Ravi Shastri Reiterates Shahid Afridi's Unique Take On Making ODI Cricket Interesting: 'Has Stayed On 50 For Too Long'
Published - 25 Jul 2022, 05:42 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:10 AM
As Ravi Shastri echoed the comments of Pakistan’s great Shahid Afridi, former India head coach offers an intriguing viewpoint on how ODI cricket can still be kept exciting.
Veterans and experts were concerned about the potential demise of Test cricket not so long ago due to the growth of T20 leagues throughout the world and the emergence of an even shorter format in T20 cricket, which has yet to gain universal recognition.
But now the roles have been reversed, and it appears that ODI cricket’s survival is in jeopardy. After England all-rounder and 2019 ODI World Cup champion Ben Stokes, 31, unexpectedly announced his retirement from the format last week, there may have been causing for fear in the world of cricket.
You Got To Be Forward Thinking And Evolve: Ravi Shastri
The topic has long been up for discussion as players worldwide gradually turn their attention to T20 cricket and franchise leagues. But many people were alarmed by Stokes’ retirement.
Ravi Shastri agreed with Afridi that the format should be changed to 40 overs at this time when discussing the issue during commentary for the second ODI between India and the West Indies on Fan Code.
So they reduced it from 60 to 50. So years have gone by now since that decision so why not reduce it from 50 to 40 now. Because you got to be forward-thinking and evolve. It stayed for 50 for too long,” he said.
Prior to Stokes’ retirement, Afridi had also made similar points in an interview with Samaa TV.
“One-day cricket has become quite boring now. I would suggest to cut ODI cricket from 50 overs to 40 overs in order to make it entertaining,” he had said.
