Glenn McGrath envisions a bleak future for one-day international cricket

• Legendary Australian fast-bowler Glenn McGrath is unconvinced about the prospects for One-Day International cricket
• The former bowler made his remarks following a Tuesday ODI between Australia and England in front of a nearly deserted Melbourne Cricket Ground

He told the PA news agency from his Queensland home: “It was really disheartening to see audiences like that, ODIs are definitely under the pump at the moment.”

“Melbourne is classed as the sporting capital of Australia, if not the world, they absolutely love their sport. So for them to turn out in the numbers they did speaks volumes about where we’re at,” he added.

The 52-year-old thinks that T20 and Test matches pose a serious threat to ODI cricket.

“The powers that be really have to watch that they don’t put games on just for the sake of it, games that don’t count for anything. The international schedule is tough enough. I think they have to respect every series and every game, it has to mean something,” he said.

“We’ve got to protect the game. T20 cricket is always growing, it’s fast, quick and exciting and Test cricket really is the ultimate. I think those two formats will stand the test of time.

“I do hope ODI cricket carries on, I’ve got a lot of great memories of it and I would still put the ODI World Cup as more important than the T20. But the format is under the pump and we need to look at how we keep people coming to these games.”

Over the course of his stellar career, McGrath played 124 Tests and 250 ODIs and claimed over 900 wickets. In two T20Is, he also claimed five wickets.

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