New Delhi: The T20 format has long been identified as the vehicle that can make cricket a global sport. Ireland’s recent series win over world champions India is just a reminder of how the game has evolved outside the current power centres of world cricket. Former India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin, for one, reckons the future of cricket lies with T20s, not the ODI format.“If the game has to become global, and if it has to become an Olympic sport, the shorter the game, the more viable it is. And that’s how it’s going to become much bigger. You will see a better sample size of players, which is also very critical for several of these leagues that run through the year. T20 cricket is here to stay. I’m not too sure about ODI cricket,” Ashwin, who will captain the Dublin Guardians franchise in the upcoming European T20 Premier League (ETPL), told TOI during an interaction after the inaugural draft on Thursday. “There’s an Olympics that’s going to happen in a couple of years. And if cricket as a game is serious about making it a global affair, the teams in this league will play a very crucial part in enabling that,” he added.Former Australia captain Steve Waugh, who is the owner of the Amsterdam Flames, also touched upon the growing strength of European cricket. “We’ve just seen how strong European cricket is. I mean, just beating the world champions India 2-0 in a T20 series shows the potential for cricket in Europe. I think there are some excellent players all throughout Europe, particularly in the Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland,” Waugh said.
