Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has raised concerns over the future of ODI cricket, predicting that the 50-over format could gradually lose its place as cricket’s international calendar becomes increasingly crowded. The rapid expansion of franchise T20 leagues and the growing number of T20 internationals have created significant pressure on the cricket calendar.

With teams and players facing increasingly demanding schedules, Ponting believes ODI cricket could be the format that suffers most as more space is given to T20 cricket. Ricky Ponting admitted that he does not like the direction in which the sport is heading but accepts that changes may eventually be unavoidable.

“As the months go by and the years go by and more and more T20 cricket is being played and more franchises and franchise tournaments are starting around the world, it’s more and more likely that 50-over cricket is probably going to be played less. It’s inevitable, which I’m not a huge fan of, to be honest.”

ALSO READ: Joe Root Backs Kevin Pietersen’s England Return As Specialist Mentor

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has already taken steps to make ODI cricket more competitive and relevant. Among the changes is the adjustment to the two-new-ball rule, designed to give bowlers greater assistance during the innings. The ICC is also reportedly exploring more multi-team bilateral-style contests involving three or four nations to provide greater context to matches outside major tournaments.

However, Ricky Ponting does not believe Test cricket faces the same level of uncertainty. He expects the longest format to remain an important part of international cricket as long as major nations continue to prioritise it.

“I love playing that format of the game, but something’s got to give somewhere. Test cricket is still going to remain strong as long as India, Australia, England and probably South Africa want Test cricket to remain strong.”

ALSO READ: Ashish Nehra Gives Verdict on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s 2027 World Cup Chances

Ricky Ponting believes the increasing dominance of T20 cricket could ultimately make ODI cricket the most vulnerable format. “It will. So something’s got to give. And the obvious one is 50-over cricket.” With the international calendar continuing to expand, the debate over ODI cricket’s long-term future is likely to become increasingly important.