London [UK] : The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has suggested limiting men’s bilateral ODI cricket series following the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, questioning the value the format adds to an already jam-packed calendar.
As per ESPNCricinfo, MCC’s World Cricket Committee held a meeting on the sidelines of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s and came to the conclusion that when franchise-level T20 cricket across the world is growing rapidly, something has to give.
The 13-member committee, which is led by former England skipper Mike Gatting, is hopeful that “scarcity of ODI cricket would increase the quality, achieved by removing bilateral ODIs, other than in the one year preceding each World Cup. This would, as a consequence, also create much-needed space in the global cricketing calendar.”
ICC and its many members are struggling with this situation currently. England batter Jason Roy is foregoing a part of his incremental contract with the senior England side to play in the US’s Major League Cricket (MLC). New Zealand speedster Trent Boult, one of his side’s key players, gave up on his central contract last year and opted to play in franchise cricket leagues worldwide.
IPL has expanded into a two-month window. Their franchises have also made a global presence, buying teams in other leagues as well, such as Mumbai Indians buying MI Cape Town in the SA20 league in South Africa and MI New York in MLC. This also leads to prospects of players being given all-year contracts for such franchises.
The Future Tours Programme (FTP) for FTP 2023-27 is all set.
“Nothing is going to be removed,” Wasim Khan, the ICC’s general manager of cricket said back in May. But he also cautioned that with changing times, international cricket has to find ways to co-exist with T20 franchise cricket.
— With files from ANI