When it comes to cricket’s three-format conundrum, Test matches are the vinyl records, T20s are the modern streaming service and one-dayers have been assigned to the ratty old VHS section.
Tests are for the traditionalists and the hipsters, T20s are everywhere you look and the latest generation is growing up with saturation coverage while the 50-over fixtures are stuck in the middle.
But matches like Monday night’s MCG thriller show that ODIs could be more like DVDs than VHS cassettes and survive in the digital age.
It was one of those unfortunately rare ODIs where both teams had ample chances to win – Australia were on top early with the ball, Pakistan’s tail wagged, the hosts were cruising, then suffered a middle-order collapse on the back of Haris Rauf’s inspired spell before Pat Cummins held his nerve to guide his team to a two-wicket cliffhanger.
The first fixture in the three-match series over the course of this week encapsulated everything that is worth saving about the 50-over format as cricket faces an inevitable format squeeze.
But games like this are few and far between.
And when it comes to voting with their feet, Australian cricket supporters have walked away from ODIs in growing numbers in recent years.
If not for the huge contingent of expat Pakistani fans who cheered loudly and added a different shade of green to the stands, the crowd of 25,000 would have been about half that amount.
It has become a trend in recent years when Australia play one-dayers at home to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, the expat South Asian communities seemingly outnumber the green and gold fans in the stands.
ODI cricket received a much-needed shot in the arm at the end of last year with one of the best World Cups of this century among the plethora of T20, 50-over and now Test global trophies up for grabs.
The ICC (and its parent company, the BCCI) has shown no inkling of going through with any of the rhetoric that has been floated around about 50-over cricket becoming expendable.
Marnus Labuschagne bats at Melbourne Cricket Ground. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
There has been a slight reduction in bilateral series due to the rise in T20 franchise cricket but don’t expect any radical changes when we get an announcement on the next men’s Future Tours Programme, which is due to kick in from mid-2027 onwards.
ODI cricket, like the Test and T20 versions, can still pay its way as long as there is enough content featuring the Indian team and the hundred of millions of eyeballs that come with it.
The ICC is trying to hype up interest about the Champions Trophy next March as a showpiece event that will mean ODI cricket is remains relevant outside of World Cup years.
That won’t happen. Even the most tragic of cricket badgers would struggle to name the reigning Champions Trophy, um, champions.
Do you know who it is?
Some thinking music …
Still wondering?
Or given up?
The answer is, checks the Google machine, the team from the country of …
Pakistan.
Back in 2017.
It wasn’t held four years ago due to that pandemic which rudely got in the way of everything on the planet.
The only reason most cricket fans know where the next tournament is being held is because it’s supposed to be in Pakistan but the usual geopolitical dramas involving India have cast doubt on whether they will play matches over the disputed border with their warring neighbours.
Cricket Australia cleverly scheduled the ODI series opener against Pakistan at the MCG on the day before Melbourne Cup day, an unofficial public holiday in the Victorian capital before the official one, hoping to draw in more fans.
But the bilateral ODI series no longer holds enough appeal.
The days of huge crowds flocking to a triangular tournament where Australia and two other countries each play eight games just to see who makes the final are long gone.
It’s hard for countries to find gaps in the crowded calendar these days to stage bilateral series let alone multi-team tournaments.
And the problem with a three-team contest is that the games between the two touring sides are a tough sell for fans and broadcasters.
How good would it be if Australia could partner with New Zealand to set aside a window every October/November to co-host a series against a common opponent.
You could have the Aussies hosting matches on the eastern seaboard, some games at NZ with the final at the MCG.
And you wouldn’t have to rely on the passion of the local expat communities to fill the venue.
If cricket’s authorities are going to keep ODIs on the agenda, some sort of shake-up is needed to keep the format relevant in the 3.5 years when the World Cup is not on the horizon.
Bilateral series are not the answer. If they continue to be jammed into the schedule then ODI cricket won’t even be VHS of the formats but worse still, Betamax.
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