The proliferation of T20 leagues has further strained cricket’s already busy calendar, with new competitions in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa should start early next year.
The pioneering Indian Premier League are set to enjoy an extended window in the upcoming ICC international calendar while England and Australia are also likely to get dedicated slots for their national franchise-based leagues.
The tight schedule prompted some players to leave formats, with England Ben Stokes quit the ODIs last month, while South Africa scrapped an ODI tour of Australia in January as they clashed with the launch of their T20 league.
The ICC has given member councils the responsibility of striking a balance between domestic and bilateral cricket to better manage the workload of players, but Dev said he had a ‘greater responsibility’ in managing the sport .
“It’s going like football in Europe,” Dev told the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday. “They don’t play against every country. It’s once every four years (during the World Cup).
“Is that what we’re going to have, the World Cup and the rest of the time playing club cricket (T20 franchise)? Similarly, will cricketers end up playing mostly at the IPL or the Big Bash or something like that?
“The ICC needs to spend more time on this to see how it can ensure the survival of one day cricket, test match cricket, not just club cricket,” added Dev, who won the World Cup. as Indian skipper in 1983.
