Nagpur, Feb 5 With the proliferation of franchise cricket all around, 50-over cricket has been pushed to the margin and struggling for its place in the cricket horizon, admitted England ODI captain Jos Buttler, who however said he would attach more importance to winning the ODI World Cup than the T20 one.
Buttler was asked the question because England are playing their first ODI match in India since the 2023 World Cup, while India have played only three 50-over matches in the year they won their second T20 World Cup title. With both teams set to play in the Champions Trophy later this month, they will go into the tournament with only the current three-game series behind them.
"It's certainly been pushed a little bit towards the margins in the recent years and the way scheduling is and obviously the rise of T20 and franchise cricket (has played its role). But I still believe if you talk to guys about winning a World Cup, they'd probably say a 50-over World Cup ahead of a T20 World Cup at the moment," said Buttler on the eve of the first ODI of the three-match series against India at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium here.
"Whether that continues to be the case moving forward, I don't know. But the schedules are always the thing," added Buttler.
The England captain said personally, he favours ODI cricket over the shorter format. However, he missed the five-match series against Australia at home where England lost 2-3 in September 2024.
"I'm sure, to be honest, I think, you know, I actually really enjoyed 50-over cricket. It's always been one of my favourite formats actually," said Buttler.
However, the 34-year-old wicketkeeper batter said people will come to watch if two good teams are playing, whatever the format.
"If you can get the best players on the park playing against each other in whatever the format, I think people are always going to be excited to watch it," he added.
But with the 50-over format pushed to the margin and the best players now taking the field for the shorter versions in the form of franchise cricket all over the world, the ODI version sure needs a push to maintain its relevance in the long run.
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