Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali believes ODI is the ‘worst format to play’ because of its ‘terrible rules’ and is thus close to ‘dying out’ completely. Moeen Ali believes the field restrictions and the mandatory use of two new balls has made the format lopsided for batters, which is killing the fun outside ICC tournaments.
Moeen Ali calls ODI cricket the “worst format” with “terrible rules” and predicts its decline outside ICC events. Moeen Ali retired in 2024, expecting more players to choose franchise cricket.
Moeen Ali’s stats for England a glimpse
Moeen Ali represented England in 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is. Moeen Ali 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 Moeen Ali 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 Ali scored 1,229 at a strike rate of 142.41 and picked up 51 scalps.
Moeen Ali has played 138 ODIs for England, scoring 2,355 runs besides taking 111 wickets. He has also featured in 68 Tests in which he has scored more than 3000 runs and took 200 plus wickets. He retired from international cricket in September last year and will play for Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming IPL.
Moeen Ali played 138 ODIs for England, scoring 2355 runs at an average of 24.27 and picking up 111 wickets at 47.84. He retired from all international cricket in September 2024 at the age of 37. Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has come down heavily on the “terrible rules” favouring batters and leading to the “death” of the 50-over format with an increasing number of players opting to freelance in T20 leagues.
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali 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 Ali 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 Ali 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 Ali 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.