While the validity of ODIs has come into question during an era where its importance has become a debating topic, former Australian skipper Steve Waugh has defended the format, adding that it would never lose relevance since the quadrennial World Cup is equivalent to the 'Olympics of cricket'.

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Speaking on the sidelines of the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid, Waugh said that even with the pressure of the shorter formats, ODIs are standing tall as was clear from the record viewership achieved by the 2023 World Cup.

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"Everybody seems to believe one-day cricket's not going to make it, but then you've got the World Cup and it's massive and the ratings are huge and the people love it and fall in love with the game again. Then it settles down for a couple of years and we repeat the same cycle," Waugh shared.

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'World Cup is crucial for ODI cricket'

"So currently somehow we are being able to accommodate three versions of the game and there's threat of T10 possibly coming in, so four, four forms of cricket. I have no idea how all that is going to get organised, but currently it appears to be going well.".

"World Cup is crucial for one-day cricket. It's almost the Olympics, to play (the World Cup) every four years," he further added.

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Cricket will get its share of spotlight in the the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, when it returns to the Games after over 100 years.