Wasim Akram, a former pacer for Pakistan, has spoke out on ODI cricket. Akram discussed the current situation of the Men in Green in the 50-over format as a member of the commentary panel for the ongoing Test match between Australia and Pakistan.
Following the 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar Azam was replaced as the captain of the all-format team. It was revealed that Shaheen Afridi will captain the Twenty20 International team, while Shan Masood will captain the Test team. November 2024 is when Pakistan will play their next ODI match, and the captain of the team has not yet been revealed.
“Will there be a further 50-over World Cup? God, take action to stop ODIs. It’s simply too much time. Particularly the bilateral series, the format is no longer in use. It’s a somewhat intermediate format that differs greatly from T20 and Test cricket. In a commentary, Wasim Akram stated, “You have to be an expert.”
The main issue is that, in my experience with ODI cricket, nothing much happens from the tenth to the fortyth over. Teams are playing four overs each, and the bowling side is offering to give them four overs as well. The powerplays in the final ten and the first ten overs are more thrilling, and I believe that’s where action needs to be taken,” he continued.
I’ll most likely bowl 40 overs: Wasim Akram
In addition, Wasim Akram came forward and said he would like to see ODI cricket shortened from 50 overs to 40 overs. He claimed that since the introduction of Twenty20 cricket, the attention span has vanished and further shrunk.
“The attention span is gone, therefore I’ll probably go 40 overs instead of 50. It is becoming somewhat less visible due to the T20 format. Without a question, test cricket is the best, according to Wasim Akram.
“The legendary Sachin also said that if the game is played in four innings, each lasting 25 overs, it will likely take three days to complete. In 2001, I participated in a two-inning, 25-over game in Cardiff, but it was just too lengthy. He continued, “It was intriguing, but the transition and everything took too long.