ODIs should be played in World Cups only: MCC President Mark Nicholas makes bold claim

Former first-class cricketer and current President of the MCC, Mark Nicholas believes the future of ODI cricket looks pretty bleak and that it should be played only in the World Cups.

Nicholas shed light on the lack of cricketing audiences that take an interest in watching ODI cricket in the stadium compared to the shortest format of the game, where he thinks the future is heading.

Here's what Mark Nicholas told ESPNCricinfo:

"We believe strongly that ODIs should be World Cups only. We think it's difficult bilaterally now to justify them. They're not filling grounds in a lot of countries. And there is a power at the moment to T20 cricket that is almost supernatural."

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Mark Nicholas on other factors pushing T20 cricket higher than ODIs

Nicholas claimed that it was not just about having full stadiums that put T20 cricket ahead of one-day internationals. He also spoke about how players now want to be a part of different franchise T20 leagues around the world.

On this, he stated:

"It's more than just ticket sales. It's the amount of people that want to own franchises, the amount of countries that want to run tournaments, it's the amount of players that want to be in a market all around the world."

He added:

"In a free market, the most money wins and that's just the end-game. The players can see that bubbling away and they want to be a part of it. So, it is an extraordinary power that T20 has, and I think scheduling 50-over cricket alongside it just continues the story of the death knell of the ODI game."

With the ODI World Cup 2023 set to begin in India on Wednesday, October 5, it will be interesting to see where the future of the format lies after the showpiece event.