ODI League, Test Championship is a threat to 5-match bilateral:James Sutherland

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland feels that the introduction to the global ODI league and Test Championship could be a possible threat to the five-match bilateral ODI series. He said that if the proposal of ODI league gets a boost then it won’t be possible to witness the 50-over One Day cricket.

The Australian believes that the traditional 5-match series will get down to 3 games, if the proposal gets the nod. He feels there is a possible threat to the continuation to the 5-match fixtures, as an ODI league will close down the window, affecting the schedules.

End of the road for 5-match series?

“I don’t think you’ll see any country playing more than three one-day matches in a series in the future,” Sutherland was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“What amplifies through that is third-party interest, so other countries, by extension, would have an interest in that series because it had a bearing on where others fitted on the ladder,” Sutherland asserted.

“The contemplation around one-day cricket in the future is that each country hosts six one-day matches and plays six away matches as part of that league, so that’s likely going to be the limits of it,” Sutherland maintained.

T20 cricket here to stay

“They might intersperse them with some Twenty20 matches as well, but I don’t think you’ll see many five-match one-day series … if the plans at ICC level unfold for a Test championship and a one-day league,” Sutherland added.

Sutherland also feels that cricketers would be eager to make an impact in the longer format of the game, as it will throw up challenges at the ultimate stage.

“Taking that a step further, the ladder and the opportunities to qualify for a playoff and play in a world Test championship – I can’t think of any player that wouldn’t be aspiring to be a part of a major event like that,” Sutherland concluded.