Amidst call to scrap the One-Day International (ODI) format,t he International Cricket Council (ICC) has said that a “healthy” number of one-day internationals will be played in the 2023-27 cycle and so, there is no threat to the 50-over format in the near future.
The recent times has seen a great debate on the future and significance of ODI cricket and also South Africa abandoned their three ODIs against Australia in January 2023 to prioritise their new T20 league while England all-rounder Ben Stokes’s retirement from the 50-over format also raised questions over future of ODIs.
Commenting on the issue, ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said that structuring of the game’s three formats was discussed at the governing body’s annual general meeting in Birmingham where the Future Tours Programme (FTP) 2023-27 was finalised.
“I think at this stage there is some discussion, not specifically about ODIs, but about the mix of formats within the calendar,” Allardice told a video conference.
“Countries have been, in their FTPs, are still scheduling a healthy number of ODIs as well. So in the FTP, I don’t think you’ll see any significant change to the number of ODIs or the proportion of ODIs as being planned,” he added.
Recently, Australia test batter Usman Khawaja had said one-day cricket was “dying a slow death”, while former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram called the format a “drag”. Allardice felt that some members put “particular attention on their domestic leagues” but insisted their commitment to international and bilateral cricket was “as strong as it’s ever been”.
“Each of them has to manage that balance between domestic competitions, their international schedule and the management of their players. Each of those boards is in a slightly different situation. So there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to that balancing issue,” he added.