Former England captain Michael Atherton has issued a stark warning about the future of cricket following Ben Stokes ' decision to retire from ODI cricket.
Stokes labelled England's current schedule "unsustainable" after walking away from the format at the age of just 31 and Atherton believes the rise of T20 franchise tournaments like the IPL mean the sport is at a "tipping point" with bilateral series at risk.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Atherton said: "I think the game is at a tipping point, which has long been coming probably since the advent of the IPL.
"You could argue the tipping point has come now with South Africa recently taking the decision to abandon three ODIs In Australia next year as they want their best players available for their franchise tournament.
"They are prepared to slightly imperil their participation in the next World Cup to do that. That tells you all you need to know about where the balance of power is between international and franchise cricket.
"What will give is bilateral international cricket." Fellow ex-England international Mark Butcher is seriously concerned about the future of ODI's and 50-over cricket in general.
"I think the future of 50-over cricket in this country looks pretty bleak for many reasons," he warned. "The obvious one is that the Royal London Cup is now a second-rate competition with all of the better players either playing for England or in The Hundred.
"The ones that are playing 50-over cricket want to play something else. It's great for development but given the choice, they would rather be playing in a competition with more eyes on it.
"You are kind of signing the death warrant of the 50-over format with the way it is being played. It is quite extraordinary to witness what is happening."
