T20 leagues knocking Tests, ODIs for a six

31 July 2015 - 02:11 By Nagraj Gollapudi

Bilateral cricket series - outside of iconic ones like the Ashes and big-ticket tours involving India - face an uncertain future. International Cricket Council CEO David Richardson said the success of Twenty20 leagues like the Indian Premier League, Big Bash and the growing Caribbean Premier League could eclipse other formats of the game .Richardson said: "Attendances in most series, especially for Test cricket, have fallen and the revenues generated from these series are not growing."Cricket administrators are thus contemplating the creation of qualifying leagues for both Test and ODI cricket as a possible solution.Richardson said the issue was a priority at the ICC annual conference in Barbados in June and would also be addressed at the next ICC Board meeting in October.Richardson argued that sometimes countries were responsible for their own plight.He said: "How can we grow interest in bilateral series - bigger crowds, more people watching on television, following the series on their phones, tablets and computers?"For this to happen bilateral series need greater context, a clear narrative, improved marketing and a more certain and coordinated schedule."What's the use of scheduling a series in the monsoon season, and how can you expect to grow the fan base or attract attendances if a series is scheduled or changed at the last minute?"To make bilateral series more relevant, Richardson said countries needed to adopt a less-is-more approach. Instead of an irrelevant seven- or five-match series, Richardson suggested a tri-series, scheduled at an opportune time, was a wiser choice.Richardson revealed that administrators were also thinking about creating qualifying leagues for both Tests and ODIs, an idea that had the support of the most powerful members of the ICC Board. ESPNCricinfo..

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