Kapil Dev, former India cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner, has approached Cricket’s governing body and requested its intervention to ensure the survival of Test cricket. Domestic leagues have been increasing of late and the Cricket’s governing body has been struggling to manage the same.
In view of this, the 63-year-old has requested the Governing Body to take a look at its calendar. The cricket fraternity has often expressed its concern for the future of One Day cricket. Ben Stokes‘ retirement from the ODIs has only added more fuel to the fire.
Many former cricketers and current players have come forward to give their opinions on the same. Shahid Afridi and Ravi Shastri opined that the number of overs must be reduced to forty. And a few greats like Wasim Akram backed the decision to scrap the format.
Amid all this, the former Indian legend Kapil Dev has opined that cricket must not go the football way. He backed the survival of International cricket and was happy with fewer domestic leagues. The Chandigarh-born cricketer also requested the Cricket’s governing body to save the Test and the ODI format.
“It’s going the way as football in Europe. They don’t play against each country. It is once in four years (during the World Cup). Is this what we’re going to have, the World Cup and the rest of the time playing club (T20 franchise) cricket? Along these lines, will cricketers in the end be playing fundamentally the IPL or the Big Bash or something to that effect?,” Dev said to Sunday Morning Herald.
“The ICC have to put more time into that to see how they can ensure the survival of one-day cricket, test match cricket, not only club cricket,” he added. With more domestic leagues emerging, it is quite evident that the international matches will be reduced significantly. It is all up to the Cricket’s governing body to take a quick call and decide the future of One Day and Test cricket.
