This article examines whether the 50-over ODI format has lost its relevance and if its survival is solely dependent on ICC tournaments.

ODI Pushed Towards The Margin

Jos Buttler, the England ODI captain, believes that 50-over ODI cricket has been pushed towards the margins.

England captain Jos Buttler agrees that 50-over ODI cricket is nearing its end because of the growing popularity of T20 cricket.

Buttler 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.

“I think I’ve actually really enjoyed 50-over cricket; it’s always been one of my favourite formats. But it’s certainly been pushed a little bit towards the margins in recent years.”  he said.

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England captain Jos Buttler believes, the ICC 50-over World Cup is still keeping the format alive and believes winning the ODI World Championship is bigger than winning the T20 World Championship.

Is Multiple Format losing its Fan base?

While Test cricket has been kept alive by only a handful of nations, it still carries importance due to the competitiveness it brings only when the top five teams play. The lack of more competitive teams has brought down the fan base in this format. The comparison between ODI cricket vs Test cricket now revolves around relevance versus tradition.

When it comes to the 50-over format, the game has taken a big beating from the shorter format – T20 cricket. The 50-over format seems to be slow and predictable.

As it stands, the men’s Cricket World Cup is likely to survive only because the broadcast rights have been already sold until the 2027 edition which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, and for 2031, which India and Bangladesh will stage.

Does that mean the ODI format is on borrowed time and, going forward, will remain only a World Cup event?

To give perspective to the above rationale, on how T20 cricket is prioritized over the 50-over format is to look at the scheduling of the ongoing series between India and England.

The series was scheduled with 5 T20 matches and only 3 ODI matches.

This is odd as the ICC Champions Trophy (50-Over Format) is set to begin in a few weeks.

Also Read:2025 ICC Champions Trophy | Schedule And Format | Groups | Know All Squads

Having more ODI matches would have been the ideal preparatory scheduling for both the teams involved.

This only proves that T20 format’s popularity is killing the ODI game.

ODI format also competes with the T20 franchise cricket, a hugely popular format that keeps the ODI format at bay.

Retirement shock: Australia all-rounder calls time on international ODI career

Marcus Stoinis ODI retirement has sent shockwaves through Australian cricket.

Marcus Stoinis who was one of the key players of the winning ODI World Cup for Team Australia has shocked the cricket world by announcing his retirement from the ODI format.

Stoinis has taken this call to lengthen his T20 career both for his country as well as to make himself available in the various Franchise League around the world.

The star all-rounder’s retirement will hurt Team Australia in their campaign for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy as Australia is currently struggling with injuries to many of their key players including their World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins.

Australia’s injury list includes:

• Mitch Marsh
• Pat Cummins (World Cup-winning captain)
• Josh Hazlewood