ODIs should be World Cups only: Mark Nicholas

Former England international Mark Nicholas believes that ODI cricket should be restricted to World Cups only. Notably, there have been a lot of discussions about the future of ODI cricket in the recent past after several noteworthy players announced their retirement from the format. The 66-year-old stated that ODI cricket isn’t filling stadiums at the moment, and that is one thing that the authorities need to look at immediately.

The former cricketer also gave a clear picture of the market where players are more inclined towards playing franchise cricket and T20 cricket in general. He believes that the dynamics of the game have changed, and the shortest format of the game looks superior at the moment in comparison to the 50-overs format. 

“We believe strongly that ODIs should be World Cups only. We think it's difficult bilaterally now to justify them. They're not filling grounds in a lot of countries. And there is a power at the moment to T20 cricket that is almost supernatural. It's more than just ticket sales. It's the amount of people that want to own franchises, the amount of countries that want to run tournaments, it's the amount of players that want to be in a market all around the world.

“In a free market, the most money wins. And that's just the end-game. The players can see that bubbling away and they want to be a part of it. So, it is an extraordinary power that T20 has, and I think scheduling 50-over cricket alongside it just continues the story of the death knell of the ODI game,” Nicholas told ESPNcricinfo.

Meanwhile, the 2023 edition of the ODI World Cup will kick off on October 5 in Ahmedabad. Defending champions England will be taking on New Zealand in the opening game, while the host country, India, will challenge Australia on October 8 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Former winners Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play against the Netherlands and South Africa, respectively, in their opening game.