The rise of T20 cricket might have put the remaining two formats under some stress, but former England Captain Eoin Morgan argues this is for the greater good. Speaking with Digvijay Singh Deo – Sports Editor of WION, in an exclusive chat, Morgan said never before this moment has this game been this popular around the world. Having plied his trade in almost every league, Morgan knows about the pros and cons of this latest format but remains firm in his opinion that the rise of franchise-based T20 leagues will only benefit this game.

While questions surrounding the slow death of Test cricket in the wake of the expansion of T20 leagues keep even the top bosses searching for answers, Morgan sees a positive side of it, saying what this format has done in helping cricket reach the masses outside of regular playing nations neither of the ODIs and Tests was able to do so.

"Cricket has never been more popular around the world. Cricket is spreading far and wide. T20 cricket has allowed cricket to grow at a pace that no other format has been able to achieve it. So, we need to sit back and thank T20 cricket and recognise it for taking it everywhere," Morgan said.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/exclusive-morgan-names-india-england-as-favourites-for-world-cup-picks-t10-as-crickets-ticket-to-olympics-619981">EXCLUSIVE: Morgan names India, England as favourites for World Cup; picks T10 as cricket's ticket to Olympics</a>

Expressing his thoughts on what happens to ODI cricket in the near future, Morgan dropped a bombshell revealing in ten years, ODI cricket will be confined only to 50-over World Cups, as players and boards will be inclined towards playing and hosting franchise-based T20 tournaments, respectively.

"The 50-over format is under pressure the most. The Future Tours Programme (FTP) is looking like there will be more T20 cricket played than bilateral; the game needs to change with that, and that's how it's going to go. You can't fight the exceptional growth and pace at which the game is becoming so popular. I think ODI Cricket is going to become, at some stage, most likely confined to just World Cups," Morgan added.

<h2>Heart goes out to Zimbabwe, West Indies</h2>

Following the end of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, two teams that sealed the remaining spots for the mega event were Sri Lanka and Scotland, thrashing former two-time champions West Indies and Zimbabwe out of the race. With disappointment luring in for both teams, Morgan - currently playing and captaining Harare Hurricane in Zimbabwe’s inaugural T10 league, shared his thoughts.

While he said having Zimbabwe in for the 2023 World Cup would have been great for them and cricket, for what they bring to the game, he was disappointed for the West Indies on not making the cut.

"Zimbabwe was devastated not to qualify for the World Cup, they were disappointed. On the flip side, watching West Indies cricket not qualify, given their reputation they had over the course of generations of producing legends of the game, is sad in many ways because the level of expectations has been there for a long time and the level of performance hasn't met that," Morgan added.

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The rise of T20 cricket might have put the remaining two formats under some stress, but former England Captain Eoin Morgan argues this is for the greater good. Speaking with Digvijay Singh Deo – Sports Editor of WION, in an exclusive chat, Morgan said never before this moment has this game been this popular around the world.

The rise of T20 cricket might have put the remaining two formats under some stress, but former England Captain Eoin Morgan argues this is for the greater good. Speaking with Digvijay Singh Deo – Sports Editor of WION, in an exclusive chat, Morgan said never before this moment has this game been this popular around the world. Having plied his trade in almost every league, Morgan knows about the pros and cons of this latest format but remains firm in his opinion that the rise of franchise-based T20 leagues will only benefit this game. While questions surrounding the slow death of Test cricket in the wake of the expansion of T20 leagues keep even the top bosses searching for answers, Morgan sees a positive side of it, saying what this format has done in helping cricket reach the masses outside of regular playing nations neither of the ODIs and Tests was able to do so. "Cricket has never been more popular around the world. Cricket is spreading far and wide. T20 cricket has allowed cricket to grow at a pace that no other format has been able to achieve it. So, we need to sit back and thank T20 cricket and recognise it for taking it everywhere," Morgan said. ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Morgan names India, England as favourites for World Cup; picks T10 as cricket's ticket to Olympics Expressing his thoughts on what happens to ODI cricket in the near future, Morgan dropped a bombshell revealing in ten years, ODI cricket will be confined only to 50-over World Cups, as players and boards will be inclined towards playing and hosting franchise-based T20 tournaments, respectively. "The 50-over format is under pressure the most. The Future Tours Programme (FTP) is looking like there will be more T20 cricket played than bilateral; the game needs to change with that, and that's how it's going to go. You can't fight the exceptional growth and pace at which the game is becoming so popular. I think ODI Cricket is going to become, at some stage, most likely confined to just World Cups," Morgan added. Heart goes out to Zimbabwe, West Indies Following the end of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, two teams that sealed the remaining spots for the mega event were Sri Lanka and Scotland, thrashing former two-time champions West Indies and Zimbabwe out of the race. With disappointment luring in for both teams, Morgan - currently playing and captaining Harare Hurricane in Zimbabwe’s inaugural T10 league, shared his thoughts. While he said having Zimbabwe in for the 2023 World Cup would have been great for them and cricket, for what they bring to the game, he was disappointed for the West Indies on not making the cut. "Zimbabwe was devastated not to qualify for the World Cup, they were disappointed. On the flip side, watching West Indies cricket not qualify, given their reputation they had over the course of generations of producing legends of the game, is sad in many ways because the level of expectations has been there for a long time and the level of performance hasn't met that," Morgan added. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

