Will ODIs 50-over format be changed to 40-over? Here's what ICC has to say
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.
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.
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