bilateral matches

- Make the T20 WC the same years as the ODI WC was, so 2023, 2027, 2031, so that it doesn't collide with the FIFA World Cup and Euros. The T20WC needs to be global.

- So what now with ODI? As a replacement for ODI WC, have an ODI World Championship, that spans a 2-year cycle. ODI World Championship will be division 1, the most valuable trophy in international cricket, and will consist of 13 teams. Everyone plays everyone, (except series that cant happen like Pakistan vs India, please no debates on this). After each 2 year season of the ODI world Championship, the bottom 2 teams, 13th and 12th place are relegated to Division 2, and 11th will play a 3-match relegation play-off vs 3rd placed team from division 2. Every single ODI series is 3-matches only, regardless of whether its India vs Aus, Pakistan vs Nepal, from now on, every single ODI series can nly be 3-matches, nothign else

As for the top, after the 2 year cycle ends, the top four teams will qualify for the World ODI Championship Finals, which are 3-match series of semi finals (1st vs 4th, 2nd vs 3rd), and a 3-match final.
The top 8 teams of WODI Champsionhip qualify for the next champions trophy, this is how champions trophy can be used effectively by giving an opportunity to smaller teams to win silverware.

- Remove ODI rankings, as that has no use, and I mean it, you cant have two standings of WTC and Test rankings and WODI championship and ODI rankings!! Its confusing.

- Play the World ODI Championship in even years, meaning 2024 - 2026, 2026 - 2028 etc. so that the WTC finals isnt played in the same year as T20WC. Make Champions Trophy every 2 years (obviously) and play it the year before the WODIC finals of the current season

- So what else do I have to say:

So take a deep breath...

Remove Test Cricket completely or reduce the number of teams in the WTC, and the teams that are not part of the WTC are to be removed of Test Status forever. Why? Because Test Cricket is the format really dying more than ODI cricket. Stop looking at Test cricket based on Ashes, India vs Australia, how about look at Test Cricket based on West Indies vs Sri Lanka, or Pakistan vs Bangladesh or even Pakistan vs England, where empty seats were everywhere.

Stop looking at the test crowds in England and Australia, have a look at the test crowds in Pakistan, West Indies. Have a look at the "iconic" boxing day test match crowd for Aus vs South Africa last year, see how many empty seats there were for that series, in Australia too

I dont want to explain further, but Also hardly anyone has time to thoughtfully sit on the couch and what 5 consecutive days of ~8 hours of sports, all year round.

Another also, there is straight up discrimination in the points system, scheduling in this WTC, the teams dont even play the same number of matches, how stupid can we get?
And also, T20 Franchise is expanding, less space for test cricket, more room for WODI Championship and T20 Franchise, because T20 Franchise is already knocking on the door.

I would personally remove Test Cricket altogether, but if you want to reduce the teams of WTC, then only have teams where Test cricket has at least a reasonable amount of interest from fans in that country, e.g attendance for test matches. And that brings you down to the following Nations:

1. England
2. Australia
3. India
4. South Africa
5. One of New Zealand or Sri Lanka

And thats it. Finally no WTC Final, world doesn't have time for that, whoever is on top at the end of the 2 year cycle wins. All 6 of those teams plays each other with the same number of matches, either every series should 3-match series or 4-match series. No more bilateral Tests also

The other aspect is to bring the balance of the game back, but Im not going to go into detail on this, many other posters can tell you and have said in the past

Sorry that I am such an annoying spammer, I guess Im "passionate" on this stuff

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Cricket News | ICC

Official source of ICC Cricket news, highlights, match reports, commentary, live scores, fixtures, videos and photos. Top stories, team rankings and more.

www.icc-cricket.com

My final post on this topic. Even ICC's own research in 2018 shows that interest in formats is

T20I's - 92 %
ODI's - 88 %
Tests - 70% ( highest in England - 86%)

ODI's have been purposely marginalised to accommodate WTC. That's all there is to it.

Apart from being a seriously loss-making format, it has the least interest among cricket fans.

Basically, the WTC was started as an excuse to help support Test cricket and the resulting shrinking space for ODI's has been used to justify an attempt to cull the ODI format.

It's a circular argument. But since a respected figure like Athers is saying this....

 

[Technics 1210]

This was NEVER mentioned in the documentary. BCCI is not as powerful as you think- it cannot dictate whether or not to scrap a tournament.

BCCI didn't want the t20 World Cup to take place in 2007 but were outvoted. BCCI wrote to the ICC to ban any team harbouring terrorism in the 2019 WC but again the ICC refused.

ICC does have a lot of BCCI influence but it is subtle- BCCI cannot decide solely of what tournament/s will be scrapped or not.

BCCI were not as powerful as they were in 2007 as they are today.

I never said scraping the CT tournament after 17 was in the doc, that doc was from 2012 I think.

 

[JattMaula]

Cricket News | ICC

Official source of ICC Cricket news, highlights, match reports, commentary, live scores, fixtures, videos and photos. Top stories, team rankings and more.

www.icc-cricket.com

My final post on this topic. Even ICC's own research in 2018 shows that interest in formats is

T20I's - 92 %
ODI's - 88 %
Tests - 70% ( highest in England - 86%)

ODI's have been purposely marginalised to accommodate WTC. That's all there is to it.

Apart from being a seriously loss-making format, it has the least interest among cricket fans.

Basically, the WTC was started as an excuse to help support Test cricket and the resulting shrinking space for ODI's has been used to justify an attempt to cull the ODI format.

It's a circular argument. But since a respected figure like Athers is saying this....

This actually shows me that ODI are done for.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

This actually shows me that ODI are done for.

How?

 

[saqib.rai]

Who said the data said that? Any source? And does the same data show that Tests have more numbers than ODI's in all countries? Atherton is an English broadcaster who works for Sky Sports. I already said this may be true for England. But don't extrapolate that to other countries where this is not true at all.

I agree with you. But Australia, England and India will never allow test cricket to vanish.

The calendar is packed so something has to give. That will be scrapping of bilateral ODIs from 2027 and ODI cricket altogether after 2031 WC

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I agree with you. But Australia, England and India will never allow test cricket to vanish.

The calendar is packed so something has to give. That will be scrapping of bilateral ODIs from 2027 and ODI cricket altogether after 2031 WC

I know that. But the justification given by these "experts" is a joke. ODI's did not die organically and you have to do some real mental gymnastics to justify it even then.