Cricket’s changing landscape has once again sparked debate over the future of its different formats. With T20 leagues expanding rapidly across the world and the sport preparing for its return to the Olympic Games, India spin bowling great Ravichandran Ashwin believes the shortest format is best suited to help cricket grow globally. At the same time, he admitted that he is uncertain about the long-term future of One-Day International (ODI) cricket.
Cricket will make its Olympic comeback at the Los Angeles 2028 Games after a gap of 128 years. The sport last featured at the 1900 Paris Olympics and the ICC has recently announced the qualification criteria for the event.
Speaking to a news agency, Ashwin said that cricket’s return to the Olympics presents a major opportunity to expand the sport worldwide. He believes teams competing in leagues such as Major League Cricket can play an important role in helping cricket reach new markets and audiences.
Ashwin also said the focus should be on further improving T20 cricket, adding that shorter matches are more practical for attracting fans across the globe and are better suited to cricket’s ambitions of becoming a truly global Olympic sport.
Ashwin is currently representing the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States. He believes the rapid growth of franchise T20 leagues, along with cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, will significantly increase the player pool and fan base, providing a stronger foundation for leagues held throughout the year.
While expressing confidence that T20 cricket is firmly established for the future, Ashwin also admitted he is unsure about the long-term relevance of ODI cricket.
Ashwin is not the only respected voice to question the future of the 50-over format. ODI cricket has increasingly found itself caught between the tradition of Test cricket and the commercial success of T20 leagues, with bilateral ODI series often receiving less attention outside ICC tournaments.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell had expressed similar concerns in 2023. Writing in a column for a sports magazine, Ian Chappell argued that cricket administrators had contributed to the decline of the 50-over format through changes to playing conditions, an increased focus on the financial success of T20 cricket, and the willingness of players to accept that shift. He said these factors had largely reduced ODI cricket’s popularity to the ICC World Cup.
What do you think of the future of ODI cricket?
