After England all-rounder and 2019 ODI World Cup champion Ben Stokes, 31, unexpectedly announced his retirement from the format last week, there may have been cause for fear in the world of cricket. However, as he echoed the comments of Pakistan’s great Shahid Afridi, former India head coach Ravi Shastri offers an intriguing viewpoint on how ODI cricket can still be kept exciting.
The topic has long been up for discussion as players worldwide gradually turn their attention to T20 cricket and franchise leagues. But many people were alarmed by Stokes’ retirement.
Shastri agreed with Afridi that the format should be changed to 40 overs at this time when discussing the issue during commentary for the second ODI between India and the West Indies on Fan Code.
“Reducing the duration of the game has no negative effects. One-day cricket had a 60-over format when it first began. In 1983, there were 60 overs when we won the World Cup. After that, many began to feel as though 60 overs were a little too lengthy. The range of overs between 20 and 40 was difficult for people to comprehend.
They, therefore, changed it from 60 to 50. Therefore, because it has been years since that decision, why not cut it from 50 to 40 at this time? Because you have to think forward and change. It was 50 for much too long, he remarked.
When interviewed by Samaa TV following Stokes’ retirement, Afridi had previously made similar remarks.
The game of one-day cricket is currently rather monotonous. For the sake of entertainment, I would recommend reducing the length of an ODI from 50 to 40 overs,” he had previously stated.
