"Be A Little Careful...": Ravi Shastri's Advice To Cricket Administrators After Ben Stokes' ODI Retirement

20.07.2022 - 14:45 sports.ndtv.com

As cricket grapples with a massive scheduling problem, former India coach Ravi Shastri has called for reduction in T20 bilateral series, saying franchise cricket can be encouraged instead.

As per ICC's next Futures Tours & Programme's (FTP) draft, there is set to be a massive increase in T20s and the IPL is also set to have a two-and-a-half-month exclusive window.

With the increasing number of matches, multi-format players are feeling the load. England's premier all-rounder Ben Stokes shocked everyone be announcing retirement from ODIs on Monday.

The 31-year-old said playing three formats had become "unsustainable" for him. Earlier this month, Cricket South Africa had decided to pull-out of their ODI series against Australia to ensure their players would be available for their new domestic T20 competition. "I would be a little careful of the number of bilateral splits, especially in T20 cricket.

cricket Ben Stokes England Cricket Team Nasser Hussain Ravi Shastri Australia South Africa India Pakistan

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri is currently in the UK doing commentary for Sky Sports for the ongoing second edition of the Hundred competition. Shastri recently was at the game which was being played at the Lord's Cricket Ground along with Mukesh Ambani and Sundar Pichai. On Tuesday, the former head coach shared a picture with Ambani and Pichai. Taking to Twitter, Shastri captioned the post as: "In the august company of two people who love their cricket @HomeOfCricket- Mr Mukesh Ambani and Mr @sundarpichai at @thehundred @SkyCricket."

Ravichandran Ashwin Counters Ravi Shastri's Suggestion On Fewer Teams Playing Test Cricket

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri had made a comment saying 10-12 teams cannot be playing the longest format of the game, and in order to ensure that Test cricket remains competitive, only the top five-six teams should play against each other. Now, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has reacted to the suggestion, saying the existing system works fine and he explained his thinking behind the thought process.

Two IPLs In One Year? "Wouldn't Be Surprised At All," Says Star Ex-India Coach Ravi Shastri

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri made a bold prediction, saying that we may soon see two seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in a single year. Shastri said that while one season will be a full-blown edition in the same format the competition has been played in all these years, there may be a shorter season with more knockout rounds in the latter part of the year. His comments come at a time when domestic T20 leagues are growing in prominence.

"Has Stayed For 50 For Too Long": Ravi Shastri's Radical Suggestion For ODIs

Ever since the retirement of England all-rounder Ben Stokes from ODIs, many are speculating about the future of the 50-over format. A lot of former cricketers have also expressed their concern with the growing cricket calendar and how players need to stay fresh. Now, former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has backed calls for reducing the number of overs in ODIs, saying ODIs have been played for 50 overs for far too long.

"You Cannot Have 10-12 Teams Playing": Ravi Shastri's Radical Suggestion For Tests

England Test captain Ben Stokes announced his retirement from ODIs earlier this week and ever since that decision, a debate has started over the cricket schedule and how players can opt for different formats to ease pressure on their bodies. Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has now suggested a radical change, saying only the top-six teams get to play Test cricket and the sport can be spread to different countries through white-ball cricket.

"You Might See Him Going": Ex-India Coach On Hardik Pandya's ODI Future After 2023 World Cup

Ever since Ben Stokes retired from ODIs, a debate has started regarding the international cricket schedule and whether it is too much for the players to sustain in all three formats. In his statement, Stokes had said that playing all three formats is just unsustainable for him right now. Now, former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has weighed on the debate, saying the players will start choosing which formats they want to play, and he cited the example of India all-rounder Hardik Pandya.