Michael Hussey and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haroon-Lorgat-c61719 support 50 overs format
With the advent of T20 cricket, the lack of interest for the 50-over format amongst the general public continues to pose as a major threat for the International Cricket Council. Commercial interest in the format is receding by the day with sponsors demanding more and more T20 cricket at the international level.
However, many of the officials at the ICC, players and the media think that ODI’s are still a viable option considering the fact that it has a rich tradition. It thrives on some exciting rivalries like the India-Pakistan matches that have over the years provided some of the most enthralling contests in the format. The recently concluded Asia Cup in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 proved just that. India won a cliff-hanger in the last over of the match against Pakistan which proved that the interest in the format was still alive.
Many critics feel that the ICC is overreacting as the ODI format still has a lot to offer. Moreover, the format attracts big crowds in places like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760, who both had disastrous tours down under, failing to win even a single international match.
On the contrary, the recently concluded ODI series between England and Australia provided some enthralling cricket that kept the crowds entertained till the very end. One of the players who took part in the series was Australia’s Mike Hussey who believed that the ICC does not need to tinker too much with the format and should keep aside ideas like “Super Striker”, a batsman who could be allowed to play two innings in a match.
"I don't think it is right because one of the great challenges about batting is you get your chance and if you get out first ball you appreciate your wicket so much," Hussey said. "If you know you've got a second chance it doesn't sit right with me. It's more for the fans really, more for the entertainment value. If there's someone like a Chris Gayle who obviously draws a lot of people to the game, if he does happen to get out first ball at least some of the population - certainly not our fielding team - will be happy that he'd get another chance. But I must admit it doesn't quite sit right with me."
Similar words were echoed by the Chief Executive Officer of the ICC, Haroon Lorgat, who believed in the traditional format of cricket. He further clarified that the governing body of the ICC does not need to change everything as the present variety has the scope to last many more years.
"I must admit I'm not yet fans of that,” Lorgat “A lot of people feel that 50-over cricket is under threat. I'm not one of those pessimists. There may be a few tweaks, but when people talk about fundamentally bringing in the bulldozer and revamping 50-over cricket, I'm not one of those skeptics at the moment.
"I think sometimes there are too many one-day games in a [bilateral] series. If we are able to structure some sort of league that has got meaning, that allows you to qualify ultimately to the World Cup that creates a lot more context.”
Almost 50 ODI’s are played on an annual basis along with the T20 World Championship that has already been staged on three occasions since the inaugural event in 2007. Experts predict that the ICC wants to clamp down on the number of games in the shortest format, so that there is no overkill of T20 cricket.
Despite the challenges to the fifty over format, players and officials have a soft corner for ODI cricket that became immensely popular in the 80’s and 90’s. The purists still like the format, as it provides the balancing act between the Test and T20 versions of cricket. Experts hope that ODI cricket survives the tough period and becomes stronger than ever in the days to come.
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