T20 World Cup in line to becomes ICC's most important event

A player survey has unveiled that the T20 World Cup is closing the gap in the race to become the "most important" ICC event for players worldwide, indicating a shift from the dominance of the ODI World Cup.

World Cricketers Association (WCA), formerly known as FICA, found in a survey that 85% of players viewed the 50-over World Cup as the most important in 2019, compared to 15% for the T20 World Cup.

In 2024, however, those figures have changed, with 50% of the players considering the ODI showpiece the most important and 35% favouring its T20 equivalent.

The current edition of the T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA and West Indies, will culminate in the final showdown between India and South Africa in Barbados today.

According to a survey conducted by the rebranded organisation, among players under 26, there has been a notable increase in preference for the T20 World Cup. In 2024, 41% favoured it, compared to 49% who preferred the 50-over World Cup.

Overall, there has been a significant rise in the popularity of the T20 format. In contrast to 2019, when 82% of players considered Test cricket the most important format, that figure has now dropped to just 48%.

As many as 30% of players now regard T20 as the most important format.

Players from India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are not represented by the WCA as they are not unionised.

Players from other major cricket nations, including Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, and the West Indies gave their responses.

As per the WCA, the sample size for the 2024 survey was around 330 professional players from 13 different countries, with the majority of them being current internationals. There is a higher proportion of female respondents in 2024.

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