The International Cricket Council (ICC) has dismissed a proposal to alter the One Day International (ODI) format from 50 overs to 40 overs. Furthermore, it has refused to make any modifications to the cycle of the World Cup and Champions Trophy.
According to the former chairman of New Zealand Cricket Martin Snedden, a discussion paper was presented at the ICC’s Annual Meeting in Durban last year wherein one of the focal points was the optimisation of the ODI format, Insidesport reported. During the meeting, there was a proposal put to shorten the 50-over matches to 40-overs as the latter was attracting less audiences, the report added. The proposal paper claimed that the matches should be played in a 40-over format in an attempt to revive interest among cricket enthusiasts in the ODI format.
As per the report, ICC ‘rolled their eyes’ and ignored to pay any heed to the proposal presented.
In the discussion, the proposal paper also mentioned how cricket fans are becoming less interested in ODI matches as T20, the shorter format games, gain popularity. While the prevailing sentiment is that ‘Test Cricket is dying’, however, it added that there remains a dedicated fan base for traditional red ball cricket.
What has been cricketer’s opinion on the 40-over ODI matches?
Earlier this month, Former Australian cricket team skipper Aaron Finch came in support of ODI matches be changed from 50-over to 40-over. “I think the game’s gone too long, in my opinion. In England, they used to have the pro-40 and that was a huge competition. The speed at which the teams bowl their 50 overs is so slow, it’s down around 11 or 12 overs/hour and that’s not acceptable. People will argue that maybe it’s a glorified T20 game but it’s about the crowds,” Finch had told ESPNcricinfo as quoted by India Today.
Last year in March 2023, former India chief coach Ravi Shastri had also said that ODI should be reduced to 40-over for it to survive.
“For One-day cricket to survive, I think it should be reduced to the 40-over game in future,” Shastri had said on day four of the fourth India-Australia Test in Ahmedabad on 12 March 2023, as quoted by news agency PTI. “The reason I say this is because when we won the World Cup in 1983, it was a 60-over (a side) game. Then the attention span of the people diminished and it became a 50-over game. I think the time has come for it to become now a 40-over game. Evolve with the times. Reduce the format,” Shastri had added.
In October, Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram too expressed his opinion that the ODI cricket should be limited to 40 overs in an effort to make it entertaining. “I have a problem with ODI cricket right now. Very rarely do you see nowadays in one-day cricket something interesting happen in those (middle) 30 overs. Just go to 40 overs … you’ll have more action during that period. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I think 40 overs would be more interesting, especially for bilateral series, Akram had said as quoted by Fox Cricket.com.
Sachin Tendulkar said that ODI was getting boring and predictable. “From the 15th to the 40th over, it’s losing its momentum. It’s getting boring,” he said as quoted by Fox Cricket.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More
Less
Published: 25 Feb 2024, 10:28 AM IST