Joe Root believes England can win their five remaining games to reach the semi-finals. Photo: Getty Images/Gareth Copley
Joe Root admits he is unsure how long cricket will one day last after a controversial start to the World Cup and the advent of shorter formats of the game.
Root won 2019 World Cup and is an England international. a team that has lost three of its first four defensive matches in India.
Attendances in non-host games have been poor and Root believes the future of the format will depend on what the next generation does. cricket fans want to watch.
“There is talk about whether this format is still relevant in international cricket,” he said. “Whether this will change, I don’t know. Who knows how things will go in the future? He has a huge history and brings a lot to cricket. He will always hold a special part in my heart of what he has given me throughout my career. I think this is a question that should be asked of the next generation of players, and really everyone who watches the game.
“It shouldn’t come down to the question: “Is this the most money maker for the sport?” It all has to come down to what people want to watch and what will attract the next generation of players. Because in the long run, I think it will be the most beneficial for cricket as a whole.”
Root said the players were surprised by the number of spectators at the matches. The late announcement of game venues and the difficulty of purchasing tickets, the preference of Indian Premier League fans and the heat at the stadium (temperatures reached 37 degrees during England's defeat to South Africa in Mumbai) are all believed to have contributed to the lack of large crowds.
“They’re not as full as we thought they would be,” Root said. “The opening match of the World Cup, the previous final – I expected there to be more people there. It would be interesting to see what the audience is like on television. I have no idea. Then again, when it's 50 degrees outside and you're sitting in the sun all day and most of the time is working hours, it's understandable.»
Ruth suggested that if one-day cricket were to remain, the One-Day Cup should be played the best players in domestic cricket. The tournament currently faces The Hundred, but Root has suggested that the One-Day Cup could be played instead of part of the Twenty20 Blast; T20 competition for 18 counties.
“It makes me wonder if we should play more 50-over cricket instead of T20,” he said. — Perhaps instead of an Explosion. Whether it's domestically or internationally, I don't think we're playing enough if we're going to continue to compete in World Cups.»
STRAIGHT THROUGH! 🎯
HUGE wicket for Afghanistan, Joe Root scores 11… pic.twitter.com/9q6ySs7M51
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 15, 2023
Root also highlighted the lack of ODIs England have played in recent years — 42 in the 2019/23 World Cup cycle compared to 88 in the previous cycle — as a handicap. While this corresponds to a decline in the number of ODIs in international games, England have fielded their strongest team in just two ODI series throughout the cycle.
“When you don't play in this format, it's hard to know who the best players are,” Root said. “Obviously it would be nice to have a full game and not just a rushed block of eight to 10 games or whatever. It would be nice to do it over a six-month period while you slowly work it through as a group.»
Reflecting on Saturday's 229-run defeat to South Africa in Mumbai, Root said: «It felt like you were swallowing air» during the game.
“I’ve never played in anything like this before,” he said. “Obviously I played in hotter conditions and probably wetter conditions. But it feels like you can't catch your breath. On one side of the earth, looking back towards the sun, it was much more visually challenging than on the other side of the earth. Whether it was the air quality or anything else, it was definitely an experience that I hadn't experienced before.»
With England needing to win five games in a row to reach the semi-finals, Root called for a focus on to save on the next match, Thursday's clash with Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. The defending champions have won four games in a row to win the 2019 World Cup and Root said England could repeat a similar run again.
“This is our World Cup final and then we move on to the next one and that will be the final our World Cup,” he added. “We took over when we turned up at Edgbaston and played India and then moved to Durham and did the same against New Zealand. We've played four World Cup finals in a row to win the tournament and if we want to do the same here, we only need to do it a few more games. But this is not beyond our reach.”
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