The International Cricket Council is considering a plan that proposes to shake up one-day cricket and could mean scrapping the World Cup. Tim May, head of the Australian Cricketers' Association, has drawn up a blueprint which incorporates a world championship table with one country annually crowned as champions.
The ACA has become increasingly concerned with the current state of the limited-overs game, and May revealed the plan has been informally submitted to the ICC.
Should this be the future of one-day cricket?
This debate has now closed. See below for a selection of your best comments.
The problem with the last World Cup was the presence of weak teams like Canada, Scotland, etc. I think the World Cup should be a tournament for the best teams in the world, not every team in the world.
Bakwas, USA
The World Cup will always be the finest and most prestigious tournament.
T. Shafiq, London, UK
 The glamour of an all-nation World Cup would be lost if this plan goes ahead |
Revamping present day cricket is a great idea. Every team having an equal number of matches will not only bring more spectators in grounds but also will produce a great excitement. I would like to add a final match between two top level cricket teams every year to create excitement.
Azhar Malik, USA
Tim May's idea is basically sound. It's high time we got away from these pointless triangular tournaments. There should be two or even three divisions so that non Test playing countries can be included with promotion and relegation.
Jeremy Watson, Dorset
Four years is a too long time to wait to find out where your team stands. However, the glamour of an all-nation World Cup would be lost if this plan goes ahead. That will not be acceptable to many cricket lovers around the world.
Fewer matches played annually means loss of revenue for the cricket boards. Many countries which do not have popular local tournaments will struggle to maintain their present infrastructure. Besides, what will be the future of highly successful venue Sharjah which has hosted most number of one-dayers?
Mudith K, UK
This is the best thing to come out of Australia since the great 'Don'.
The pointless matches will vanish. The motivation for match fixing will vanish.
In fact, I would go one step ahead of the Aussies (it's always great to do that), and say there should be two leagues with promotion and relegation. This would give the minnows to establish themselves.
Carlos Kueneiro, Mexico (on hols, wish you were here!)
It will enable fringe teams such as Holland more opportunity to develop the game |
I agree with the new layout, except for the fact of not having a World Cup. Every international sport more or less has one, and why not cricket? Keep the World Cup whatever you do!
Vaqass, UK
This is a brilliant idea! Seeing every country play every year would be excellent.
Jamie, Brisbane, Australia
The idea given by Mr May is not great for cricket. The passion and thrill which comes with the arrival of different teams of the world for the Cricket World Cup will vanish.
The idea of the ICC to spread out cricket to every part of the globe will never be realised as only eleven one-day cricket playing countries would be playing against each other round the year and other emerging cricketing nations will never get chance to play against the best countries.
Aamir Ahmad Jan, Karachi, Pakistan
It's a great idea to revamp the playing structure of one-day cricket, which, currently is repetitive, disruptive to Test cricket, and which often leaves fringe players on tour hardly any time actually to play in games. It will also enable fringe teams such as Holland more opportunity to develop the game. Great idea.
Keith , Australia
No Way! What a stupid idea. I understand that teams play too many one-dayers at the moment, but why have a seven ODI series, cut it down to five or four. It makes sense. You cannot possibly scrap the World Cup. It is cricket's biggest trophy, which attracts the most viewers. It just doesn't make sense!
Amit Kalley, Ilford
One-day cricket certainly does need revamping Bill MacAlevey, Bilbao, Spain |
NO! Lets keep the life in the game. We dont wnat it to be a regularised thing, the spark is gone then. Please NO!. One-day cricket is fine just as it is.
Ayesha, Lahore The idea for a round robin tournament is nice, but it will never pass. Unfortunately, the power for this rests with the National boards, and it's inconceivable that they would allow this. The only way it will pass is if a compromise is reached where schedules are kept the same with five game series or tri-nation tournaments being allowed to remain alongside, simply because the National associations won't take the reduction in revenue that this would spell.
Nicholas, Tampa, FL
One-day cricket certainly does need revamping, especially the World Cup, which has regularly been a farce! Twenty/20 should be scrapped too as any attempt to turn cricket into baseball is bound to fail in the long run. Perhaps thought should be given to creating an annual/biannual international league of Test Cricket too.
Bill MacAlevey, Bilbao, Spain
The Australian plan seems to be teams playing disconnected cricket. It's much more fun to see all teams coming together at one place. This is a festival of cricket once in four years. How would it sound for not celebrating Christmas but getting gifts from one friend each month.
Vikas Chawla, India
Typical Aussies, the idea is both inventive and controversial |
The approach taken by Mr. May eliminates the hype and enthusiasm that comes with the World Cup and other tournaments. I am not in favour of such a regimental approach to ODI cricket.
However, if this is done in addition to the World Cup and other major tournaments then it will add to the cricket revenues.
Mohammad Shaikh, Chicago, USA
I think this is great for the game. Another excellent idea added to aid the death of Test cricket (which I think is the reason why more people don't follow cricket).
Think of this new idea as the NBA of cricket, where a champion is crowned every year, but the team still gets to go to a greater competition every four years in the Olympics (or in cricket's case, the World Cup).
Caesar, USA
Typical Aussies, the idea is both inventive and controversial. Yet it is probably an ideal base from which to shake-up our current thinking on ODIs.
Let's be honest, the current ODI circuit is merely a revenue generator with no end-game objective. Not since Kerry Packer's revolution has there been such a shake-up worthy of being described as 'ground-breaking'. Maybe this is it!
John Sheron, London
May's suggestions are great! There is clear evidence from other sports, like football, which supports this format to optimise spectator interest and revenue. The ICC should give it a shot.
Naresh, USA
We should enhance the World Cup and bring in the championship table as a secondary competition Azhar, Cumbernauld, Scotland |
The World Cup should not be scrapped but the regular ODI calendar can be modified to implement the ACA's idea. However, it will be a logistical nightmare to get teams to fly halfway across the globe for just one match.
