Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="kudos_utopia" data-source="post: 5564778" data-attributes="member: 90660">CT success holds the fate of ODI's, feels Smith, SangakkaraCT success holds the fate of ODI's, feels Smith, Sangakkara Centurion, South Africa, Sep 22 : South Africa captain Graeme Smith and Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara both believes that in the wake of Twenty20's popularity, the success of Champions Trophy will decide the fate of ODI cricket as a viable format in international cricket South Africa and Sri Lanka will play against each other in a Group B match as the eight-nation Champions Trophy will kick off here today. ''The ICC put a lot of effort into this tournament,'' Smith said. ''Ultimately it will be the cricket, how it is played, that will define whether this is a success or not. The good point is that it is short, to the point and can capture the imagination of fans around the world. That's the challenge ODIs have, with all the talk about moving domestic formats to 40 overs and all. This is a crucial period for the ODI game and how this competition is a success on the field is more important than anything else,'' he added. Of late the 50-over format has been severly criticised by former as well as current generation cricketers asking for tinkering with cureent ODI format to counter the growing popularity of Twenty 20 cricket. ICC alo believes that in the shorter, sharper format - only eight teams, 15 matches and two venues - lies a future path of ODI prosperity. ''It's an important step,'' said Sangakkara. ''In the 2007 World Cup the cricket was great, but lots of people thought it was way too long, had too many teams and days between games. The true test of ODI is in big tournaments like this, the appeal to fans and players and how much money TV networks make from it. South Africa is a wonderful place to play and I think it will be a good tournament,'' he was qouted as saying by cricinfo.com. Sangakkara further stressed that the right balance in all the three formats - Test, ODI and T20- will be key for the popularity of cricket. ''Everything should exist in harmony and balance,'' he said. ''We've got to find a solution, players, administrators and the public, where attention and import should be given to each format. Cricket started with Tests so we've got to maintain and protect its primacy but also ensure that the cash flows in and the fans have something to look at and enjoy,'' he added. </blockquote>

Verification: Awruddata maasa keeyada?

Top Bottom