Former England All-Rounder Moeen Ali Criticizes "Terrible Rules" Leading to the Decline of 50-Over Cricket
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has strongly criticized the "terrible rules" favoring batters, which he believes are contributing to the decline of the 50-over format. With an increasing number of players opting to freelance in T20 leagues, Moeen expressed concerns about the future of One Day International (ODI) cricket.
Having played 138 ODIs for England, scoring 2,355 runs and taking 111 wickets, Moeen is well-versed in the dynamics of the format. He also featured in 68 Test matches, amassing over 3,000 runs and taking more than 200 wickets. After retiring from international cricket in September last year, he is set to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).
"The format has almost completely died out, apart from World Cups and the Champions Trophy. It is the worst format to play, and I think there are many reasons for that," Moeen said during an interview with Talksport Cricket.
He pointed out significant rule changes that have made batting easier in ODIs. Earlier, after the first powerplay, five fielders were allowed outside the circle, but in recent years, this has been reduced to four, making it easier to score runs during the middle overs. Additionally, the use of two new balls instead of one has further simplified stroke-making for batsmen.
"I think the rules are terrible. To have that extra fielder (inside the circle) after the first powerplay is a horrendous rule for taking wickets or building any sort of pressure. Guys are averaging 60 or 70 in ODI cricket now because of that," Moeen explained.
He also highlighted the impact of modern batting techniques, saying, "When you’re bowling at somebody and you put a little bit of pressure, he just reverse-sweeps, and it’s not even a single—it’s a four. There’s always that option available for the batters to score."
The use of two new balls also eliminates reverse swing, a key weapon for bowlers in the past. "On top of all this, you have two new balls, so you lose the reverse swing, and you lose the art of trying to hit a softer ball. Everything’s always in the middle, crisp, and flying off the bat. For those reasons, 50-over cricket has died," he added.
Moeen also warned about the growing influence of franchise cricket, with lucrative T20 leagues luring players away from international cricket. "Franchise cricket is sadly eating it all up, and the problem is the money that’s out there. It’s so much that people just can’t turn it down. It’s very difficult. There are probably guys who are going to retire in the next couple of years from international cricket to play franchise cricket," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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