Reduce games to 40-over per-side game: Australia opener Usman Khawaja’s suggestion for ODIs survival

Australian batter Usman Khawaja feels the 50-over format needs to be reduced to a 40-overs-a-side game to make it more interesting in the wake of the ever-growing popularity of T20 cricket.

Usman Khawaja wants ODIs reduced to 40 overs to compete with T20 cricket (AFP Photo)

By India Today Web Desk: Australia batter Usman Khawaja believes the 50-over-a-side One-day International cricket should be trimmed to a 40-over-a-side format to make it more interesting in the wake of the ever-growing popularity of T20 cricket.

“50 overs is just that little bit too long now. Take out that little middle bit, you’d get to 25 overs and you’d look up and ‘oh crap, there are only 15 overs left, let’s go again’,” he told ABC Sport.

‘”So you don’t have that little lull. That’s my only objection to one-day cricket.” Leg-spinner Zampa agreed with Khawaja’s observation, saying a few adjustments can make 50-over cricket relevant again, with the ODI World Cup scheduled to be held in India next year. ”(They) either need to be scrapped or something needs to be done with them,” Zampa said.

”Bonuses or extra free hits or something, make it a bit more interesting,” he suggested.

Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar said 50 overs was ”just enough time to do enough”.

”Ten overs is a lovely amount of bowling time, 50 overs is a good time to bat; it gives guys down the order a bit of time if a few wickets have fallen,” said Agar, who represented Australia in 46 T20Is and 18 ODIs.

”I think people get frustrated that maybe it takes a bit too long, but I think that’s just because of the advent of T20 cricket. I like ODI cricket.” Wicketkeeper Alex Carey said ”there’s still lots of room in the game for one-day cricket for sure”. Australia Test off-spinner Nathan Lyon suggested using one ball from both ends to make it create a level playing field for both batters and bowlers. ”I’d love to see one ball come back into it,” Lyon said.

”One ball from both ends, stop giving batters a brand new ball to hit. I’d like to see (them) bring reverse swing, bring spin back into it.”