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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower believes the International Cricket Council (ICC) is treading with "danger" by hosting a T20 World Cup every two years. He feels this can make it feel "commonplace" and deprive it of the importance and respect that the quadrennial ODI World Cup gets.
According to a survey conducted by the World Cricketers Association (WCA), cricketers who consider the T20 World Cup the "most important" ICC event have increased from 15 percent in 2019 to 35 percent in 2024. In the survey, 30 percent of cricketers, who belonged to Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, and West Indies, also picked T20 as the most important format.
When told about the findings, Flower said he was "surprised".
"I'm surprised," he told the Times of India. "I think the 50-over World Cup, because it's played every four years, holds more importance. I think there's a danger in playing a T20 World Cup every two years... it becomes commonplace. I wouldn't like anything called the 'World Cup' to be a commonplace.lI like the rarity of a World Cup."
However, Flower admitted that the T20 World Cup aids in growing the global appeal of the sport, with the stories of Afghanistan reaching the semi-finals and the USA going to the Super-Eight being the major plusses from the 2024 edition.
"Wasn't a favorite in the dressing room" - Andy Flower on Impact Player rule
Meanwhile, the RCB coach also revealed that his dressing room wasn't too fond of the Impact Player rule in IPL 2024 while adding that there's a need to find a healthy balance between bat and ball across the private and ICC tournaments.
"The next IPL may see big scores again. I'm not sure what'll be done about the 'Impact Player' rule. It wasn't a favorite in the dressing room. The tempo and the power game is going to continue in the IPL. In the World Cup, some of the small scores were mainly due to the pitches on offer. The ICC will need to be careful about the surfaces that are being provided for marquee tournaments like the World Cup. In cricket, there should always be a healthy balance between the bat and ball."
Although there's no confirmation yet, some reports have suggested that the Impact Player rule is likely to stay in IPL 2025 too.
