England’s limited-overs captain, Jos Buttler, expressed his concerns about the future of ODI cricket, highlighting that 50-over formats have struggled to maintain prominence amid the rise of T20 cricket in recent years. Buttler noted that England played just eight ODIs last year, winning three and losing five. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka played the most ODIs in 2024, with 21, seven more than Afghanistan’s 14 among full-member nations.

Buttler pointed out that the crowded cricket calendar and the growing popularity of T20 cricket have led to ODI cricket being pushed into the background. He shared these thoughts before England’s first ODI against India on Thursday, February 6, at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur.

“I’m not sure about the future of ODIs,” Buttler shared during the pre-match press conference. “I’ve always had a strong liking for 50-over cricket; it’s been one of my preferred formats. However, it has definitely been pushed to the periphery in recent years, especially with the way scheduling has evolved and the growth of T20 and franchise cricket.”

Buttler stated that winning the ODI World Cup would be more significant to him than clinching the T20 World Cup. Under his captaincy, England triumphed in the Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.

He continued, “But I still believe that if you ask players about winning a World Cup, most would likely choose a 50-over World Cup over a T20 World Cup at this point. Whether that perspective will hold in the future, I’m not sure.”

Buttler added, “The key thing is the schedule. If we can have the best players competing against each other in any format, I think fans will always be excited to watch the action.”

After facing India, England will also compete in the Champions Trophy, starting with their match against Australia on February 22 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.