Will ODI cricket survive till the 2031 World Cup in India? Graeme Smith makes massive statement

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Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith has said that the future of ODI cricket is not very bright, adding that 50-over matches would be played less and less between two World Cups in the future.

Smith, who played 117 Test matches for South Africa, said the longest format of the game would always create interest alongside the 'commercially hit' T20 format.

"There are two more World Cups that have been sold to broadcasters and one in South Africa in 2027 and 2031 is back in India. Even in between the cycle, ODI cricket is going to find itself in challenging space," Graeme Smith told PTI.

"One format that is falling into category where people are less interested and patches of game which are going to be slow. Test cricket is always going to be enthralling and we know how much T20 they enjoy and the success it has commercially gained.

"So I believe between World Cups you will see ODIs getting lesser and lesser. That's my feeling," Smith, who also played 197 ODIs and 33 T20I matches, added.

However, the 42-year-old said that Test cricket would never be played in more than a handful of nations.

"From Test cricket's perspective, Test cricket is never going to be more than a 6, 7 or 8 nations format. When I was a part of last MCC Cricket Committee we had agreed that we needed measures to protect Test cricket."

Cricket South Africa (CSA) is sending a second-string Test team under uncapped Neil Brand to New Zealand as the tour coincides with the second season of SA20, in which all six franchises are run by IPL team owners.

As per Graeme Smith, the SA20 has a window of just four weeks and South African Test cricket can not only co-exist but also flourish for the rest of the year.

"SA 20 is four weeks a year which we operate on and obviously one or two challenges happen and that's not ideal, that should get better and better every season," Smith, the commissioner of SA20 league, told PTI in an exclusive interaction.

The CSA has a 51 percent share in the league and the broadcast money is important for its financial health. "South African cricket has made commitment that SA20 is a big part of its future and gives it a best chance to succeed. I believe it's just four weeks a year and there would be lot of chance to play Test cricket," Smith stated.