2007 - The Death of One Day Cricket?

[B Cantona]

Nothing will (should) ever replace the five day game, that's cricket in its purist form. If anything I think since the Australians took to 4 runs an over batting, it's improved the game with more positive results and less draws. Like football, you want to see attacking play, but you still need and appreciate good defence

The cricket world cup was dreadful, I think everyone is pretty unanimous in thinking that. A lot of that down to the organisation of the tournament, the ridiculously elongated fixture list... but for me the worst thing going for it is the product. 50 overs cricket is dull. It becomes exciting towards the end if it's a sufficiently close run chase, usually a team needing just over a run a ball with 100 deliveries remaining

Twenty20 has now established itself with a fantastic tournament. It's the perfect form of one day cricket: it only takes a couple of hours, and you cut out all the unneccessaries from 50 overs cricket. If the game is one sided, you haven't wasted an entire day watching it. Such is the nature of the game, less games are one sided. The best players in the best teams still tend to win, but there is more genuine chance of upsets as well

I think cricket needs two forms. The true, testing version; and the throw away, pure enjoyment version. No room for anything else. So I'd like to see 50 over cricket scrapped, and retain these two other forms of the game. And I wonder if this isn't the year that has finally cemented the beginnings of that process

Discuss...

 

[Utd heap]

Thinking about it, i tend to agree. Well put aswell by the way.
The World Cup of 50 over cricket was appaling when compared to the 20/20. In both organisation and entertainment.

 

[Wembley Red]

The matter is though that ODI is too much of a cash cow for the ICC to throw it away. They make most of there money through that.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

Agree with you Brad.

Though if contrast between the two shorter types of the game had not been so stark and in such a short space of time, the 50 over variety could well have withered over a decade or two. As it is, things may coem to a head relatively soon.

And as well as the protracted nature of the World Cup in the West Indies, they've got to follow a similar pricing structure [in keeping with the host nation's economy that is] to which there was in South Africa for the Twenty20. Affordable for the masses and potential new fans of the game.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

The matter is though that ODI is too much of a cash cow for the ICC to throw it away. They make most of there money through that.

True, but with the Sub-continent now embracing Twenty20 through the new domestic competitions, that could change soon enough.

If the next Twenty20 World Cup or Championship is successful, that could prove to be it, the straw tht breaks their money grabbing back.

 

[Sultan]

I can definitely say I am a convert.

Simply Twenty20 is a format without the middle 30 overs. I love the fact the games are generally not decided until the last five minutes. A team in absolute trouble can easily turn it around with a few good overs.

There's certainly a strong case the 40/45 over game in the UK dies a quick death - I would turn the Sunday league into a Twenty20 league format, and also keep the 20/20 knockout competition currently played.

 

[zing]

Twenty-20 will get boring very quickly if played regularly.

I don't watch cricket much but I do enjoy 50 over matches every now and then. I hope it stays and twenty-20 is restricted to a cameo role every couple of years or so.