Moeen Ali says current 50-over cricket schedule 'unsustainable'

Moeen Ali. - Twitter

England all-rounder Moeen Ali has said that 50-over cricket could disappear if the current "unsustainable" schedule is not fixed or changed.

He said there had not been much interest in the 50-over match compared to the County Championship, the Vitality Blast, and the Hundred.

“It just feels like it’s going that way and there’s nothing almost you can do because I think the interest in 50-over cricket is not there as it probably once was,” he said.

“So yeah, having won it in 2019 it’s a difficult one because I genuinely feel in two to three years' time, nobody’s going to want to play it."

Considering there are many franchise leagues around the world, with two more to be added in January in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, Moeen said he was concerned the schedule would only discourage more players and make them retire early.

“At the moment it’s not sustainable in my opinion. Something has to be done because I fear losing the 50-over format in a couple of years because it's almost like the long, boring one if that makes sense,” Ali said.

“International cricket in all three formats is by far the best cricket to play. There’s no doubt about that, but I do worry there are so many tournaments out there that players are retiring more now and you’ll see more retiring soon."

Red-ball captain Ben Stokes earlier retired from 50-over cricket, citing the “unsustainable” schedule as the reason. England was set to play three Test matches against South Africa before a tour to Pakistan, which included seven T20s followed by a sprint format World Cup in October.

“It’s almost like you’ve got T20s, you’ve got the Test matches, which are great and then the 50 overs is just in the middle – there’s no importance given to at the moment,” Ali said.

Last year, Ali himself retired from Test cricket before saying he might return if Stokes and new head coach Brendon McCullum create a conducive and exciting environment.

Competition among younger players

With the Hundred approaching, Ali said it could be an opportunity for younger players to establish themselves for the T20 World Cup. While he had adapted to the new situation within Team England, Ali said he acknowledged the pressure on others.

"It is a great thing [having that competition for places], and [there is] a lot more competition now than there was before," Ali said. "When you don't play well - or you're losing - there's always going to be changes, and I do think it's a great thing.

"The Hundred is great for younger players—you can kind of pluck players out of the blue a little which is really good. A few of the teams have got some really young players this year who have been around a little bit, but [the Hundred] is a great platform for them to really shine and do well and be on that big stage."

Earlier on Saturday, Ali led Birmingham Phoenix in their campaign against Trent Rockets.