Former Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram said that ODI cricket could soon be extinct due to a lack of interest and relevance. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) have tried to spice up the format with the introduction of the ODI World Cup Super League as well as the reintroduction of the tri-series in the 2023-2027 Future Tour Programme (FTP) as well.
However, recently, England all-rounder Ben Stokes chose to retire from the 50-over format due to the immense workload. Meanwhile, ODI cricket has largely diminished after the emergence of T20 cricket and associated franchise cricket leagues all over the world as well. While admitting that ODI cricket feels highly stretched when compared to the T20 format of the game, Akram said on the Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club podcast: “It is quite tiring for a player to play one-day cricket. After T20, one-day cricket seems it is going for days. So players are focussing more on the shorter format. And longer format obviously [with] Test cricket.”
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However, the introduction of the World Cup Super League has unfortunately failed to help the format. It became more evident when South Africa chose to change the scheduled three-match ODI series against Australia for the introduction of a T20 league as well.
Citing the lack of interest in the ODI format in the majority of countries, Wasim Akram believes that the format should be scrapped altogether. On the other hand, the ICC still holds two flagship events in the ODI cricket in the form of the Cricket World Cup and the Champions Trophy as well.
“I think so. In England, you have full houses. In India, Pakistan especially, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, one-day cricket you are not going to fill the stadiums. They are doing it just for the sake of doing it. After the first 10 overs, it’s just ‘OK, just go a run a ball, get a boundary, four fielders in and you get to 200, 220 in 40 overs’ and then have a go last 10 overs. Another 100. It’s kind of run-of-the-mill,” Wasim Akram concluded.
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Notably, the phase after the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup will be crucial for ODI cricket. The focus will shift to the 50-over matches with the 2023 World Cup in mind, which is slated to be hosted by India as well.
