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Opinion
Reports of the death of one-day internationals have been somewhat exaggerated.
In the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup, which got underway overnight in India with the Black Caps exacting revenge in a rematch of the last final between England and New Zealand, all the talk has been whether this could be the last of its kind for the 50-over format.
There are many sensible reasons why that could and probably should be the case – the rise of T20 cricket and its associated leagues across the globe, the packed international schedule and a steep decline in interest in the format, particularly when it comes to bilateral series.
It’s become the Jan Brady of cricket’s three formats and is struggling for attention, as is the way with middle-child syndrome.
But it’s still a massive money spinner for the ICC and while that is ever the case, the “traditional” white-ball format will outlast the dire predictions surrounding its future.
Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
The format for this tournament, like the 2019 event, guarantees broadcasters nine Indian matches – including a guaranteed Pakistan blockbuster, with a 10th or 11th if they advance past the semi-finals, and the squillions of dollars in advertising revenue that comes with that.
Content is king and this is the kind that can stuff the ICC coffers.
Cricket’s governing body is already halfway down the track in doing a deal with getting cricket into the 2028 Olympics (in the T20 format) so scaling back the amount of big-ticket items on the calendar is not on the agenda.
The MCC’s world cricket committee in July recommended that the ICC strip bilateral ODIs from the schedule when the next Future Tours Programme is drawn up for the 2028-32 cycle.
“It’s time for the global game to reset,” panel chairman Mike Gatting said at the time.
These are only suggestions and the ICC can take or leave them but it’s likely there will be a scaling back of ODIs on the schedule so that they’re primarily played in the lead-up to the next World Cup, which is slated to be held in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in 2027.
And in case you missed it, hosting rights have already been decided for the next World Cup four years later.
Just like a radio quiz prank, the answer is India … with Bangladesh riding sidesaddle.
Cricket will continue to keep trying to thread the needle of having three versions at international level for as long as it keeps bringing money into the game.
It’s fine for a sport to have multiple formats but usually there’s a clear frontrunner with secondary or tertiary pursuits – futsal to football, rugby sevens, doubles to singles in tennis, 3×3 in basketball.
Even though Test cricket has now been around 150 years, it is no longer the most important for the ICC and its initial complementary format of the 50-over game is being superseded by the popularity and profitability of T20.
Like most World Cups there will be plenty of established stars bowing out of the format after this tournament like David Warner, Trent Boult, Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes (although his one-day “retirements” are usually a ruse to skip the meaningless matches in between ICC events).
But what should be a concern is that top-liners are giving up the 50-over format at a younger age so they can cash in on T20 contracts.
South Africa keeper Quinton de Kock has announced he will only be available for the Proteas in T20s after the World Cup after already calling time on his Test career last year.
There is little doubt that it will be almost impossible for the game’s best players to commit to all three formats while also racking up two months of every year in the IPL so fewer ODIs will help on that front, if the ICC does indeed reduce that workload.
But if ODIs are rarely played over the course of a four-year World Cup cycle, then it raises the question of why bother with the tournament at all if it’s out of sight, out of mind more often than not.
Australian cricket fans don’t seem to be overly hyped about this World Cup in India.
But the engagement of fans outside of India is hardly a blip on the ICC’s radar – as long as the host nation is living and breathing every aspect of the six-week event, then it will be a success.
Marnus Labuschagne bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
It was noted by several commentators during Australia’s tour earlier this year that Indian cricket fans aren’t obsessed with cricket, they’re fanatical about Indian cricket.
The same could be said of Australia’s cricket followers.
A star-studded clash between England and New Zealand to kick off the tournament should be the kind of match that every cricket fan would want to devour.
It hurts that most matches in this tournament are only available on pay TV with a few on 9Now and their free-to-air channels but most Australian fans won’t take an interest until Pat Cummins’ team opens its campaign against India on Sunday in Chennai.
And sadly, many more won’t bother doing anything more than keeping an eye on proceedings until the last few matches of the group stage or the semi-finals, if Australia make it that far.