Will cricketers only play IPL or Big Bash? Kapil Dev wants ICC to protect Test and ODI cricket

Former India captain Kapil Dev has urged the ICC to protect ODI and Test cricket amid the growing popularity of T20 cricket and the mushrooming of T20 leagues across the globe. Several top franchise leagues have mushroomed in major cricketing nations over the last few years as T20 cricket continues to gain major eyeballs.

The 1983 World Cup-winning captain believes cricket is going the football way in promoting franchise cricket over international cricket. The legendary all-rounder believes playing for the country should still be the priority for the players and the T20 leagues should not damage the reputation of traditional formats like Test and ODI.

The future of ODIs has become a topic of huge debate after England all-rounder Ben Stokes recently announced his retirement from the fifty-over format. Several former cricketers believe ODIs should either be scrapped or changes should be brought to revitalise the format.

Many also believe ICC should reduce the amount of bilateral cricket the teams are playing in order to ensure the payers can manage their workload in a better way. After Stokes, New Zealand pacer Trent Boult recently pulled out of the country's central contract to reduce the amount of international cricket he will be playing going forward.

Meanwhile, IPL is all set to be getting a bigger window from next year while England and Australia will also have dedicated windows for The Hundred and the Big Bash League. UAE and South Africa will also launch their own T20 leagues further cramping the cricket calendar.

Amid the rising popularity of franchise cricket, Kapil questioned if the players will only play the World Cup once every four years and then continue playing franchise cricket around the globe. The former India captain wants ICC to ensure the future of Tests and ODIs is safe.

"It's going the way as football in Europe. Is this what we're going to have, the World Cup and the rest of the time playing club (T20 franchise) cricket? In a similar way, will cricketers eventually be playing mainly the IPL or the Big Bash or something like that," Kapil told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The ICC have to put more time into that to see how they can ensure the survival of one-day cricket, test match cricket, not only club cricket," Kapil added.

While there are concerns about the future of ODIs, ICC has assured there will be no reduction in the amount of ODI cricket in the annual calendar going forward. The ICC has already scheduled three ODI World Cups in the next nine years with the 2023 edition set to take place in India next year.