ICC after the end of its annual conference in Birmingham has strongly defended the ODI format after some players including the veteran and former Pakistani Cricketer Wasim Akram, asked to completely scrap the format. In response to which the CEO of ICC, Geoff Allardice stated,
The countries have been still scheduling multi number of ODIs in their Future Tours programme (FTP). You won’t see any significant changes in the number of or proportion of ODIs in the next FTP
But do you all know from where all this randiness started, it started after England test team captain, Ben Stokes decided to retire from the ODI format asserting the all-format cricket to be unsustainable. Many after then questioned about multiple things and so on amongst, the scrapping of it was the hit of all.
Adding to your surprise, earlier the CSA the Cricket South Africa left its points that was to be gained while playing against Australia next year from the Super League Series but the board (CSA) decided not to participate citing that they are scheduled with yet to be launched domestic T20 League next year and secondly after months of discussion between them (CSA) and Cricket Australia (CA) no firm alternatives emerged to how the two cricket boards are planning to conduct the matches between SA and Australia next year. However, the CSA chief Moseki stated that,
“Four alternative options were presented to Cricket Australia to reschedule the series.
Unfortunately, and to our disappointment, none of these were acceptable to Cricket Australia
But the CSA chief Moseki also stated,
While we are saddened at losing the crucial points, we are confident that our in-form Proteas team will garner the requisite points through the remaining games to secure automatic qualification to the showpiece event in India next year
You must be thinking what a big thing in this if a cricket board decided to exit any tournament, but to remind, the points the proteas board was about to achieve from the Super league series tournament would directly could have given them the leverage to get qualified for the ICC World Cup 2023 but now when they haven’t, they have to push really-really hard to get in the list of the super eight teams of the mega event next year. Currently, SA is languishing at No. 11 but if they want to succeed getting in the super eight list, they have to win matches which looking at their current form seems quite unachievable.
Well coming back to the topic again and to what Moseki said earlier, the ICC chief, Allardice, assured that they still have got nine months window for the super League series and let the two members (CSA & CA) resolve the issue by coming to an arrangement.
We’ve still got nine months in the window available to complete the Super League series. How the series is scheduled is between the two members to resolve. Whether they come to some arrangement, there might be some discussions going on. We will be dealing with that if that series does not take place
Also, while making this statement, Allardice also emphasized on the topic of incorporating the all three formats under the upcoming FTP cycle but,
The countries and the fans in those countries have different preferences with regards to the formats. At this stage there is some discussion, not specifically about ODIs but about the mix of formats within the calendar.
Well after all this, we let the two cricket boards decide what they are upto and if they come to a conclusion, it might be a win-win situation for all.
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