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England captain Jos Buttler is unsure about ODI cricket’s future, citing its marginalization by T20 and franchise cricket.
Jos Buttler at the Nagpur press conference. (AFP photo)
England captain Jos Buttler is ‘unsure’ about the future of ODI cricket and feels it’s being ‘pushed to the margins’ amid shrinking scheduling room and the steep rise of T20 and franchise cricket. He said for now, cricketers worldwide consider winning an ODI World Cup a bigger prestige than a T20 one. Still, he found it hard to predict whether the format would continue to drive excitement among all stakeholders.
The ODI format isn’t under threat per se but there has been a stark decrease in the relevance of bilateral 50-over series. The 2023 World Cup in India was one of the most successful in terms of broadcast and stadium audience, but there were hardly any matches in the format in 2024. Runners-up and hosts India played just three ODIs all year and this upcoming three-match series against England is their first since August.
“I’m unsure (about ODI’s future),” Buttler said in Nagpur on the eve of the first match. “I’ve really enjoyed 50-over cricket. It’s always been one of my favourite formats. But it’s certainly been pushed a little bit towards the margins in the recent years and the way scheduling is, and obviously the rise of T20 and franchise cricket. But I still believe if you talk to guys about winning a World Cup, they’d probably say a 50-over World Cup ahead of a T20 World Cup at the moment. Whether that continues to be the case moving forward, I don’t know,” he said.
“But the schedules are always the thing. If you can get the best players on the park, playing against each other in whatever the format, I think people are always going to be excited to watch it,” Buttler added.
ODI cricket has found itself in the middle of the almost-cultural reverence given to Test cricket by the traditional audience and the push by cricket boards towards T20s to bring in new eyeballs to the sport.
India series as good a preparation as possible for Champions Trophy: Jos Buttler
The India-England ODI series will be followed by the 2025 Champions Trophy from February 19 in Pakistan and the UAE. Buttler belives that these three matches are perfect preparation for the ICC tournament.
“As preparation goes for any tournament, I think taking on India in India is always going to be a great challenge and as good a preparation as you can have,” Buttler said. “The conditions here in India may be similar (to those in Pakistan). Each ground that we play at always has their own nuances and a little bit of difference. We’re always trying to adapt to that,” he added.
