Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali believes that the rule changes in ODI cricket lean too heavily towards batters, and that is contributing to the decline of the format.
In a candid assessment of the future of ODIs, Moeen called it the "worst format to play", claiming it has lost relevance outside of major global events like the Champions Trophy and the World Cup. Moeen, who was part of England's triumphant 2019 ODI World Cup campaign, attributed the format’s decline to its batting-friendly nature and what he described as "terrible rules."
Moeen Ali: ODI cricket has almost completely died out
"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," Moeen told Talksport Cricket.
"I think the rules are terrible. To have that extra fielder in 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. It’s just there’s always that option available for the batters [to score]."
– Two new balls
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) March 7, 2025
– Extra fielder inside the circle
Moeen Ali has criticised a number of "horrendous" ODI rules that, in his opinion, have contributed to the format's decline ❌ pic.twitter.com/Ph7Jm8kcJD
Moeen further pointed out that the use of two balls is detrimental to the format, as he believes it eliminates the element of reverse swing, giving batters the advantage.
"On top of all this, you have two new balls, you lose the reverse swing, you lose the art of trying to hit a softer ball. Everything's always in the middle and crisp and it's flying off your bat and stuff. I think for those reasons, the cricket's just died. 50-over cricket has died," Moeen continued.
Moeen: Franchise cricket is eating up international cricket
Moeen also stated that franchise cricket around the world is negatively impacting the prospects of international cricket, as the lucrative deals from such competitions are highly appealing to players.
"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 earlier to play franchise cricket," Moeen added.
Moeen played 138 ODIs for England, scoring 2,355 runs besides picking up 111 wickets. He retired from international cricket in September 2024 but remains active on the franchise circuit. His next stint will be in the IPL, starting on March 22, for defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
