Exceptional Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed concern for the future of 50-over cricket on the same day that South Africa announced they had withdrawn from their men's ODI series in Australia because it would conflict with their new T20 franchise league in January 2023. Ashwin also admitted to turning off the television when an ODI match was on.
The future of 50-over cricket is in jeopardy due to the popularity of the T20 format among cricket fans and the revival of Test cricket after England won four of their last four games at home this summer. This is especially true in light of South Africa's withdrawal from the ODI series against Australia.
"The ebbs and flows of the game are — or were — one of one-day cricket's greatest beauties. People used to take the game seriously and bide their time. Previously, bowlers had a voice in the one-day format.
"Even I, a cricket badger and nut, turn the TV off after a point, which is genuinely quite concerning for the way the game is played. When those ebbs and flows go, cricket ceases to exist. It's simply a longer version of T20.
"It comes down to relevancy, and ODI cricket needs to find that relevance, in my opinion. It must choose a location, "In a future episode of the Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club podcast, Ashwin made this statement.
Ashwin, who has 151 wickets in 113 ODIs for India, believes that changing the two new ball rule in the ODI format to one ball each innings would allow reverse swing to be considered and level the playing field.
"One ball, in my opinion, would be effective, and spinners would enter the game to bowl more in the later innings. Reverse swing, which is essential to the game, might return.
"Additionally, I believe that because we no longer use the same balls, we should go back to the ones we used about 2010. Even though Glenn McGrath was a fantastic bowler, the ball was not moving nearly as much as it should have during the one-day game I saw.
Ashwin, who sat out of the fifth Test at Edgbaston, also expressed scepticism about the long-term viability of England's new, aggressive strategy for Test cricket.
"Although it was incredible to witness, as a bowler it is pretty unsettling to consider where the game is going. I firmly believe that the ball and the pitches influence how England plays and allow for a particular style of cricket.
"I believe we need to exercise caution when seeing this style of cricket as the future. There will be matches and series played in the same manner as they have for hundreds of years in Test cricket. Whether you continue to play the same type of cricket is really debatable.