The top agenda at the International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting in Kolkata next week will be a discussion on the future of Test Cricket and how it can be protected.
There have been long-standing deliberations on the declining interest in the longer format, but if you look beyond Test cricket, it is in fact the future of the one-day game that looks like it’s in imminent danger.
Since the advent of the Twenty20 format, one-day cricket has gradually lost its charm and relevance.
The format was introduced to increase the sport’s fan base, revenues and reach. Despite Test cricket being the most loved format and considered as the ultimate challenge for the players, cricket needed something shorter and quicker. It was a compromise cricket purists were ready to make. As it turned out, somehow One-Day International cricket never really became a threat to Test cricket; the two formats co-existed happily.
However, with the advent of T20 cricket, the 50-over game finds itself squeezed between this popular fatafat format and Test cricket; the interest in ODIs is slowly and surely declining.
Going forward, one feels that the ODI format would fade away and be played sporadically and at marquee ICC events only. Here are some of the reasons why it seems this will happen sooner rather than later.
1. T20 is the Future
Look at the amount of buzz and excitement every Indian Premier League (IPL) game creates and you'd be certain about which format the future of cricket will ride on. Look at the number of possibilities and potential this format has opened up!
Apart from India, three Test-playing nations (Pakistan, Australia and West Indies) have their own T20 leagues, which they have used to revive their domestic cricket structures. What’s more, countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and England have either tried the format or are working hard to kick-start their own ventures.
T20 has single-handedly revived the fortunes of West Indies cricket, which is now producing some of the best players in the format.
The tournaments are no longer just events in a yearly roster, but have become self-sustainable. They are, in fact, bringing good revenue to their respective boards.
On the other hand, one-day cricket, despite having existed for so long, has never proved so profitable.
2. Money and TRPs
The T20 format is ideal for evening viewing, a thing which helps its broadcasters garner TRPs. A typical T20 game starts at around 7:30 pm or 8:00 pm, and during its three-hour-long run-time – more often than not – provides the viewers with a decent dose of excitement and drama.
Even in the stadium, the format proves to be paisa vasoolnd for its fans. No wonder broadcasters and advertisers are willing to put more and more money into it. The format gives them maximum mileage and returns on investments.
Recently, there were reports that the ICC wanted to replace the existing ODI format of Champions Trophy with a T20 one. Without a doubt, this must be done, with constant pressure from the stakeholders who invest in the game and want their returns. Cricket administrators need more money to keep Test cricket alive, and the income from T20 will surely subsidise that quest.
When the T20 format was introduced, most of the cricket boards around the world were skeptical about its prospects.
A typical bilateral series usually used to have a standard quota of Test and One-day matches and one token T20 game. However, T20 has taken such rapid strides that it has left one-day cricket behind. These days, boards and broadcasters want series to have a dominant share of T20 cricket to boost their returns.
The next bilateral series between India and England will see an equal number of ODIs and T20s.
3. The Growth of the Game Via T20
Talk of cricket becoming an Olympic sport is growing by the day and it is primarily because of the advent of T20.
For years, cricket has struggled to grow out of its colonial clutches to become a truly global sport, but with the T20 format’s growing popularity, there seems to be hope.
The simplicity and the short run-time of the format make it a viable option for countries who have shown an interest in the sport and are toying with the idea of trying it out. The fact that T20 cricket is also immensely popular, has only helped its cause.
Even Canada is trying to start its own T20 league.
T20 cricket has also played a key role in getting young people and women interested in the game, thereby increasing its viewership. Even kids seem to enjoy the shorter format.
Why spend a whole day watching a cricket match, when the same level of exhilaration can be achieved in four hours?
4. The Future of Cricket
Test cricket, as the premier and pure brand of the game, still holds its value and viewers, but T20 cricket has taken over the viewership base of ODIs. Far too many meaningless bilateral ODI series and monotonous results have brought down the craze that the 50-over format once generated.
For the global growth of the game, cricket needs to be simplified, and T20s do just that.
Maybe in the future, one-day cricket will only be played at marquee events like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy, to sustain its relevance.
In a nutshell, if Test cricket is fine dining and T20 is a good fast-food meal, ODI cricket is neither here nor there, and is hence losing its purpose.
Forget worrying about Tests, it’s the one-day format that might go extinct first.
(Nishant Arora is an award-winning cricket journalist, and most recently, the media manager of the Indian Cricket Team. Views expressed in this article are that of the writer. The Quint neither advocates nor is responsible for the same.)
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