What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
England’s champion all-rounder Ben Stokes stunned the cricketing world on Monday when he announced his retirement from the ODIs. The 31-year-old has been the fulcrum of England’s team in all formats in the last 5 years. Stokes was instrumental in England edging New Zealand in the World Cup final in 2019 as he cracked an unbeaten 84 to steer his team to their maiden title.
“Three formats are just unsustainable for me now. Not only do I feel that my body is letting me down because of the schedule and what is expected of us, but I also feel that I am taking the place of another player who can give Jos and the rest of the team their all. It’s time for someone else to progress as a cricketer and make incredible memories as I have over the past 11 years,” he said in the statement.
He added: “I will give everything I have to Test cricket, and now, with this decision, I feel I can also give my total commitment to the T20 format. I would like to wish Jos Buttler, Matthew Mott, the players, and the support staff every success going forward. We have made great strides in white-ball cricket over the past seven years, and the future looks bright.”
Stokes’ sudden retirement is a huge loss for the defending champions England as the 50-over World Cup will take place next year. At 31, he is too young to retire from a format. It’ll be a tall order to find his replacement.
But his retirement also underlines a malaise in the system that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has to address. There are far too many ODI and T20I bilateral series happening which serve little purpose but are mounting a humongous burden on cricketers. It is becoming increasingly difficult for cricketers to play all three formats.
Relentlessly playing all three formats also means one is likely to incur injuries, which sometimes can be fatal. Yes, most of the cricketers take rest sometimes from these bilateral series but that is just not enough.
Also, since the shelf-life of most cricketers isn’t too long, they want to play cash-rich T20 leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Big Bash – which offer them lucrative contracts – then plugging away in the meaningless bilateral series. It is futile and impertinent to blame cricketers for looking after their financial interests. These leagues are raking in the moolah and almost all cricketing boards are benefitting tremendously. Hence, they are there to stay for a long time.
Besides, the interest of the audience in these largely inconsequential bilateral series is mostly minuscule. This is not to say that these bilateral series must be completely discontinued. Yes, the number of bilateral series must be curtailed but they can’t be completely done away with. There is a crying need to meticulously rationalize their numbers so that they have some meaning left.
Bilateral series serves the purpose when they are held in the lead-up to a marquee tournament as teams get many matches to prepare themselves. For example, the T20I series taking place right now will help every team to fine-tune their game for the World T20 which is slated to take place later this year. Similarly, bilateral ODI series before the World Cup or Asia Cup has some value.
ICC can also toy with the idea of organizing more triangular or quadrangular tournaments in which top teams cross swords with each other as they used to take place in the 1980s and 1990s. Such championships will be far more exciting and rollicking than usually bland bilateral series.
It’s high time for the ICC to wake up and smell the coffee before we lose more cricketers due to gratuitously grueling schedules.
