Former India captain Kapil Dev has called on cricket's governing body (ICC) to protect the test and one-day formats amid the global growth of lucrative domestic Twenty20 competitions.
The proliferation of T20 leagues has further strained cricket's already-bloated calendar, with new competitions in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa beginning early next year.
The trailblazing Indian Premier League has been given an extended window in the ICC's next international calendar, while England and Australia are also likely to get dedicated slots for their domestic franchise-based leagues.
The cramped schedule has prompted some players to quit formats.
Blackcaps seamer Trent Boult has opted out of his national contract with NZ Cricket, while England's Ben Stokes retired from ODIs last month.
South Africa have also dropped an ODI tour of Australia in January, as it clashed with the launch of their T20 league.
The ICC has put the onus on member boards to find a balance between domestic and bilateral cricket to better manage the workload of players, but Dev says it has a "bigger responsibility" to manage the sport.
"It's going the way as football in Europe," Dev told the Sydney Morning Herald. "They don't play against each country - it is once in four years [during the World Cup].
"Is this what we're going to have - the World Cup and the rest of the time playing club cricket? In a similar way, will cricketers eventually be playing mainly the IPL or the Big Bash, or something like that?
"The ICC have to put more time into that to see how they can ensure the survival of one-day cricket, test-match cricket, not only club cricket."
Reuters
