Reduce ODIs to 40-over games – Australia’s Usman Khawaja suggestion for format survival

ODIs
are
fast
losing
their
popularity
with
T20Is
already
becoming
a
hot
property,
while
Test
cricket
remains
the
pinnacle
of
the
sport.

But
Khawaja
is
against
the
scrapping
of
50-over
format,
instead
he
and
teammate
Adam
Zampa
have
suggested
some
corrective
measures
to
infuse
a
new
life
into
ODIs.

Having
enjoyed
40-over
games
in
England
Cricket
Board’s
40
league,
Khawaja
feels
a
reduction
in
overs
is
the
right
way
to
go.

“50
overs
is
just
that
little
bit
too
long
now.
Take
out
that
little
middle
bit,
you’d
get
to
25
overs
and
you’d
look
up
and
‘oh
crap,
there’s
only
15
overs
left,
let’s
go
again’,”
he
told
ABC
Sport.

“So
you
don’t
have
that
little
lull.
That’s
my
only
objection
to
one-day
cricket.”

Leg-spinner
Zampa
agreed
with
Khawaja’s
observation,
saying
a
little
adjustments
can
make
50-over
cricket
relevant
again,
with
the
ODI
World
Cup
scheduled
to
be
held
in
India
next
year.

“(They)
either
need
to
be
scrapped
or
something
needs
to
be
done
with
them,”
Zampa
said.
“Bonuses
or
extra
free
hits
or
something,
make
it
a
bit
more
interesting,”
he
suggested.

Left-arm
spinner
Ashton
Agar
said
50
overs
was
“just
enough
time
to
do
enough”.

“Ten
overs
is
a
lovely
amount
of
bowling
time,
50
overs
is
a
good
time
to
bat;
it
gives
guys
down
the
order
a
bit
of
time
if
a
few
wickets
have
fallen,”
said
Agar,
who
represented
Australia
in
46
T20Is
and
18
ODIs.

“I
think
people
get
frustrated
that
maybe
it
takes
a
bit
too
long,
but
I
think
that’s
just
because
of
the
advent
of
T20
cricket.
I
like
ODI
cricket.”

Wicketkeeper
Alex
Carey
said
“there’s
still
lots
of
room
in
the
game
for
one-day
cricket
for
sure”.
Australia
Test
off-spinner
Nathan
Lyon
suggested
using
one
ball
from
both
ends
to
make
it
create
a
level
playing
field
for
both
batters
and
bowlers.

“I’d
love
to
see
one
ball
come
back
into
it,”
Lyon
said.
“One
ball
from
both
ends,
stop
giving
batters
a
brand
new
ball
to
hit.
I’d
like
to
see
(them)
bring
reverse
swing,
bring
spin
back
into
it.”