Ben Stokes’ retirement from ODI cricket at the ripe age of 31 startled many veteran cricketers and sparked a debate on whether ODI cricket is losing its popularity. The one-day format has somehow been sandwiched between the longest and the shortest format of the game and former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi had raised his voice in favour of curtailing the format and now the Indian veteran Ravi Shastri backs Afridi’s point of view.
Ravi Shastri backs Shahid Afridi
In recent times, Test cricket has regained its charisma with the team tussling hard to win the games and not just playing for a draw. On the other hand, T20 games have brought in the thrill and excitement quotient for the fans. Between both these formats, ODI cricket has taken a back seat with fans either preferring the longest or the shortest format of the game. Considering the current scenario, Ravi Shastri backs Shahid Afridi’s idea of reducing ODI Cricket to 40 overs.
It is noteworthy that when ODI cricket came into existence, it was a 60-over affair. Even when team India won their first World Cup back in 1983, it was a 60-over game. The format was later reduced to 50 overs owing to viewers’ fatigue. Now, Ravi Shastri backs Afridi and opines that the curtailing of the format is the need of the hour to keep the format exciting for the fans.
While in the commentary box during the 2nd ODI between India and West Indies, Ravi Shastri backs Afridi as he said, “There is no harm in shortening the span of the game. When one-day cricket started, it was 60 overs. After that, people thought that 60 overs were a bit too long. So they reduced it from 60 to 50. So many years have gone by now since that decision so why not reduce it from 50 to 40 now.”
Watch: Fans chant Dinesh Karthik’s name in front of Murali Vijay; the cricketer urges them to stop
As franchise cricket gets more and more popular, ICC will have to think of something to keep the interest of the fans in ODI cricket alive. While Ravi Shastri backs Afridi on reducing the overs, it may not be a big surprise if it indeed happens in the future. As for now, the format remains the same and there is no talk regarding reducing the overs from ICC.
