New Zealand Coach Gary Stead Believes The Upcoming ODI World Cup In India Will Give The Format A Major Boost

While cricket pundits predict the demise of one-day cricket, New Zealand men’s team head coach Gary Stead says he is not convinced, adding that he enjoys the format because it has twists and turns similar to Test cricket.

The coach of the current World Test Champions, who just got back from a three-match series against England, stated that the fact that India will host the ODI World Cup in the Future will boost the format and create a lot of enthusiasm.

With the proliferation of T20 leagues around the world, several cricketers, notably Usman Khawaja of Australia and Robin Uthappa of India, have been predicting the end of one-day cricket.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri had already advocated for a reduction of the existing 50 overs per side in the ODI format to 40 overs. Recently, there has been a big influx of these comments.

Some individuals even call for the complete abolition of the ODI format by the International Cricket Council. To rekindle interest in one-day cricket, some people argue that more triangular and multi-team series should be organized.

‘I personally really like the one-day format’: Gary Stead

“I honestly do not know if ODI cricket is a fading format,” stated Gary Stead on Wednesday’s episode of SENZ Mornings. The Black Caps have had some success in one-day cricket, having advanced to the 2015 and 2019 World Cup finals.

“I still like the one-day format myself. I believe there is a nice balance between the excitement of T20 cricket and a little bit of Test match cricket, where you occasionally have to endure some difficult stretches.

“I also believe that the T20 cricket players’ skills have elevated ODI scoring to a new level “Gary Stead remarked.

“I believe there will be more interest, especially since India will be hosting the upcoming World Cup. I sincerely hope it is not a lost art since I still think it is a fantastic game to play.”

The next ODI World Cup will be held in India in October and November of 2023.

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