T20 World Cup on course to become most important ICC event, reveals player survey

T20 World Cup gaining ground as most important ICC event, survey shows shift from ODI dominance.

A player survey has revealed that the T20 World Cup is closing the gap in the race to become the "most important" ICC event to players around the world, marking a shift from the dominance of the ODI World Cup.

According to a survey conducted by the World Cricketers Association (WCA), formerly FICA, an overwhelming 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 as the most important and 35% favouring its T20 equivalent.

The ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by the USA and West Indies, will conclude with the title clash between India and South Africa in Barbados on Saturday.

As per the survey done by the re-branded body, for players under 26, the inclination towards the T20 World Cup rose significantly, with 41% preferring it over the 50-over World Cup at 49% in 2024.

Overall, there has been a sharp increase in the popularity of the T20 format. Compared to 2019 when 82% of players picked Test cricket as the most important format, it's only 48% right now.

As many as 30 percent of the players picked T20 as the most important format.