Australian great Allan Border believes killing off international Twenty20 fixtures is needed to prevent the demise of the One Day International.
The former Test captain says T20 has reached overkill stage courtesy of teeming international fixtures and various high-profile domestic leagues around the world.
“I wouldn’t be playing T20 international cricket at all, I would save that for a World Cup every two years,” Border told ABC Radio ahead of next year’s ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“I think there is enough domestic Twenty20 cricket to fill the programme out quite nicely … there’s Twenty20 competitions in basically every country.
“Why we have to play international Twenty20 cricket as well as that?”
‘Captain Grumpy’, a veteran of 273 ODIs and a part of Australia’s unexpected World Cup win in 1987, claims ODIs feature tactics and excitement not found in the T20 experience.
“I’d hate to see the 50-over game wither and die, I really think it’s a wonderful game of cricket and I think the World Cup coming up in Australia and New Zealand will be an absolute ripper,” he said.
“I think that would be a shame, I think the 50-over game is a superior game to 20-over cricket.
“I prefer the 50-over game as far as the ebb and flow, the bowler is in the contest a little more, and you can have little periods where you bat or bowl yourself out of the game and then bat or bowl yourself back into the game.
“That’s very difficult to do in 20-over cricket.”
Australia clinched a 2-1 Twenty20 series victory over the visiting South Africa last weekend in a two-wicket win at Stadium Australia.
The W.A.C.A will host the opening two of five ODI hit outs with the Proteas this Friday and Sunday ahead of India’s four-Test tour of Australia in December and a seven-ODI tri-series with India and England in January.
Australia kicks off its ICC World Cup 2015 campaign against England on February 14 at the MCG.
Photo: Brett Hemmings/Getty Images
