Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has stressed on the need for a reduction in the number of T20Is played to counter the raging issue of scheduling in international cricket.
Recently, South Africa decided to pull out of a three-match ODI series against Australia in January 2023 to ensure their players would be available for the upcoming new domestic T20 competition in the country.
Meanwhile, England’s Test skipper and all-rounder Ben Stokes, who announced his retirement from ODI cricket after the first match against South Africa at the age of 31, had also citied the “unsustainable” workload by playing in all three formats.
Currently, there are speculations the upcoming Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the 2023-27 cycle will have more of T20I action and in such a scenario, Shastri expressed his views on the matter.
“I would be a little careful of the number of bilateral splits, especially in T20 cricket. There’s a lot of franchise cricket which can be encouraged, whichever country it’s in – India, West Indies, or Pakistan. You play less bilaterals and then you get together for the World Cups. So, the emphasis on ICC World Cup events becomes paramount. Then people look forward to them,” said Shastri in an episode of the Vaughany and Tuffers podcast.
“I think two tiers are needed, otherwise Test cricket will die in 10 years time. You need six teams at the top, and then six teams in the second and then you qualify. And those top six play against each other more often because of the corridor you open up by having less bilateral T20 cricket and just franchise cricket. That’s the way all formats of the game can survive,” he added.