The Case of and for the ODI
Some thoughts on the often overlooked/misunderstood format of the game. I started writing on MyTwoCentsIndia.com with this piece.
“Are you going to watch India vs. Australia today?”
“Not all of it, but let’s watch the first few powerplay overs.”
Thirty overs later.
“Oh hey, turn it back on. apparently just 10 overs left.”
“Ok getting interesting now. Let’s see.”
When it comes to watching ODIs, or One Day International cricket matches, the average viewer really only cares about the first 5-10 and the last 5-10 overs of the match, provided it goes down to the wire.
The ODI is the literal middle child of the three formats of the game. The first ODI was played in 1971, approximately 94 years after the first official Test match took place while Twenty20s, the newest addition to the family, weren’t introduced on an international scale till 2005 (Interestingly, the Australian men’s team being the only side to have been part of all three of these firsts). And much like those suffering from the middle child syndrome, I fear sometimes that ODIs too are being excluded, ignored, or even outright neglected from the cricket family. Not in the way you might think. Yes, they remain the most played format of the game but at what cost?
Their value is being diminished precisely because they are played so much and so often without any meaningful context. So many ODIs have been played, especially over the last decade, that many of the matches have started to mix into another, amalgamating into one giant blurry contest with a vaguely exciting but predictable outcome. Hold on, you might be thinking, are you advocating for fewer games? So we as fans get to watch less cricket? Are you saying that the recent overdose in cricket has contributed to increased player fatigue due to the demanding schedule and insane workload, to a jaded fan uninterested and unable to conjure up fresh excitement for new fixtures but also to a convenient system which the executives of the game exploit to the fullest possible extent come what may? I wouldn’t dare.
I feel we need to value ODIs more by playing less of them but playing them at the right time and with the right sides. Looking forward to the 8789th India vs. Sri Lanka series isn’t ideal. Think tri-series formats that were popular in the 90s, multi-team tournaments like Asia or Africa Cup, inclusion of more countries from around the world outside of the beaten to death five to six nations that keep playing each other for most of the time. Basically, anything to impart more meaning to a game than just going 1-0 up in a 5-match series. Treat it in a similar way to how the newly inaugurated Test Championship treats Tests. Contextualize each contest as part of a larger scheme.
There is a reason why the 50-over World Cup that comes along every four years is still regarded as the greatest prize in the sport by almost all national teams and their nations (*cough* Ashes fanatics *cough*). Moreover, some of our best memories from the sport are from ODIs: the ’83 World Cup Final featuring the inconceivable triumph of the underdogs, the outstretched hands of a Superman Jonty Rhodes in that runout, the two wickets in two magical deliveries by an unplayable Wasim Akram in the ‘92World Cup final, the Desert Storm innings of the little master that defied all expectations and logic, the heroic Yuvraj-Kaif partnership culminating in a shirtless captain, the various surreal instances of South Africa choking in World Cups, the improbable 400 run South African chase, the Dhoni six over long on which ended a 28 year wait, the purple haired Irishman lighting up the Bangalore sky in a ridiculous upset against the English, and the mentally, emotionally, physically, and statistically the most extraordinary game of cricket I have ever seen – the 2019 World Cup Final between England and New Zealand (a separate article unto itself). I could go on.
Overs 1-10: To clarify, I believe wholeheartedly that Tests are the purest and most consummate format of the sport and I also concede that T20s are the most lucrative version and the one most likely to help make the sport more global. It’s possible to win a T20 by sheer stroke of luck or chance; to win a Test match you must toil for the better part of a week. And the ODI provides a happy medium. You need to put in the work but then you invariably rely on a few breaks here and there, not dissimilar to a normal day at the office.
Overs 11- 40: But then there are those middle overs. The time period when the pace of the game slows down and many seem to lose interest. It is similar to how when it comes to reciting items from a list, people have a tendency to recall with greater accuracy the first and last items from the list. These phenomena have a name; they are known as the primacy and recency effects. But a lack of items in the middle of the list would negate this effect. And without the middle overs there would be no buildup, the slow yet absorbing passage of play which makes the death overs what they are. A good middle is essential for a memorable beginning and end.
Overs 41-50: Tests are the Godfather films of cricket – clearly superior and towering over the rest for the evergreen classics they are. T20s are the average potboiler masala fare – ostensibly exciting productions often created for only financial motives and immensely popular but merely a diversion for a couple hours. And ODIs are the slice of life movies – standard, no frills entertainers yet with layers revealing additional depth. They are the ones you keep revisiting and re-watching, the ones you relate to the most, the ones you remember the most, and the ones that are just part of your everyday life.
And if not every day, perhaps just one day.