One-day cricket is just a drag now... is kind of dying: Wasim Akram

Ben Stokes' sudden retirement from ODIs has sparked a conversation regarding the format. Many former cricketers and administrators have commented on the future of the format and how it is finding difficult to stay relevant. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram too has voiced his concerns and backed Stokes' decision to retire from ODIs.

“Him deciding that he is retiring from one-day cricket is quite sad but I agree with him. Even as a commentator one-day cricket is just a drag now, especially after T20. I can imagine as a player. 50 overs, 50 overs, then you have to pre-game, post-game, the lunch game.

"T20 is kind of easier, four hours the game is over. The leagues all around the world, there is a lot more money - I suppose this is part and parcel of the modern cricket. T20 or Test cricket. One-day cricket is kind of dying.

“It is quite tiring for a player to play one-day cricket. After T20, one-day cricket seems it is going for days. So players are focussing on more shorter format. And longer format obviously [with] Test cricket,” Wasim Akram said while speaking on The Telegraph's Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club podcast.

Akram feels there is an immediate need to look into the format as filling the stadiums during a one-day game is going to be a challenge.

“I think so. In England you have full houses. In India, Pakistan especially, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, one-day cricket you are not going to fill the stadiums."

“They are doing it just for the sake of doing it. After the first 10 overs, it’s just ‘OK, just go a run a ball, get a boundary, four fielders in and you get to 200, 220 in 40 overs’ and then have a go last 10 overs. Another 100. It’s kind of run-of-the-mill,” said Akram.

The legendary cricketer picked Tests as his favourite format.

“There’s a battle within the battle in Test cricket,” he said. “I always preferred Test matches. One-day used to be fun but Test matches were where you were recognised as a player where people still pick you for the world XIs. OK money matters - I understand where they are coming from - but they should also remember if they want to be recognised as one of the greats of the game,” said Akram.

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