'Don't take the brown antacid': ageing hippies flash back to Woodstock festival

The troubled Woodstock 50 anniversary music festival planned for August was officially cancelled on Wednesday, with organizers blaming a series of "unforeseen setbacks."

The three-day festival, meant to mark the 50th anniversary of the famed 1969 celebration of peace and music, was planned for August&nbsp;16-18.

"Woodstock 50 today announced that the three-day festival to celebrate its 50th anniversary has been cancelled," the organizers said in a statement.

"We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the festival we imagined with the great lineup we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating," said Michael Lang, one of the original producers of the 1969 event.

The cancellation was widely expected after a troubled five months in which organisers were turned down at two proposed sites in upstate New York, lost funding and headliners including rapper Jay-Z and pop star <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/miley-cyrus-latest-star-to-abandon-woodstock-50-239575">Miley Cyrus pulled out.</a>

Tickets never went on sale for the festival.

Organisers last week made a last-ditch attempt to put on a free, scaled-down event at an amphitheatre in Maryland, but several of the 80 or so acts began pulling out despite having already been paid.

Lang said in his statement that the smaller event in Maryland would have been aimed at raising funds for non-profits fighting climate change and organizations encouraging Americans to vote in the 2020 US&nbsp;general elections.

Woodstock 50 was first planned for the Watkins Glen motor racing venue in upstate New York, but the site pulled out in June. Organisers then attempted in vain to seek permits in Vernon, New York.

The nonprofit Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the current owner of the field where the 1969 Woodstock festival took place, also scaled back plans earlier this year for a three-day anniversary event. It will instead host separate concerts by Ringo Starr, Santana and the Doobie Brothers.

"My thoughts turn to Bethel and its celebration of our 50th Anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity, and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock,” Lang said in his statement on Wednesday.

The troubled Woodstock 50 anniversary music festival planned for August was officially cancelled on Wednesday, with organizers blaming a series of "unforeseen setbacks.

The troubled Woodstock 50 anniversary music festival planned for August was officially cancelled on Wednesday, with organizers blaming a series of "unforeseen setbacks." The three-day festival, meant to mark the 50th anniversary of the famed 1969 celebration of peace and music, was planned for August 16-18. "Woodstock 50 today announced that the three-day festival to celebrate its 50th anniversary has been cancelled," the organizers said in a statement. "We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the festival we imagined with the great lineup we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating," said Michael Lang, one of the original producers of the 1969 event. The cancellation was widely expected after a troubled five months in which organisers were turned down at two proposed sites in upstate New York, lost funding and headliners including rapper Jay-Z and pop star Miley Cyrus pulled out. Tickets never went on sale for the festival. Organisers last week made a last-ditch attempt to put on a free, scaled-down event at an amphitheatre in Maryland, but several of the 80 or so acts began pulling out despite having already been paid. Lang said in his statement that the smaller event in Maryland would have been aimed at raising funds for non-profits fighting climate change and organizations encouraging Americans to vote in the 2020 US general elections. Woodstock 50 was first planned for the Watkins Glen motor racing venue in upstate New York, but the site pulled out in June. Organisers then attempted in vain to seek permits in Vernon, New York. The nonprofit Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the current owner of the field where the 1969 Woodstock festival took place, also scaled back plans earlier this year for a three-day anniversary event. It will instead host separate concerts by Ringo Starr, Santana and the Doobie Brothers. "My thoughts turn to Bethel and its celebration of our 50th Anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity, and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock,” Lang said in his statement on Wednesday.

Woodstock 50 music festival called off due to 'unforeseen setbacks'

Several Hollywood stars who were all set to perform at the Woodstock 50 Festival which was scheduled to be held in August, have pulled out of the event. 
 
