Just a thought - Is ODI Cricket format gonna die soon ??????

The immense popularity of the Twenty20 cricket has started having its effect on the traditional form of One-Day Internationals. Cricket fans, particularly from New Zealand and Australia, are showing a keen interest in the Twenty20 format of the game. They prefer this form for its crispier nature and find it more captivating than the fifty over game.

Australia, which is the second most prominent nation to play the game of Cricket, is planning to give up the original fifty over game on the domestic level and experiment with a new forty-over format comprising of two Innings. This action comes after England’s decision to discard the fifty over county cricket in support of the new forty-over games. Post IPL, India too is crazy about the T20 format. Thus, the fifty over format is almost heading towards extinction on the domestic level in these three most important cricket countries. 

The former New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe senses that with Australia opting for the new 40-over format, the tradition One Day format is heading towards a decline. Thus, it will not be a product of fantasy to assume that the World Cup 2011 will be last one to be played under the conventional fifty-over set-up. The World Cup 2015 that will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand is expected to mark a new beginning.