Ricky Ponting - ODI cricket will be played 'less' amid T20 boom

Ricky Ponting believes ODIs could become an increasingly marginal part of the international calendar in the coming years as more T20 leagues emerge. He however remains convinced that Test cricket will continue to thrive as long as major cricketing nations remain invested in it.

“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,” Ponting was quoted as saying by PTI. “It’s inevitable, which I’m not a huge fan of, to be honest.

“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. It will. So something’s got to give. And the obvious one is 50-over cricket,” he said.

Asked about the proliferation of T20 leagues and whether there could eventually be too much cricket for players, Ponting acknowledged the calendar will inevitably have to make room for the growing number of franchise competitions. Ponting, who now co-owns the Australia Champions team in the World Championship of Legends, also credited such leagues for helping extend players’ careers.

“The players are the ones that are benefiting most from these tournaments all over the world at the moment,” he said. “A tournament like WCL also gives a lot of players at the back-end of their careers to earn a living.

“… it’s great for the guys that are either still playing like Davey (David Warner), still playing at the highest level, but sort of coming towards the back end of their careers to have something like the Legends, that they can go back and play at the end.”

Last month, ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta had said that the era of “randomly scheduled” bilateral series “has to come to an end,” but the much-debated ODI format can continue to survive and thrive with its place “inextricably” linked to the World Cup.

Warner sees cricket adopting Premier League model

Warner, who was named captain of the Australia Champions side, said cricket could eventually move towards a model similar to club football, although he sees several obstacles along the way.

“I always thought that in time it would probably be like that EPL [English Premier League] sort of model,” Warner said. “But the hard thing with cricket is when you’ve got so many different franchise competitions, it’s very difficult. The other thing as well is the amount of local players versus overseas players. The rules will have to completely change. EPL I think you can play as many as you want.”

“That goes with all the other leagues. So it’s completely determined by the place that you’re playing in. Whether it’s in India, you’re playing in PSL, you’re playing in Australia,” he added.

Warner also felt the expanding T20 calendar was creating both challenges and opportunities for players, particularly those from Associate nations.

“There are so many T20 leagues. Adjusting the calendar for the players. The calendar is what it is. If the players want to play in every single tournament, they’re not going to get a rest. It’s a great opportunity for other players, associate countries to play in it.”

Source link