Moeen Ali slams ICC's 'terrible rules'

The former all-rounder says ODI cricket is dying

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has indirectly blamed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for implementing "terrible rules" that he believes are contributing to the decline of One Day International (ODI) cricket.

From fielding restrictions to the use of two new balls, Moeen feels the format has become increasingly unfavorable for bowlers.

"The format has almost completely died out, apart from World Cups and Champions Trophy. It is the worst format to play and I think there are many reasons for that," Moeen said.

He pointed to rule changes that have led to a rise in batters' averages, arguing that these prevent bowlers from applying sustained pressure.

"I think the rules are terrible. To have that extra fielder after (the first powerplay), I think it's a horrendous rule for taking wickets, building any sort of pressure. Guys are averaging 60, 70 in ODI cricket now because of that," he said.

He also criticized how modern batting tactics, enabled by these rules, make it nearly impossible for bowlers to restrict scoring.

"When you're bowling at somebody and you put a little bit of pressure, he just reverse-sweeps and it's not even a single, it's a four. It's just there's always that option available for the batters (to score)," he added.

The 37-year-oldfurther lamented the loss of reverse swing due to the use of two new balls, which he believes has removed a key skill from the game. "On top of all this, you have two new balls, you lose the reverse swing, you lose the art of trying to hit a softer ball," he said.

"Everything's always in the middle and crisp and it's flying off your bat and stuff. I think for those reasons, the cricket's just died. 50-over cricket has died," he added.

Despite his criticism of ODI cricket's current state, Moeen also highlighted the growing influence of T20 franchise leagues, suggesting that financial incentives are leading to more international retirements.

"I think franchise cricket is sadly eating it all up and the problem is the money that's out there and the money that's being thrown out there. It's so much that people just can't turn it down. It's very difficult," he said.