`Ben Stokes deciding to retire from ODIs is quite..`: Wasim Akram has his SAY on future of one-day cricket

England all-rounder Ben Stokes sent shockwaves in the cricketing world with the news of him retiring from the ODIs. The primary reason behind Stokes retiring was enormous amount of cricket that international teams are playing at the moment and elite athletes like him, who play all formats, are facing challenge to be fresh and ready for each of these matches. Stokes slammed ECB in an interview ahead of the ODI vs South Africa and said that cricketers should not be treated as cars who you fuel and up and they will be ready to go again. Stokes retirement from ODIs also gives an indication that the format is dying as cricketers are priortising Test cricket and T20s. 

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram agrees. He feels that ODI cricket is just a drag these days and there is no fun in it for the fans, including him. 

"Him )Stokes) deciding that he is retiring from one-day cricket is quite sad but I agree with him. Even as a commentator one-day cricket is just a drag now, especially after T20. I can imagine as a player. 50 overs, 50 overs, then you have to pre-game, post-game, the lunch game," Akram said on The Telegraph's Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club podcast. 

"T20 is kind of easier, four hours the game is over. The leagues all around the world, there is a lot more money - I suppose this is part and parcel of the modern cricket. T20 or Test cricket. One-day cricket is kind of dying."

Akram added that cricket authorities now need to seriously think about scrapping the format as in the Indian subcontinent it has become difficult to fill stadiums for a cricket match. He said that ODI cricket has become a run-of-the-mill stuff nowadays with the same template used by all teams.