Should T20Is be scrapped? New Zealand's Colin Munro opines
Former New Zealand cricketer Colin Munro has thrown out a bold idea for international cricket. In a recent chat with ANI, he suggested swapping T20Is for franchise leagues. He even proposed a football-style model where the World Cup happens every four years. This chat happened during the Zim Afro T10 tournament in Harare, where Munro shared his thoughts on cricket's future.
Munro's perspective on franchise cricket versus international cricket
Munro weighed in on the ongoing debate between franchise cricket and international cricket. He pointed out that several New Zealand players, including Kane Williamson, Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, and Devon Conway, are choosing franchise cricket or a lighter schedule to spend more time with their families. However, he thinks these choices are often driven by financial reasons rather than just personal preferences.
Journey in franchise cricket
Munro, now 37, opened up about his own journey into franchise cricket. He recalled hitting a financial rough patch around 33, while playing domestic cricket in New Zealand after being dropped from the national squad. This tough phase pushed him to sign a contract with Perth Scorchers for the Big Bash League (BBL) in the 2020/21 season. He scored 443 runs in 16 matches at a strike-rate of over 128.
Views on T20Is and ODIs
Munro suggested that T20Is and even bilateral ODIs could be replaced by leagues. "I'd love to see like international T20 scrapped. I know it brings in a lot of money but then just play the leagues and take it out sort of like out of football," he said. He also mentioned that some players find bilateral one-day matches quite meaningless, further supporting his argument for a restructuring of the cricket format.
