According to the former Indian spinner, the ICC should take a leaf out of FIFA’s book.
There are already ODI and T20 World Cups, alongside the Champions Trophy. Almost every year, one ICC tournament or another takes place, something that has left Ravichandran Ashwin quite frustrated. To restore the value and importance of global events, the former India spinner has urged cricket’s governing body to follow FIFA’s model.
In all three formats of international cricket, teams compete to be crowned the best in the world. The World Test Championship follows a slightly different structure, with a final held after a two-year cycle to decide the champions. In ODIs and T20s, however, World Cups are held.
The ODI World Cup was staged in 2023, followed by the T20 World Cup the next year. The Champions Trophy was held last year, and once again, a T20 World Cup is scheduled for 2026.
Alongside this, women’s ODI and T20 World Cups are also held regularly. On top of that, men’s and women’s national teams play bilateral series throughout the year.
Football, on the other hand, has just one World Cup, held every four years. That single event generates massive excitement and global anticipation. This year, football’s highest governing body is set to host its biggest World Cup yet, featuring 48 teams.
Ashwin feels that the presence of multiple formats, an overloaded match calendar, and global tournaments taking place almost every year are diminishing the value of the World Cup in cricket.
“ODI cricket has become irrelevant. More importantly, the ICC should look at how they are organizing World Cups. For revenue generation, there is an ICC tournament every year. Look at how FIFA does it. There are leagues, and they host their World Cup once every four years.”
“The World Cup has a certain value because it is the biggest tournament. Too many bilateral series, too many formats, too many World Cups — when everything comes together, it just feels a bit excessive.”
The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup is set to begin next February, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
