ICC needs to put more time in ensuring survival of ODI, Test cricket: Kapil Dev

Aug 16, 2022

ICC needs to put more time in ensuring survival of ODI, Test cricket: Kapil Dev Image

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has to devote more attention to guaranteeing the future of both One-day and Test match cricket, according to former India captain Kapil Dev. 

Franchise T20 league expansion has led to severe worries about the long-term viability of Test and ODI cricket as well as questions about the future of ODI cricket. There are now even more concerns about the sustainability of the 50-over game with the ODI retirement of England Test captain Ben Stokes due to an unmanageable and jam-packed schedule.

"It seems to be slipping away. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is in charge of managing this game to a greater extent. It is following the path of European football. They don't compete with other nations. It occurs every four years (during the World Cup). Is this what we're going to haveā€”the World Cup and club (T20 franchise) cricket the rest of the time?" 

"Will cricket players someday focus solely on the IPL, the Big Bash, or something similar? Therefore, the ICC must devote more effort to this to determine how they can assure the longevity of Test matches, one-day cricket, and other forms of cricket beyond only club cricket "The Sydney Morning Herald cited Dev as having said.

At the luncheon honouring the India-Australia Strategic Alliance and the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence in Sydney, Dev, the captain of the 1983 ODI World Cup winning team, was the guest of honour. He continued to express concern that international cricket might only be played in World Cups after South Africa and the UAE launch their own T20 leagues early the following year. 

"For a while, club cricket is fine. Big Bash is alright. But the South African and UAE leagues are on the way. International cricket would only be played during the World Cup if all nations played club cricket."

The UAE's International League T20 (ILT20), which will also take place in January 2023, will directly compete with South Africa's T20 League throughout those two months. When Bangladesh's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) are on, both leagues will be in play.