CAC announced the сancellation of ODI against Australia

The last decade in the world of cricket was marked by a sharp progress in the T20 format and the extinction of other variations of the game. There are more and more precedents that give reason to believe that ODI and TEST are becoming less popular formats and less attention is being paid to them — CSA announced the сancellation of ODI against Australia.

Every year the number of T20 format leagues is growing all over the world — the shortest format allows holding national championships in the shortest possible time.

But it should be understood that the transition of most leagues to the shortest format also means that cricket is increasingly turning into a business — the game itself is getting shorter. More money is being asked for broadcast rights and advertising blocks.

There is nothing criminal in the decision of the Council of African Cricket

Objectively speaking, there is nothing criminal in the decision of the Council of African Cricket — refusing to play three ODIs against Australia is not a catastrophic decision. But do not forget that these meetings are part of the World Cup Super League.

South Africa is only on the 11th line in the World Cup table, which does not yet allow this team to qualify for the world Championship. The Council of African Cricket deliberately refuses the rating points that are so necessary now, and after all, South Africa has only 8 matches further on the schedule: three away against India, three at home against England and two more on home soil against the Netherlands. And even if the South Africa national club somehow miraculously wins all the meetings, this does not guarantee that it will get to the World Cup in 2023.

And against this background, another interesting story pops up: the CSA plans to launch a new 20/20 format league in January — it was at this time that the ODI with Australia was to be played. The Council of African Cricket has huge ambitions — functionaries say they want to create a tournament that will seriously compete with the IPL, the largest T20 league in the world.

CSA deliberately abandons International Cricket

In order for the league to get a good status, it needs the strongest players from all over the world to play there, those who could go to ODI matches with Australia. Thus, the CSA deliberately abandons international cricket in favor of a profitable domestic project.

And, if you look into this story a little deeper, you should definitely touch on the financial issue. If South Africa does fly past the World Cup in 2023, it will cost about two to three million dollars (prize money + sponsors + broadcasts). This money does not compare with what they plan to earn by creating an internal T20 league.

However, it should still be understood that the players who go to the world championship, first of all, do not think about money, but about achieving the sports Olympus – I am sure that the vast majority of players would exchange any money for the world champion title, but it seems that “big uncles” with big wallets are no longer worries.

Now we have to wait: will the ICC be able to take control of the rapid increase in lucrative T20 leagues and preserve the spirit of international cricket? The answer, we hope, will be positive, because, as the great Sachin Tendulkar once said, big money kills big sports.