Jos Buttler on future of ODI cricket: ‘It has been pushed towards the margins’ | Cricket News
Over the past few years, there is a growing consensus that ODIs are nearing the end and England captain Jos Buttler agrees with it.
Buttler, an ODI World Cup winner himself feels the format has been pushed to its margin and he is unsure about its relevance and future.
“I’m unsure, to be honest,” he told reporters on the eve of the first ODI against India in Nagpur.
Story continues below this ad
“I think I’ve actually really enjoyed 50 over cricket, it’s always been one of my favourite formats actually, but it’s certainly been pushed a little bit towards the margins, in the recent years,” he said.
As it stands, the men’s Cricket World Cup is likely to live on, with broadcast rights sold in India until the 2027 edition being hosted South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, and 2031 is to be staged India and Bangladesh. But the question is for how long will it survive? At a time when attention spans appear to be diminishing and T20 cricket continues on its inexorable domination of the sport’s calendar, the future of ODI is under the hammer.
Buttler also blames the packed schedule and the rise of the T20 leagues around the cricketing circuit.
“The way scheduling is, and obviously the rise of T20 and franchise cricket, “he said.Story continues below this ad
Buttler says for him winning the 50-over World Cup is still ahead than winning the World T20.
“I still believe if you talk to guys about winning a World Cup, they’d probably say a 50 over World Cup ahead of a T20 World Cup at the moment,” he said.
“Whether that continues to be the case moving forward I don’t know, but the schedules are always the thing. If you can get the best players on the park, playing against each other in whatever the format, I think people are always going to be excited to watch it,” he said.
Pratyush Raj is a sports journal with The Indian Express Group and specializes in breaking news stories and conducting in-depth investigative reports for the paper. His passion extends to crafting engaging content for the newspaper’s website.
Pratyush takes a keen interest in writing on cricket and hockey. He started his career with the financial daily Business Standard but soon followed his true calling as Times of India’s sports reporter for Punjab in Chandigarh, a job that required extensive travel to states such as Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. He has also contributed to the sports coverage of India Today Group.
Pratyush’s love for sports blossomed during his upbringing in flood-prone Saharsa, a drict in North Bihar, where ‘Cricket Samrat’ was his cherished companion. … Read More