Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels that ODI cricket should be scrapped entirely with growing popularity of the T20 version, with Test cricket being to stay.
Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain and a fast bowling great, feels that the 50-over international game should be scrapped completely with depleting interest among the spectators. Akram, who was the leading wicket-taker in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup winning campaign, which included a Player of the Final performance against England, and later led the side in the 1999 edition wherein they’d finished the runners-up, remarked that ODI cricket has become “run-of-the-mill”.
“I think so (ODIs should be scrapped). 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,”
he was quoted as saying on the Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club podcast.
“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”
Questions over ODI-cricket’s future have somewhat escalated after England Test captain Ben Stokes announced his retirement from the format earlier this week, having stated that playing across the three versions had become “unsustainable” for him.
Stokes’ call comes with the next ODI World Cup in India just a year away, and three years after he’d played an integral part in England’s maiden title win in 2019, with a Player of the Match performance in the final at Lord’s. Akram admitted that it was sad seeing the 31-year-old quitting ODIs so early but agreed with the call.
“Him (Stokes) deciding that he is retiring from one-day cricket is quite sad but I agree with him,”
he added.
Akram was the most capped ODI player (356) and the leading wicket-taker (502) in the format at the time of his retirement in 2003 and remains one of the only two bowlers with 500-plus ODI wickets till date, alongside Muttiah Muralitharan (534).
“Even as a commentator … one-day cricket is just a drag now, especially after T20. I can imagine, as a player. 50 overs, 50 overs, then you have to pre-game, post-game, the lunch game.”
Akram has coached various T20 sides in franchise cricket, including his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and those with Islamabad United, Multan Sultans and most recently Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League.
The renowned expert and commentator further stated that One-Day cricket “is dying”, with Test and T20 formats being the much-followed formats in present times.
“T20 is kind of easier, four hours the game is over. The leagues all around the world, there is a lot more money – I suppose this is part and parcel of modern cricket. T20 or Test cricket. One-day cricket is kind of dying.
“It is quite tiring for a player to play one-day cricket. After T20, one-day cricket seems to be going for days. So players are focussing more on shorter format. And a longer format obviously (with) Test cricket,”
he said.
Recently, India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin also raised concerns over ODI cricket’s future, stating that the format “needs to find its relevance”.
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