Former cricketer Robin Uthappa argues that key ICC events, such as the ODI and T20 World Cups, have recently begun to lose prominence. Uthappa, who won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, believes that the governing body of cricket must restructure and lower the volume of ICC tournaments in order to maintain the genuine worth of any ICC championship.
Uthappa believes that the number of ICC events held each year, particularly with the rise of franchise-based T20 leagues, is overburdening fans, spectators, and the cricketing audience as a whole. The cricketer-turned-commentator also advised extending the time between two global competitions.
“I think the game needs to evolve from the administrative perspective. Today, how much value do fans and audiences hold for an ICC tournament every year? The novelty of it is wearing off, to be very honest, and with all due respect. And I think the novelty of the ICC championships must be there. I think it’s an integral part, not just for the players but also for the fans, also for the viewers. It has to mean something. There has to be a little bit of a gap,” Uthappa was quoted as saying by Tribune India.
Furthermore, the Coorg-born said that keeping one T20 World Cup or the other every year will not help the international cricket grow to further heights.
He has urged the ICC to understand and look after the direction in which the modern-day cricket is moving and act accordingly.
“We can’t have or shouldn’t have an ICC championship every year. And that is the hard truth that I think the administrators have to look at and face. You have to understand that the game is moving in a direction, and you can not force that direction into another space. You have to flow with that and try to maximise that towards where it’s moving,” the former wicketkeeper-batter concluded.
India
