ICC must protect Test, ODI formats amid rise of T20 leagues: Dev


Former India captain Kapil Dev has urged the International Cricket Federation (ICC) to take steps to protect the Test and one-day international formats amid the global growth of lucrative domestic Twenty20 competitions.

The proliferation of T20 leagues has put further strain on the already bloated cricket calendar with new competitions due to start in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa early next year.

The groundbreaking Indian Premier League is set to get an extended window on the ICC’s next international calendar, while England and Australia are also likely to get dedicated spots for their domestic franchise-based leagues.

The tight schedule has prompted some players to leave formats, with England’s Ben Stokes leaving ODIs last month, while South Africa canceled an ODI tour of Australia in January due to a clash with the start of their T20 league.

The ICC has imposed a duty on member boards to strike a balance between domestic and bilateral cricket to better manage players’ workloads, but Dev said he has a “greater responsibility” to manage the sport.

“It’s developing like football in Europe,” Dev told the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday. “They don’t play every country. It’s once in four years (during the World Cup).

“Is that what we’re going to have, play the World Cup and play club cricket (T20 franchise) the rest of the time? Similarly, will cricketers eventually play mostly IPL or Big Bash or something?

“The ICC needs to spend more time seeing how it can ensure the survival of one-day cricket, Test match cricket and not just club cricket,” added Dev, who skippered the 1983 India World Cup won.