Ricky Ponting predicts tough road ahead for ODI cricket as T20 league…

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes ODI cricket could be played less often in the coming years as the growing popularity of T20 cricket continues to change the sport.

Ponting, one of the greatest ODI players of all time, admitted that he is not happy with the direction in which the 50-over format is heading. However, he feels the change is difficult to avoid as international cricket deals with an increasingly packed calendar and the rise of franchise T20 leagues around the world. sport-ipl.my

“As the months go by and the years go by and more and more T20 cricket is being played and more franchises and franchise tournaments are starting around the world, it’s more and more likely that 50-over cricket is probably going to be played less,” Ponting said.

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The former Australian skipper also believes that something will eventually have to give as cricket tries to find space for all three formats. For Ponting, Test cricket is likely to remain strong because of the continued interest from major cricketing nations such as India, Australia and England.

That leaves ODI cricket in a difficult position.

“Test cricket is still going to remain strong as long as India, Australia, England and probably South Africa want Test cricket to remain strong. It will. So something’s got to give. And the obvious one is 50-over cricket,” he said.

The numbers also show how the balance has already started to change. Since January 2021, India have played 82 ODIs but 126 T20Is. England have played 68 ODIs and 88 T20Is, while Australia have featured in 64 ODIs and 88 T20Is.

The trend is not limited to the major teams. South Africa have played 72 ODIs compared to 73 T20Is, while New Zealand have featured in 75 ODIs and 109 T20Is during the same period.

The rise of franchise leagues has made the situation even harder for ODI cricket. Players have more T20 opportunities, while boards also have to manage packed international schedules and player workloads.

Ponting’s comments carry extra weight because of his own record in the format. He played 375 ODIs for Australia and scored 13,704 runs, including 30 centuries and 82 fifties. He was also part of Australia’s 1999 World Cup-winning side and captained the team to World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007.

Ponting has made it clear that he loves ODI cricket and does not want to see it pushed aside. But with T20 cricket continuing to grow, he believes the 50-over format may have to accept a smaller role in international cricket.

Pacers Mohammed Shami (2-17) and Mukesh Kumar’s (2-36) decisive blows helped East Zone close in on the Duleep Trophy title, reducing South Zone to 242 for six on the third day of the final here on Tuesday.

Skipper Tilak Varma (56, 133b) and CV Milind (0) were batting at stumps after Shreyas Gopal (26) got out in the closing minutes of the day. Earlier, Devdutt Padikkal chipped in with 62. South trail by 466 and overhauling East’s humongous 708 is nearly impossible from this point

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New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): India finished fourth amongst 82 nations in the recently concluded Pickleball World Cup held at Da Nang, Vietnam, with a total medal tally of 41 medals, including seven golds, 17 silvers and 17 bronze medals.

The Pickleball World Cup 2026 proved to be a massive jump for India, which finished 7th in last year’s World Cup, according to a release.

India sent a team delegation of 48 athletes who competed in the Kids, Juniors, Open, Seniors and Master’s team events, representing the official Indian Team at the World Cup.

“The Indian contingent has achieved tremendous results in the 2026 World Cup, and the entire Indian Pickleball Association would like to congratulate every single member of the delegation. Your hard work and dedication have made it seamless for IPA to continue our commitment towards global excellence. Ending up in 4th place is a huge statement to make, and I’m sure that we will definitely be aiming for an even higher spot next edition. Once again, congratulations to the entire Indian contingent, and we now set our eyes into improving grassroot pickleball within India to empower many more such talents to make a mark on the global stage," Indian Pickleball Association CEO Aditya Khanna said.

The Juniors team ended up in 4th place after bowing out to the formidable Vietnam in the quarterfinals. The team was led by Arjun Singh and included Aditya Singh, Dev Shah, Purvansh Patel, Vivan Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Ashritha Raju and Diya Mattipati, who put up a great fight for the bronze medal.

The Open team lost out to eventual finalists USA in the quarter-finals 2-4, ending their campaign on the penultimate day of the World Cup. The team was led by Harsh Mehta and included Arjun Singh, Anish Frolian, Aman Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Pearl Amalsadiwala, Mihika Yadav and Aaliya Ebrahim.

The Masters team consisted of Bhushan Akut, Thakurdas Rohira, and Ajeet Bhardwaj. The final contingent for Team India, the Seniors team, exited in the round of 16 against New Zealand; the squad consisted of Suryaveer Singh Bhullar, Atul Edward, Akhil Mathur, Nilesh Desai, Kiran Salian, Gaurika Chopra, Pearline Roopkumar and Kavita Khanna.

The highlights of the individual categories were Harsh Mehta winning the bronze in the Open Pro Men’s Doubles category, Purvansh Patel winning Gold in the U/18 Boys Singles category, and Bhushan Akut winning 3 golds in the 60+ men’s doubles with Ashok Rohira, 60+ Men’s Singles and 60+ mixed doubles respectively.

Fayrouz Zaidi took home top honours in the 40+ women’s singles, as Vivek Reddy won on the men’s side in the same category. (ANI)

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