A record 4.3 Crore fans tuned in on Disney+ Hotstar to watch Virat Kohli equal Sachin Tendulkar with 49 centuries in ODIs. But that was one-off. That record viewership does not tell the whole story. On average, Cricket World Cup 2023 may be in a better place than 2015 and 2019 but the 50-over format is not appealing anymore. The official broadcaster Disney-Star is concerned with the falling viewership and stadium numbers of ODI World Cup. With that, ICC has called for a review meeting in November.
While ICC will have the annual general meeting on November 18 in Ahmedabad a day before the Cricket World Cup final.
As per a report by The Cricketer, ICC will conduct a review meeting of the format with a number of full members also expressing concerns. While some matches have been sold out in ODI World Cup, the bilateral games depict a sorry picture if the India Cricket Team don’t play.
Too long
With the dominance of T20 format, ODIs are not as appealing to fans or broadcasters due to their length. A 100-over game goes on for close to 9 hours.
Many of the games have ended early and have been one-sided with no nail-biting thrillers so far in the tournament. The length is such a problem that ICC is conducting a study to investigate the possibility of curtailing the time. Another problem is the poor formatting.
In the current format, 10 teams play each other in the league format before the top four make it to the semifinals. It is too long and lacks excitement.
Penalty: There have been suggestions to introduce stopwatch and time penalties. While there is a slow overrate fine at present, it has not stopped teams from dragging the game on forever.
40-over version: Instead of 50 overs, many are of the belief that the format should be reduced to 40 overs each. That will help cut down the time.
If it does follow the path, it won’t be the first time. 1975, 1979 and 1983 ODI World Cups were played in a 60-over format.
BCCI the saviour
However, despite the declining popularity of the format, a lot will depend on the India Cricket Team. Like India made the game popular after clinching the title in 1983, a win in the 2023 ODI World Cup for Rohit Sharma & Co could reignite the passion for the format.
But with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of the biggest crowd pullers, likely to be playing their last 50-over World Cup, concerns remain. The two command half of Indian population, the world’s biggest cricket market. However, BCCI remains bullish.
“The format is not going anywhere. Crowd is not an issue yet. Of course, not always stadiums will be full when smaller teams play. But you saw in Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore, we still have good crowd numbers. And as for the concerns that post-Rohit-Virat interest will further drop, that is completely baseless. People thought so when Sachin retired. Now, see cricket at its most popular days,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
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