"It is the worst format to play" - Former England all-rounder feels ODI cricket has almost completely 'died out'

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali reckons that one-day cricket has almost completely died out, with the World Cup and the Champions Trophy being exceptions. Moeen blamed the rules of the format, which are heavily loaded in favor of the batters, as one of the key reasons behind the declining popularity of one-day cricket.

The 2025 Champions Trophy is currently underway, with the final to be played between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday, March 9. Pakistan were the main host of the event, but India have played all their matches in Dubai in a hybrid model. The crowd presence at most matches has been disappointing.

Speaking to Talksport Cricket, Moeen criticized the one-sided rules of ODI cricket and predicted that more and more players will retire from the format soon to feature in T20 franchise leagues. He said (as quoted by PTI):

"The format has almost completely died out, apart from World Cups and Champions Trophy. It is the worst format to play and I think there are many reasons for that.

"I think the rules are terrible. To have that extra fielder after (the first powerplay), I think it's a horrendous rule for taking wickets, building any sort of pressure. Guys are averaging 60, 70 in ODI cricket now because of that. 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," the 37-year-old went on to add.

The former England all-rounder also expressed displeasure at the use of two new balls in one-day cricket as it takes reverse swing out of the equation and makes batting that much more easier. Moeen also warned that the time is not far away when cricketers would retire prematurely from international cricket and focus their energies on cash-rich T20 leagues like the IPL. He commented:

"I think franchise cricket is sadly eating it all up and the problem is the money that's out there and the money that's being thrown out there. It's so much that people just can't turn it down. It's very difficult. There are probably guys who are probably going to retire in the next couple of years from international cricket to play franchise cricket."

The former England player retired from international cricket in September last year. He will represent Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the upcoming edition of the IPL, having been purchased by the franchise for ₹2 crore.

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Moeen Ali's stats for England

Moeen represented England in 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is. He scored 3,094 runs in Test matches at an average of 28.12, with five hundreds to his name. With his off spin, the all-rounder also picked up 204 scalps, with five five-fers.

The 37-year-old scored 2,355 runs in one-dayers, averaging 24.27, with three centuries. He also claimed 111 wickets in the format at an average of 47.84. In T20Is, Moeen scored 1,229 at a strike rate of 142.41 and picked up 51 scalps.