The ICC wants international cricket to move away from standalone bilateral series without sufficient context as the sport confronts the scheduling, commercial and audience pressures created by the expansion of T20 cricket.
ICC Chief Executive Officer Sanjog Gupta has backed a rethink of how bilateral cricket is structured while maintaining that ODIs can remain a significant part of the international game. His position comes as the 50-over format faces questions over its place between the commercial growth of T20 cricket and the renewed context created for Tests through the World Test Championship.
ICC CEO targets bilateral scheduling
Bilateral series are arranged by individual member boards rather than the ICC, with those boards retaining their associated sponsorship and media rights. The ICC controls the scheduling of its multinational competitions, including the World Cups and World Test Championship.
Speaking to PTI, Gupta said, “The era of randomly scheduled bilateral series has to come to an end, because countries will not be able to sustain cricket without context, culture, competition and competitiveness, which require significant investment of resources, both financial and non-financial.”
The sustainability challenge extends across the international calendar. T20 cricket has become the sport’s primary vehicle for global expansion, while ODIs have faced increased competition for space and attention as domestic franchise leagues have grown around the world.
Gupta added, “It’s important to stay focused on the four levers which drive attention and affiliation — context, culture, competition and competitiveness — and ODIs can continue not just to survive, but thrive.”
He noted, “There is a place for the format in the product portfolio, which is inextricably linked to men’s and women’s ICC Cricket World Cups. We need to look at what we want the format to stand for and how we want it to evolve, including the expanse of participation.”
Cricket faces a wider battle for growth
Gupta’s position places the debate over ODIs within a broader challenge for cricket administrators: maintaining the relevance and commercial value of multiple formats while audience habits and the global calendar continue to change.
He said, “Our ambition has to be growth; our ambition should never be to maintain the status quo. Because in this world, where population is growing, attention is getting disaggregated and affiliation is hard to sustain, if you’re not growing, you’re dying.”
The economics of Test cricket present a related challenge. India, England and Australia have greater financial capacity to sustain the longest format, while other Full Members face difficulties generating sufficient commercial returns from Test matches.
Gupta stated, “Every time there is conversation around the commercials of Test cricket, the passion, pride and legacy tend to override the conversation around the economics. I don’t think the answer is necessarily binary, and I don’t think it’s a question solely for Test cricket to answer but one which must be asked of all our products across formats and events.”
The World Test Championship has provided a continuing competitive framework for the longest format, culminating in a Final that has developed into a standalone global event.
He added, “Our primary tool of global growth is T20 cricket, but that does not mean we don’t focus on growing the value or engagement around ODIs or Test cricket. The World Test Championship Final is now an event of significance and one that didn’t even exist seven years ago.”
Gupta said, “That has to be by virtue of the World Test Championship having more meaning and a continuing narrative, by virtue of Test cricket being scheduled optimally, by virtue of Tests receiving adequate positioning and marketing support, by virtue of the competitive standards of the two teams and playing conditions being offered, and fans being promised cricket which is going to be compelling.”
Rhodes expects bilateral ODIs to decline
Jonty Rhodes has reached a similar conclusion about the pressure facing the 50-over game, although he does not envisage ODI cricket disappearing entirely.
The former South Africa international was speaking at the Mumbai jersey launch of European T20 Premier League franchise Rotterdam Dockers, of which he is a Co-owner.
Rhodes said, “When T20 cricket first started, people were saying, well, it’s going to put pressure on Test cricket. And amazingly, it hasn’t.”
The expansion of T20 cricket has instead coincided with growing uncertainty around how frequently bilateral ODIs will be played outside World Cup cycles.
He added, “But for me, it was always understanding that 50-over cricket might be the one format where, because we bring in such a fresh crowd and a different perspective into the game, possibly 50-over cricket might be in trouble in the years ahead.”
Rhodes stated, “So I think there’s still great scope and it’s such an exciting opportunity to play in a cricket World Cup, whether it’s T20 or 50-over. So at this stage, I think there will be fewer and fewer bilateral series where there’s a lot of 50-over cricket in the bilateral series, but it’s very difficult to think of cricket without the 50-over version.”
World Cup remains central to the format
The next men’s ODI World Cup will be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027. For South Africa, the tournament will also offer another opportunity to pursue a first ICC limited-overs title after winning the World Test Championship.
Rhodes noted, “I think World Cup cricket is such a special occasion that everybody who comes there is going to enjoy themselves. But I think, as a South African team that’s hosting, there are a few things that we would like to settle. And one of those is obviously winning an ICC limited-overs trophy.”
The 2027 tournament will begin the next Future Tours Programme cycle, covering 2027 to 2031. That cycle will shape the bilateral international calendar during a period in which boards will have to balance Tests, ODIs and T20Is against an expanding franchise landscape.
Ashwin previously questioned ODI cricket’s future
Concerns about the long-term position of the 50-over game have also been raised by former India Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. His comments came earlier in the year as he discussed T20 cricket’s role in expanding the sport internationally and its suitability for cricket’s Olympic ambitions.
Ashwin told PTI, “Our job will be purely on T20 cricket and how it can get better. And if the game has to become global and it has to become an Olympic sport, the shorter the game, the more viable it is. And that’s how it’s going to become much bigger. And you will see a better sample size of players, which is also very critical for several of these leagues which run through the year. T20 as a sport is here to stay. I’m not too sure about ODI cricket.”
The competing pressures leave ODI cricket with a different challenge from simply preserving its existing place on the calendar. Gupta’s case for greater context and Rhodes’ expectation of fewer bilateral series both point towards a 50-over game increasingly centred on matches and competitions carrying clearer significance, with the World Cup remaining its principal global event.
