Former South African legendary cricketer Jonty Rhodes has expressed his concerns over the reduced importance of the One Day International (ODIs) format. With the increase in franchise T20 cricket, Rhodes fears for the future of the 50-over format.
The 57-year-old recently attended the Rotterdam Dockers’ jersey launch event in Mumbai ahead of the European T20 Premier League 2026 scheduled between August 26 and September 20. Speaking at the event, Rhodes said that the support of dedicated fans has kept the format captivating to date.
Also, the former South African batter warned that ODIs are on the verge of facing massive problems in the forthcoming years.
Why ODI Cricket May Be in Trouble? Jonty Rhodes Explains
Jonty Rhodes’ opinion comes at a perfect time when the international cricket calendar is packed with more T20Is and tests rather than ODIs. This tempts players to play the shorter format rather than sharpening their skills and proving their mettle in the toughest format of white-ball cricket.
With the introduction of the World Test Championship (WTC), the longest format of cricket has become even more intriguing, adding excitement to every Test series. Here is what Rhodes said:
“Certainly! I believe that the 50-over format brings a fresh crowd and adds a unique perspective to the match. Possibly, there is a threat to the 50-over format in the years to come. Just because of the passionate fans who support the team regardless of the format, ODI cricket is fortunate enough to stay alive,” Rhodes said during his recent media interaction in Mumbai.
Not Test Cricket! T20Is Put Pressure on ODIs
Furthermore, Jonty Rhodes voiced his opinion that it would be hard to think of cricket without ODIs. He explained that the arrival of T20Is threatened test cricket. Yet, the traditional format survived and became even stronger with the dynamic approach of batters and bowlers. Here is what the Proteas legend explained:
“See! Earlier when T20 cricket started, it was strongly believed that the format would put immense pressure on Test cricket. Contrarily, the longest format survived, but ODI cricket is now trapped with few matches. Also, in the upcoming days, there will be few bilateral series in the 50-over format.
The modern era of test cricket has started to entertain fans like T20Is with the aggressive batting and bowling style. However, it would be impossible to imagine cricket without the popular ODI format,” Rhodes added.
Is Cricket Following Football’s Path? Rhodes Opinion
Jonty Rhodes highlighted cricket’s parallel situation with Football. This is because the FIFA World Cup stands as the premier international tournament despite the dominance in club-based contests. Likewise, the ODI World Cup attracts viewers regardless of the increase in franchise T20 leagues. Here is what Rhodes explained:
“Certainly! When you see most of the international stars, they represent their clubs and franchises when they aren’t a part of the FIFA World Cup that year. This is a similar scenario you might observe in cricket as well,” Rhodes voiced his opinion.
Increasing Concerns Over International Cricket Calendar
Rhodes believes that the current generation of players has shortened their international careers just to extend their participation in franchise T20 leagues.
“Absolutely! Players will start to make choices when it comes to playing all three formats of international cricket. With the rise in franchise leagues globally, players choose to draw curtains to their international cricket career and focus on increasing their franchise league participation all over the world,” Rhodes explained.
Jonty Rhodes ODI Stats Reveal Why He Values the ODI Format
Ever since Jonty Rhodes made his international debut in 1992, he amassed 8,467 runs. Out of which he compiled 5,935 runs. Having played 245 matches, here is a glimpse of his ODI career stats:
- Total ODI Matches Played: 245
- Runs Scored and Innings Batted: 5,935 runs in 220 Innings.
- Balls Faced: 7,336
- Not Outs / Number of Unbeaten Knocks: 51
- Highest Individual Score in ODIs: 121
- Batting Average: 35.11
- Batting Strike Rate: 80.90
- Centuries: 02
- Half-Centuries: 33
- Fours and Sixes: 392 Fours and 47 Sixes
- Catches Taken: 105
Notably, Rhodes was one of the best fielders for his team in the 50-over format, particularly at the point region.
Also Read: Why Are Associate Nations Disappointed with the New Format of the 2027 ODI World Cup?
Final Opinion
Previously, the ODI format used to rule the international cricket world. That was the golden era of the action-packed cricket calendar with a plethora of bilateral, triangular and quadrangular 50-over series.
In recent times, viewers have found the middle phases of the 50-over matches to be boring and have struggled to watch a single contest spanning seven to eight hours or even more without missing a ball.
After 24 years, South Africa is back to host the ODI World Cup in 2027 alongside Zimbabwe and Namibia. The previous time the Proteas hosted the event was back in 2003. Notably, Jonty Rhodes represented the hosts in their first two matches of the tournament.
Conclusively, Rhodes believes that the rise of franchise leagues could lure players to priortize lucrative contracts over national duty, causing early retirements from international cricket.