According to Variety, headliner Miley Cyrus, along with other musicians like the Raconteurs, the Lumineers and original Woodstock 1969 performers John Sebastian and Country Joe McDonald, all revealed last night publicly that they`re not performing. 
 
Before the above-mentioned names, the others to drop out of the concert were Jay-Z and the Dead &amp; Co., as well as John Fogerty, who also confirmed about their cancellations.While the status of the famous band `Imagine Dragons and the Killers,` who were roped in to perform the last two headline-level acts, is still there on the list. 
 
Regardless of all the cancellations made by the stars, sources told Variety that the festival is moving ahead as a one-day event, and so far there are four or five acts, including the Zombies, who have agreed to perform.&nbsp; 
 
A source also said that a broadcast partner has been contacted and asked to budget out a single day`s performance.As for now the festival remains scheduled to take place at the Merriweather Post Pavilion outside Baltimore the weekend of August 16 - 18. 
 
There is only one group which has kept their faith on the festival and that is the `Zombies,` who have confirmed their presence."I`ve always believed it would happen, which might sound kooky, but we`re at a messed-up moment in time right now and the spirit of Woodstock is something that we need," manager Cindy da Silva told Variety."And also, the tenacity of that team has been incredible. If this was any other festival I`d say `Give it up already,`" she continues, "but maybe the way it`s happening is right: It shouldn`t be for profit, it should be about peace and love and music and charity and people coming together. If it turns out the way it looks like it should, I do believe it`ll be a powerful event that could be a moment of change. Maybe there`s a reason it hasn`t gone away yet." 
 
Reportedly, it is been said that the festival will be "free," like everything else involved with Woodstock 50, the details are absolutely vague: The "free" name tagged with the festival seems loosely tied to the concept of a benefit concert, though it`s unclear which charitable organisations may partner with the fest or whether attendees would simply be "encouraged to donate" or not.

Several Hollywood stars who were all set to perform at the Woodstock 50 Festival which was scheduled to be held in August, have pulled out of the event. According to Variety, headliner Miley Cyrus, along with other musicians like the Raconteurs, the Lumineers and original Woodstock 1969 performers John Sebastian and Country Joe McDonald, all revealed last night publicly that they`re not performing.

Several Hollywood stars who were all set to perform at the Woodstock 50 Festival which was scheduled to be held in August, have pulled out of the event. According to Variety, headliner Miley Cyrus, along with other musicians like the Raconteurs, the Lumineers and original Woodstock 1969 performers John Sebastian and Country Joe McDonald, all revealed last night publicly that they`re not performing. Before the above-mentioned names, the others to drop out of the concert were Jay-Z and the Dead & Co., as well as John Fogerty, who also confirmed about their cancellations.While the status of the famous band `Imagine Dragons and the Killers,` who were roped in to perform the last two headline-level acts, is still there on the list. Regardless of all the cancellations made by the stars, sources told Variety that the festival is moving ahead as a one-day event, and so far there are four or five acts, including the Zombies, who have agreed to perform. A source also said that a broadcast partner has been contacted and asked to budget out a single day`s performance.As for now the festival remains scheduled to take place at the Merriweather Post Pavilion outside Baltimore the weekend of August 16 - 18. There is only one group which has kept their faith on the festival and that is the `Zombies,` who have confirmed their presence."I`ve always believed it would happen, which might sound kooky, but we`re at a messed-up moment in time right now and the spirit of Woodstock is something that we need," manager Cindy da Silva told Variety."And also, the tenacity of that team has been incredible. If this was any other festival I`d say `Give it up already,`" she continues, "but maybe the way it`s happening is right: It shouldn`t be for profit, it should be about peace and love and music and charity and people coming together. If it turns out the way it looks like it should, I do believe it`ll be a powerful event that could be a moment of change. Maybe there`s a reason it hasn`t gone away yet." Reportedly, it is been said that the festival will be "free," like everything else involved with Woodstock 50, the details are absolutely vague: The "free" name tagged with the festival seems loosely tied to the concept of a benefit concert, though it`s unclear which charitable organisations may partner with the fest or whether attendees would simply be "encouraged to donate" or not.

Miley Cyrus, others pull out of Woodstock 50 music festival

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'Don't take the brown antacid': ageing hippies flash back to Woodstock festival

Woodstock 50 music festival called off due to 'unforeseen setbacks'

Miley Cyrus, others pull out of Woodstock 50 music festival