What is the future of cricket according to fans? | Cricket future

One of the most popular subjects in the game right now is cricket's future. Conversations on cricket's future are increasingly difficult to avoid due to the emergence of T20 leagues, international retirements, and crammed schedules.

CricBlog conducted a survey on the current state of cricket as well as what the sport will look like in 15 years, including leagues, the Olympics, and Test cricket, to get a sense of what supporters believe the future holds.

Future of cricket: Where do fans see the game in the next 10-15 years?

Out of 1,018 respondents, 44.3% thought cricket will frequently appear at the Olympics. Cricket is being pushed for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, but it appears that 2032 will be more likely.

41.5% of respondents predict that women's cricket will continue to grow. In 2023, the Women's IPL is scheduled to begin, and when the top cricketers from India and around the world compete, the game is anticipated to develop even more. Additionally, fans anticipate seeing additional women's leagues around the world after the WBBL posted record attendance in 2021.

Regarding the IPL, 35.7% of those surveyed thought there would be two IPLs per year by the year 2032. An event of this nature is unavoidable, according to former India coach Ravi Shastri, given the financial power of the league, which is demonstrated by the enormous TV rights that place the IPL second only to the NFL in terms of value per game.

Will ODI cricket survive the next 10-15 years?

Additionally, 39.9% of respondents think the T10 and Hundred formats will keep expanding. A schedule this packed puts international cricket in a precarious position. Usman Khawaja, Moeen Ali, and Ravichandran Ashwin are three players who have discussed the danger to One Day Internationals (ODIs).

Just one year before the World Cup in India, Ben Stokes announced his retirement from the format at the age of 31, which sparked even more debate over how ODIs will fit into the schedule moving ahead. Despite the large number of one-day games planned for the 2023–27 FTP, 33.6% of respondents said there will be none in the next 10–15 years. In addition, 52.4% of respondents felt ODI cricket should be eliminated if it had to be done in order to ease scheduling strain, as opposed to 41% for T20Is and just 6.7% for Tests.

Future of Test cricket safe for now in the eyes of the fans

Incredibly, 91.3% of respondents predicted that Test cricket would still exist in 2037. Given the growth of domestic leagues around the world, the game's most traditional format, which has provided countless memories over the years, is also at a crossroads. Fans, on the other hand, think the format has a future since it is the ultimate skill test and can counteract the breakneck speed of white-ball cricket.

However, hosting tests is expensive for boards all over the world. It remains to be seen whether they are financially viable enough for countries except England, Australia, and India. Perhaps the ICC needs to intervene and open up Test cricket to as many fans as possible. One of the responses actually proposed using a Netflix-style subscription to watch Tests on ICC.tv. More day/night tests, more inexpensive tickets, fewer T20Is, and better marketing were requested by other respondents.