ICC CEO Warns ‘Randomly Scheduled’ Bilaterals Must End as ODI Cricket Faces Uncertain Future
ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta has called for a major rethink of bilateral international cricket, warning that the era of “randomly scheduled” bilateral series has to come to an end if the sport is to remain sustainable.
Gupta believes international cricket needs greater context, competition and relevance, particularly as franchise T20 leagues continue to expand and Test cricket benefits from the structure provided by the World Test Championship.
His comments come at a significant moment for ODI cricket, with the format facing growing questions over its future despite remaining central to the ICC's World Cup cycle.
ICC Wants More Context in Bilateral Cricket
Speaking to PTI, Gupta argued that bilateral series cannot simply continue without a clear purpose or competitive framework.
According to the ICC chief, international cricket needs to focus on four key areas: context, culture, competition and competitiveness.
He believes these factors are essential to attracting attention and ensuring that boards can justify the considerable financial and logistical investment required to stage international cricket.
The comments could have major implications for the international calendar, particularly as cricket boards attempt to balance bilateral commitments with increasingly lucrative franchise competitions.
Gupta's message is clear: bilateral cricket needs to become more meaningful rather than simply filling gaps in an already crowded calendar.
What Does This Mean for ODI Cricket?
The future of 50-over cricket has been debated extensively in recent years.
T20 cricket has transformed the global cricket calendar, with major domestic leagues attracting leading players, broadcasters and sponsors. Test cricket, meanwhile, has gained a clearer competitive structure through the World Test Championship.
ODI cricket sits somewhere between the two.
Gupta believes the format can still thrive, but its future needs to be closely connected to the World Cup.
“There is a place for the format in the product portfolio, which is inextricably linked to men's and women's World Cups,” Gupta said.
He added that the ICC needs to determine what ODI cricket should represent and how the format should evolve, including the scope for wider participation.
That could mean fewer low-context bilateral ODIs while placing greater emphasis on matches that have consequences for World Cup qualification or other meaningful competitions.
The ODI Format Has Already Crossed 5,000 Matches
The debate comes shortly after men's ODI cricket reached a major milestone.
Scotland and Canada played the 5,000th men's ODI in Dundee last week, highlighting the remarkable longevity of the format.
Yet the milestone has arrived at a time when the role of bilateral ODIs is increasingly being questioned.
The 50-over game remains hugely popular during World Cups, but the challenge for the ICC and member boards is to recreate some of that significance during the four-year cycle between global tournaments.
The next men's ODI World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November 2027.
2027 World Cup Format Adds More Context
The ICC has already made changes to the structure of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The 14-team tournament will feature additional stages, including a Super Series before the main group stage and a Super 7 phase before the semi-finals.
However, the new structure has attracted criticism from Associate nations.
Scotland and the Netherlands have raised concerns about the revised qualification and tournament format, particularly because the teams finishing 12th, 13th and 14th in the qualification process will have to compete in a tri-series for a single place in the main round.
The debate underlines the wider challenge facing the ICC: creating meaningful international cricket without making qualification excessively difficult for developing teams.
World Cup Link Could Become More Important
Gupta's comments suggest that the ODI World Cup could become the primary anchor for 50-over cricket.
That would potentially make World Cup qualification campaigns more important while reducing the number of bilateral ODIs that have little impact beyond the individual series.
The current ODI landscape already provides an indication of how this could work.
Teams competing through the ICC World Cup League 2 and other qualification pathways have meaningful points and qualification consequences attached to their matches. For established Full Members, however, many bilateral series remain disconnected from a broader competition.
A stronger link between bilateral ODIs and World Cup qualification could therefore give the format greater relevance.
ICC's Next FTP Could Change the Calendar
Gupta's comments are particularly significant because the ICC is preparing the next Future Tours Programme (FTP) cycle.
The current men's FTP runs until April 2027, with the next cycle covering 2027 to 2031 expected to be finalised later this year.
The 2027 World Cup will be the first major ICC event of the new cycle.
That provides an opportunity to redesign the international calendar around clearer competitive structures rather than simply maintaining the traditional model of bilateral series.
The next FTP will also coincide with a new media-rights cycle, adding another commercial dimension to the decisions facing the ICC and its member boards.
Jonty Rhodes Also Questions ODI Cricket's Future
Former South Africa international Jonty Rhodes has also raised concerns about the future of ODI cricket.
Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Rhodes suggested that there could be fewer bilateral 50-over series in the future.
However, he stopped short of suggesting that the format would disappear.
Rhodes believes ODI cricket retains something that makes it difficult to imagine international cricket without it: a passionate global fan base and the unique place the format occupies between Tests and T20s.
His comments reflect the increasingly common view that ODI cricket may need to become less frequent but more meaningful rather than attempting to compete directly with T20 cricket for volume and entertainment.
Will There Be Fewer Bilateral ODIs?
That could be one of the biggest consequences of the ICC's new approach.
A reduction in bilateral ODIs would potentially create more room in the calendar for:
- World Cup qualification competitions
- ICC events
- Test cricket and the World Test Championship
- T20 internationals
- Domestic and franchise leagues
It could also make individual ODI series more valuable to broadcasters and fans if each series carries greater competitive significance.
However, there is a difficult balance to maintain.
Bilateral cricket remains an important source of revenue for many boards, particularly when major teams tour smaller cricketing nations. Reducing those opportunities could have financial consequences for developing cricket nations.
The Challenge for the ICC
The ICC therefore faces a complicated problem.
The governing body needs to preserve the traditional bilateral system while ensuring that international cricket remains competitive in an era dominated by franchise leagues.
Test cricket has already found a solution through the World Test Championship.
T20 cricket has an enormous ecosystem of domestic leagues and international tournaments.
ODIs arguably need their own clear identity.
Gupta's comments suggest that identity could increasingly revolve around the World Cup and meaningful qualification pathways.
If that happens, the future ODI calendar could look very different from the one fans have become accustomed to.
What Happens Next?
The next major test will be the development of the 2027-31 Future Tours Programme.
If the ICC and member boards follow Gupta's philosophy, fans could see fewer meaningless bilateral series and more ODI cricket tied to qualification, rankings and major tournaments.
That does not necessarily mean the end of ODI cricket.
Instead, the format could move towards a more selective calendar in which every series has a clearer purpose.
For a format that has survived the arrival of T20 cricket and recently celebrated its 5,000th match, that could ultimately be the best way to remain relevant.
The message from the ICC is increasingly clear: ODI cricket may not need more matches. It needs more meaning.