If each team has 10 opponents there should be five home and five away series for each team, each year...so if India tours Australia in 2004, Australia will tour India in 2005 for three games, and so on.
Swarna Basu, USA
And what happens to the non-Test playing countries? The World Cup is a great stage for promoting cricket to non-cricketing people and nations. Look where it's brought Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland, Ireland, Scotland etc.
Therefore we should enhance the World Cup and bring in the championship table as a secondary competition to get rid of the other meaningless tri-nation series.
Bernie of Brighton makes a good point about two divisions with promotion and relegation. That way England can avoid the annual trips to Australia by staying in the second division.
Azhar, Cumbernauld, Scotland
What's wrong with the current state of the game? If players feel tired, they can elect to miss a series. Also, I do not consider any match to be meaningless, as it gives the spectator another opportunity to see their team/palyers in action, and surely that's the whole point.
How can anyone even consider scrapping the World Cup? For me it is the greatest and most anticipated sporting event in the world. Would the football World Cup ever be scrapped?
FA, London
It's only during the World Cup that I hear some queries about cricket from my American friends |
The ICC has made a ten year rolling schedule for Test cricket already but nothing like that for ODIs so maybe this plan has merit.
All the concerns about keeping the World Cup, player burnout, logistics, keeping lesser teams interested all need sorting out as well.
Darshin, London, UK
There is a flaw in this argument. Tim May says "there are too many one-sided games at the moment". But Australia ONLY plays the 10 other Test countries at the moment so how would his plan change things?
They would still only play the teams they are playing now. His plan, also, stops non-Test-playing countries from ever playing Test countries.
Richard Boyd, UK
I think the scrapping of the World Cup would be the worst possible step to take. It's only during the World Cup that I hear some queries about cricket from my American friends.
A better solution would be to make the proposed premier league a competition between the regional one-day champs in all the Test-playing nations. So it could be like the Champions League in Football.
This would give greater exposure to these teams as well as international playing experience to aspiring cricketers from these sides, and hopefully bring some money into the regional sides in countries such as India where there is a huge gap in the incomes of players in the national team and those in the regional teams.
Ajay, Florida, USA
The premier league could be held every year except for the year in which there is supposed to be a World Cup |
Yes, ODI cricket needs a shake-up. An annual competition is a great idea but anything that creates meaningful, exciting matches should be supported.
Derek Brooke, Papworth
The idea of introducing an annual premier league is a good one, but why should one think of scrapping up the World Cup?
I mean, the premier league could be held every year except for the year in which there is supposed to be a World Cup.
Zainub, Pakistan
I have to agree with Martyn on this one. While I can see some merit in the plan, it doesn't provide an opportunity for the non-Test/ODI nations to participate and thereby raise the level of their game.
If there were a system where there would be two divisions of, say, 7/8 nations with full relegation/promotion opportunities (maybe supplemented with a qualifying tournament to enter the second division) the system would become more inclusive and encourage the game in those so-called 'minnow' countries.
Rob, Oxford
This is ridiculous, nothing creates interest like a World Cup. The new proposals would cause overkill and apathy towards ODIs
Liam Macrae, Manchester
All we need is a better organised World Cup. I don't think it should be scrapped just because the ICC made a complete mess of it last time - hopefully some lessons will have be learned.
Colin, Bedford
I think that they should go further and introduce a second division with promotion and relegation |
A very good idea considering the current state of international cricket where the emphasis is just on building a team for the World Cups.
Some of the tournaments do not prove any point at all. This would introduce healthy competition in all the games - something that we do not see in "dead rubbers". Definitely a very good idea for gathering interest and revenue for the game.
T Aalam, Edinburgh, Scotland
The structured plan is OK. However, ther World Cup should never be scrapped. We wait four years for this event. Without the World Cup, people will lose interest in one-day games. I don't watch Test maches, I don't have time for that.
Sikander Abulkhair, Canada
It sounds like a good idea, with the emphasis being placed on structure rather than tournaments wherever and whenever. It will also give a better idea of who the best team in the world is, as every game will count.
I think that they should go further and introduce a second division with promotion and relegation in order to promote the game around the world.
Bernie, Brighton
What a load of rubbish. So England have to travel to Australia every year (and vice-versa) just to play two matches. Not to mention all the other countries they have to visit annually on their world tour. And how is this going to help prevent player burnout?
David, England
Sounds like a good idea in principle. Something well structured and uncomplicated has got to be a good thing. Good for the game, the spectator and the sport in general. However, let's keep the pricing sensible...cheaper tickets, less corporate seats available, so real fans can enjoy their sport.
Chris UK, Stockport
If the ACA plan is implemented, it will mean the end of competitive international cricket below Test/ODI level |
I can't see why we can't have the two together, just like the FA Cup and the Premiership. Both have their own charm and we all can do with the romance of a CUP competition.
Hussein, Kent
No, it should not. As it stands, the World Cup is the only place where cricket enthusiasts from outside the Test-playing nations have a chance to support their own team in a major competition.
If the ACA plan is implemented, it will mean the end of competitive international cricket below Test/ODI level. I for one would have appreciated this year's World Cup far less without the involvement of Canada, Namibia and, above all, my own country.
Sure there are problems with the current game, but closing shop is not the answer.
Martyn, The Netherlands
This sounds OK in principle. The World Cup in South Africa was not a particular success from an organisational point of view.
It would be a nightmare fitting all the games around Test matches but if it could be done then fine.
The idea of watching other teams play each other in this country sounds good, but are Southern Hemisphere teams really going to travel here to play on a neutral pitch? Holland v Bangladesh will not draw the crowds in.
Paul, England
MMIX
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